MY DEAR LABOUCHERE,--Surely Randolph's policy will not work. A dissolution within a few weeks of the General Election would be very unpopular and indeed unjustifiable, unless the whole Liberal party followed Mr. Gladstone in a Home Rule proposal. But it is clear he will be left in the lurch, if he proposes it, by the majority of the party, and in these circumstances {286} a dissolution would not help the Tories, and would probably unite the Liberals under Hartington--while Mr. Gladstone would retire. I should have thought the Tory game would have been to go out and to leave Mr. Gladstone to form a Government if he can. Unless he repudiates Home Rule this would be impossible, while if he does repudiate it he would have the Irish against him and could not get on for a month. I shall be in London on the 4th January, and could dine with you to meet Randolph on that evening--if convenient. I shall not be up again till the 11th. Have they finally settled to go straight on with the address and without any adjournment?--Yours very truly, J. CHAMBERLAIN. _Lord Randolph Churchill to Mr. Labouchere_ INDIA OFFICE, Dec. 24, 1885. DEAR LABOUCHERE,--I am engaged to be at Hatfield on the 4th. That compared morally with your proposed "festin" will be as Heaven is to Hell, but my sinful spirit will sigh regretfully after Hell. I am making enquiries as to your letter which you suggested to me yesterday, but have not yet received a reply. I thought over Justin M'Carthy's story about Carnarvon. It must be a lie, for on Sunday last the latter was in London. He came over on the Friday previous for the Cabinets on the following Monday and Tuesday.--Yours ever, RANDOLPH S. C. _P.S._--The weak point of your accusation in this week's _Truth_ of treachery on the part of the Government is that the announcement of Gladstone's having written a letter to the Queen first appeared in _The Daily News_![14] Now we are not likely to take Mr. Hill[15] as our confidant. {287} _Mr. Labouchere to Mr. Chamberlain_ 10 QUEEN ANNE'S GATE, Dec. 24, 1885. MY DEAR CHAMBERLAIN,--Churchill writes: "I am engaged to be at Hatfield on the 4th. That, compared with the society of you and 'Joe,' ought to be as Heaven is to Hell, but my sinful spirit sighs regretfully after Hell." They go on without adjournment, estimating that the swearing can be done in three or four days. Rosebery writes to say that he has heard nothing from Hawarden since he wrote urging silence, a suggestion which he supposed was not appreciated. All I know, he says, is that Mr. Gladstone is devilish in earnest about the matter. Supposing that the Radicals went against Home Rule, the fight with the Irish would be long. Don't you think that the country would think that it would be better fought by the Conservatives than by the Radicals? They would--with pleasure--make it last long. It would be like the French wars to Pitt.