Chapter XXIV: Coercion

Lord Beaconsfield Attacks the Government--The Irish Crisis--The Coercion Bills--An All-night Sitting--The Arrest of Mr. Davitt--The Revolt of the Irish Members--The Speaker’s _Coup d’État_--Urgency--New Rules of Procedure--The Speaker’s _Clôture_--End of the Struggle against Coercion--Mr. Dillon’s Irish Campaign--Mr. Forster’s First Batch of “Suspects”--The Peers Censure the Ministry--Mr. Gladstone’s “Retort Courteous”--Abolition of the “Cat”--The Budget--Paying off the National Debt--The Irish Land Bill--The Three “F’s”--Resignation of the Duke of Argyll--The Strategic Blunder of the Tories--The Fallacy of Dual Ownership--Conflict between the Lords and Commons--Surrender of the Peers--Passing the Land Bill--Revolt of the Transvaal--The Rout of Majuba Hill--Death of Sir George Colley--The Boers Triumphant--Concession of Autonomy to the Boers--Lord Beaconsfield’s Death--His Career and Character--A “Walking Funeral” at Hughenden--The Queen and Lord Beaconsfield’s Tomb--A Sorrowing Nation--Assassination of the Czar--The Queen and the Duchess of Edinburgh--Character of the Czar Emancipator--Precautions for the Safety of the Queen--Visit of the King and Queen of Sweden to Windsor--Prince Leopold becomes Duke of Albany--Deaths of Dean Stanley and Mr. Carlyle--Review of Scottish Volunteers--Assassination of President Garfield--The Royal Family--The Highlands--Holiday Pastimes--The Parnellites and the Irish Land Act--Arrest of Mr. Parnell--No-Rent Manifesto 610