_Wednesday, June 23rd._--A large company, including the QUEEN and Princess
MARY, attended the House of Lords to see Prince ALBERT take his seat as
Duke of YORK. It was unfortunate that the new peer was unable to wait for
the ensuing debate, for Lord NEWTON was in his best form. His theme was the
absurdity of the present Parliamentary arrangement under which the Peers
were kept kicking their heels in London for the best months of the year,
then overwhelmed with business for a week or two, and finally despatched to
the country in time for the hunting season, which nowadays most of them
were too much impoverished to enjoy. Lord CURZON condescended a little from
his usual Olympian heights, and declared that one of the drawbacks to
conducting business in that House was the difficulty of inducing noble
Lords to attend it after dinner.

[Illustration: THE YOUNG UNIONIST MOVEMENT.

"IF THEY WERE TO HAVE HOME RULE AT ALL THEY MUST 'GO THE WHOLE HOG.'"--_Mr.
ORMSBY GORE._]

To judge by Mr. ASQUITH'S recent speeches outside he meant to have
delivered a thundering philippic against our continued occupation of
Mesopotamia. Some of the sting was taken out of the indictment by the
publication of an official statement showing that Great Britain was
remaining there at the request of the Allies. After all, as Mr. LLOYD
GEORGE observed in his reply, it would not be an economical policy to
withdraw to Basra if we were to be immediately requested to return to
Baghdad.

The rest of the evening was devoted to a renewal of the protests against
Mr. CHURCHILL'S "Red Army." Among the critics were Mr. ESMOND HARMSWORTH