Bradford election shows what will be the end of it all. In spite of the large Irish vote now transferred to the Liberal candidate the majority of 1500 has dwindled to half that number! I am being bullied to attend Radical meetings in all parts of the country, but at present I have replied that I am not willing to undertake anything in the nature of a campaign against Gladstone. At the same time I am pressing all my correspondents to try to bring about an arrangement by mutual concession. I confess I am not very sanguine of success.--Believe me, yours truly, J. CHAMBERLAIN. _Mr. Chamberlain to Mr. Labouchere_ HIGHBURY, MOOR GREEN, BIRMINGHAM, April 24, 1886. MY DEAR LABOUCHERE,--I cannot authorise the change you suggest in my letter, which I only wrote as you asked me for it, without much idea that it would be useful. I think the chance of any reunion is very slight. I certainly could not agree to vote for the second reading without preliminary assurances as to retention of the Irish representation. I have no doubt that the result of my action will involve temporary unpopularity with the Radical party, but they will probably want my help again at some future time, and will then exhibit as short a memory and as little consistency as they are doing now on the question of Irish Government. {327} In the meantime the honour of leading a party so uncertain appears to me less clear than it did some months ago.--Believe me, yours very truly, J. CHAMBERLAIN. _Mr. Labouchere to Sir Charles Dilke_ POPE'S VILLA, TWICKENHAM, April 24, 1886. MY DEAR DILKE,--Chamberlain sent me a letter for the St. James's Hall meeting, but it came too late. It would not, however, have helped matters, for he sticks to the phrase "the Government accepts." I had a letter from him this morning, much in the same tone, also one from Morley, who says that Chamberlain's speech is an attempt to coerce the Government, and that they won't stand coercion.