" Dear Mr. Wright, —

" I am informed that the Ealing Central Conservative Council are
to meet to consider my resignation. I enclose to you, for their infor-
mation, my letter of resignation to the Prime Minister, to the publica-
tion of which he has assented, and in which my reasons for the step I
propose to take are clearly stated. My letter will not be intelligible
unless I add that I wrote it on the afternoon of September 15th, in
ignorance of Mr. Chamberlain's resignation and of the consequent
elimination of all that related to preferential tariffs from the Govern-
ment's programme.
" The first intimation I received of the great change that had been
settled came to me through a morning newspaper of the i8th. That
newspaper also contained the Gazette of the acceptance of my
resignation.
" Behave me to be,

"Yours very truly,

"GEORGE HAMILTON."



Lord George's letter of resignation was in the following terms : —

" India Office,

' ' September \^th, 1903.
"My dear Balfour, —

"It is with great regret that I must ask you to submit to the King
the resignation of my office. But after the recent discussions in the
Cabinet, and the knowledge that I have obtained of the fiscal
propositions you purpose to publicly advocate, I have no alternative but
to take this course. For many years past I have believed that the
greatest danger to British industries arises from the economical and
scientific methods of production which our foreign rivals are introducing
in the manufacture of articles in which we were formerly superior.
