—The Resolutions have undergone the process of Rintoul's very careful consideration and criticism, and have since been re-written. He takes them to town to-night.

I wish to say about them now, that two objects have been kept in view—to make them say the faith as you suggested, and to make them suitable to an English Conservative county member of the independent class. They are, in some essential points, more "Tory" than I should have made them if writing for, say Molesworth, C. Buller, the Howick of 1845, or myself. I agree, no doubt, in the conservatism, but only lately and by adoption: and I could not write what I did not think: but great pains have been taken to make them fit to be called the Adderley Resolutions.

I have no doubt that in opinion Adderley goes with all of page 72them: but that is what Gladstone would not do under a month's time for arranging and disposing of objections. At about the end of the month, when he had (as we have, long ago) disposed of the objections by inquiry and thought, he would, I think, agree to every word. Meantime the hours press; and therefore I fancy that the most courteous course towards Grladstone, and the most agreeable to him, would be to tell him that the Resolutions are purposely not shown to him so that he may be perfectly independent. Indeed, it might be convenient to him to be able to say that he had not seen them till they were on the Book: and as for attempting to alter them so as to have his sudden approval, that I imagine to be impossible without cutting off roots, branches, and bark, if not stem: and even then he would not like them suddenly. To show them to him for his opinion on them, without giving him plenty of time to get over his own objections, would be good for nobody.

Every word has been weighed.

Rintoul seems much pleased with them.

I take for granted that if Adderley proceed, he will allow me some opportunity of talking over each Resolution with him.

New Zealand—What?

It occurred to Rintoul and me that on Molesworth's motion, somebody ought to state the V. D. Land case as you did in the Chronicle, showing that it is lugged into the constitutional law for Australia, in the form of an ex post facto legalization of an illegal act of the Government.