1886 HOME RULE 439 



Home Rulers and the lethargy of Unionists had caused 

 one side only of the great question then agitating 

 English politics to be represented in the American 

 press, with the result that the funds of the National- 

 ists were swelled by subscriptions from persons who 

 might have acted otherwise if the arguments on the 

 other side had been adequately laid before them. 



Mr. Albert Grey, M.P., therefore had arranged for 

 a series of clear, forcible pronouncements from strong 

 representative Englishmen against a separate Parlia- 

 ment, to be cabled over to New York to a syndicate 

 of influential newspapers, and his American advisers 

 desired that the opening statement should be from 

 Huxley. 



Although it will be seen from the letter that he 

 would not undertake this task, Mr. Grey showed the 

 letter to one or two of the leading Liberal Unionists 

 to strengthen their hands, and begged permission to 

 publish it for the benefit of the whole party. 

 Accordingly, it appeared in the Times of April 13, 

 1886. 



CASALINI, W. BOURNEMOUTH, 

 March 21, 1886. 



DEAR MB. GREY I am as much opposed to the Home 

 Rule scheme as any one can possibly be, and if I were a 

 political man I would fight against it as long as I had 

 any breath left in me ; but I have carefully kept out of 

 the political field all iny life, and it is too late for me now 

 to think of entering it 



Anxious watching of the course of affairs for many 

 years past has persuaded me that nothing short of some 

 sharp and sweeping national misfortune will convince 



