The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-04-23 00:00:00

INCIDENTS OF LORD BEACON;IFIELD'S

ILLNESS.

We extract from The Times the following interesting
items respecting Lord Beaconsfield's illness :

-
It may be of interest to recall the memory of a few inci-
dents in this trying illness. Lord Beaconsfield was most
patient, and though he suffered much was most uncom-
plaining. He appreciated the attention shown him,
and was always ready to adopt the advice and sugges-
tions. offered to him, more %specially when the grounds on
which they were offered were explained. It is not correct
to say that he insisted on sitting up, nor that he refused to
take medicine and nourishment. Once circumstances
seemed to require him to sit up. The ill effects were
observed, and the act was not repeated. With refer-
ence to food and nourishment it would be strange if,
during an illness of several weeks' duration, some ob-
jections were not occasionally (but it was in truth only
very occasionally) made to do those things which, at the
best, are not always pleasant. During this illness Lord
Beaconsfield's nerve-power began to show evidence of
failure, and his mere muscular strength was never con-
spicuous. Hence efforts, mental or physical, seemed to pro-
duce marked effect, and he avoided both. Hence, too, his
reluctance to see his friends; the effort tired him. He
generally rested (he lay on an invalid couch) in a semi-
upright position, and when not asleep was engaged
in thought or in listening to subjects of interest
being read to him. His remarks were often full of
vigour, and sometimes quaintly humorous. It is not true
that he was in the habit of having the bulletins issued con-
cerning his health read to him. On one occasion, indeed,
when pretty well, he said jocosely to one of his physicians,
"What have you said about me that the British public
will read when they awake in the morning?" When asked
whether he would like to hear, he said "Yes." On a bulletin
being read to him, which contained the words ." takes
nourishment well, and the strength is maintained," he re-
marked, with a smile, "I think the well' is a little too
strong," and with regard to the last phrase he said, "No
doubt you are conscious of its accuracy ; I only wish I
were." . . .

The marvellous interest manifested in Lord Beacons-
field's illness could in no wise be more clearly shown than
n the mass of communication which daily flowed into
Curzon-street and into the houses of the physicians. Among
the most touching letters were those from little children,
expressing their hopes that " his lordship would recover."
Letters came from the aged telling of the cures effected by
certain remedies in their own cases exactly the same as Lord
Beaconsfield's.

-----------
Saturday, the 19th of March was the last time that Lord
Beaconsfield dined out. He was then the guest of the Prince
of %Vales at Marlborough House. - A week later he held a
consultation with sonic of his political friends and colleagues
for the last time. The subject discussed was Lord Cairns'
proposed speech in the House of Lords condemning
the course taken by Ministers on the Transvaal question.
There were present Lord Cairns. Lord Salisbury, ord Cran-
brook, and Lord Barrington. Lord Beaconsfield was then very
weak, as he had been ill some days, and he was unable to
take part in the discussion, but he insisted upon its taking
place in his room, though it was proposed to adjourn to
another. That was the last time that Lord Beaconsfield
transacted any public business. It was on April 7 that he
transacted private business for the last time. Be sent for
Lord Barrington and asked hiai what day of the month it
was. When he was told, he said, " I think it is time that
you should write to the young Duke of Portland, and tell
him I regret I cannot come to him for Easter week."

Lord Rowton arrived on the 7th of April, but Lord
Beaconsfield did not see him till the 11th. He had said pre-
viously to lord Barrington that he had heard Lord Rowton
had arrived. "Let him come to me gradually," he said,
evidently feeling very nervous at the thought of meeting him.
On the 11th he asked his servant Baum to read him the
said
he summarycoouf the
could
not
Pt adsol isaom eaisi t ahreywtb
taitreoi 1,1 Tbhilet
sTuigmg
ee's.t e at
that
Lord Rowton should come and read, at which Lord Beacons-
field said he Should be delighted. Lord Rowton never left
Lord Beaconsfield for any length of time afterwards.
On Monday, the 21st of Mardi, the day after he was taken
ill, Lord Beaconsfield was to have sat to Mr. Millais for his
picture. Mr. Millais had asked him to sit, and told him he
could paint bins in five sittings of an hour each. He had
given him three sittings, but he said to Barrington that
morning, "Write and tell Apelles I cannot sit to him to-
day." Lord Beaconsfield was very anxious about this
picture. His great political opponents, Mr. Bright and Mr.
Gladstone, had been painted by Mr. Millais. and he thought
it was no)vanity to consider that he, too, might to go down
to posterity on the canvas of the great portrait-painter of
the day.

He occupied himself during part of his illness with the
correction of his last speech in the House of Lords on the
vote of condolence moved on the occasion of the assassina-
tion of the Czar. In regard to this, too, he showed the same
regard to his fame. "I will not go down to postgrity," he
said, "as talking bad grammar."

One or two other. sayings of his during his illness have
been told to us. One of them corrects a popular misappre-
hension. Lord Barrington asked him one day where he was
born. " I was born in the Adelphi," he replied, "and I
may say in a library. My father was not rich when he
married. He took a suite of apartments in the Adelphi, and
as he possessed a largo collection of books, all the rooms
including that in which I was
born
covered with them,
ne

With regard to the nature of Lod Beacanfield's illness, it
appears that he had for several years past suffered more or ,
less from attacks of gout complicated with bronchitis. While
in office his health was very from strong, and people
little suspected how ill and weak he often really was. No
previous attack, however, was anything like so severe and
so prolonged as the one which has now proved fatal. The
present illness began in the form of general bad health. On the
20th of last month Lord Beaconsfield felt so unwell that he sent
for his regular physician, Dr. Kidd, who has continued to at-
tend him throughout. Dr. Quart], was also called in for con-
sultation, and subsequently Dr. Bruce was summoned to
act as physician in constant personal attendance during the
period the other medical men were away. The form which
the illness took was a regular attack of gout in several of
the joints, complicated with severe bronchitis, which was a
source of great difficulty to the doctors. From the beginning
there took place daily and almost hourly exacerbations, fol-
lowed by periods of relief, during which the patient seemed to
rally considerably and become better again. About the end of
the fourth week there were symptoms of decided improve-
ment, the gout having disappeared almost entirely from the
joints and the bronchitis having somewhat abated, though
the attacks of spasm were never quite absent. But,on Satur-
day morning last the east wind returned and with it a marked
arrest of the improvement. There was no favourable change
on the Sunday, and on Monday it became evident that
, the symptoms were increasing in severity. In the
evening the failure in strength was very pronounced. At
one o'clock the remedies employed appeared to be operating
ins the desired direction, but after that hour there was a
rapid loss of strength and the system did not respond to the
methods of treatment employed. At two o'clock, as above
stated, the condition of Lord Beaconsfield became so alarm-
ing that the doctors hastily summoned his intimate friends.
The death was calm and peaceful, the failure of strength
being gradual.
-•- • • -

- -
The severe state of the weather and the patient's advanced
age were the chief of the adverse features in the case against
which the physicians had to contend. Throughout his
illness Lord Beaconsfield was treated in his own personal
r )onis, of which there were four on one floor, connected by
means of folding doors. For change of scene and for purity
of air, Lord Beaconsfield was wheeled from one room to
another. This operation was conducted without the slightest
exertion of the part of the patient, whose. bed was simply
pushed from one room to another by four men-Eervants.

It is understood that before leaving Buckingham Palace
Her Majesty communicated to Lord Barrington her particu-
lar desire to visit the patiewt; but the reply of the physicians
was that only complete quietude was likely to restore Lord
Beaconsfield, and they begged the Queen, in the circum-
stances, not to carry out her desire. •