pages an article from _Truth_ of October 14th, 1908, marked by him. The
article, which is called 'The Secret History of the First Home Rule
Bill,' states that Mr. Gladstone's language did not make clear that the
proposal to exclude Irish representatives from the Imperial Parliament
was given up. Mr. Chamberlain, who had made the retention of the Irish
members a condition of giving his vote for the second reading, left the
House, declaring that his decision to vote against the Bill was final.
The _Life of Labouchere_, by Algar Thorold, chap, xii., p. 272 _et
seq_., gives the long correspondence between Mr. Chamberlain and Mr.
Labouchere prior to this event.] Sir Charles voted for the Bill.

'On July 5th I was beaten at Chelsea, and so left Parliament in
which I had sat from November, 1868.

'The turn-over in Chelsea was very small, smaller than anywhere else
in the neighbourhood, and showed that personal considerations had
told in my favour, inasmuch as we gained but a small number of
Irish, it not being an Irish district, and had it not been for
personal considerations should have lost more Liberal Unionists than
we did.

'Some of my warmest private and personal friends were forced to work
and vote against me (on the Irish Question), as, for example, John
Westlake, Q.C., and Dr. Robert Cust, the learned Secretary of the
Royal Asiatic Society, and Sir Henry Gordon--General Charles
Gordon's brother--who soon afterwards died, remaining my strong
friend, as did these others.

'James wrote to Lady Dilke, July 26th: