The Press.
London, England, 1857-09-05 00:00:00

his observation of English life; and undoubt-
edly there are splendid prizes open to first
rate talent in England. In the Church there
are several life peerages attached to the Epis-
copal Bench; the Army, Navy, and the Bar
obtain titles in due order; and occasionally
peerages are conferred on eminent members
of the House of Commons. The elevation of
Mr. MACAULAY, though without any exact pre-
cedent, clearly falls within the line.
It now seems just like a day to look back
on the time when Mr. MACAULAY, and PRAED,
and CHARLES BULLER, and many more were
about town, after the starting of Knight's
Quarterly Magazine. PRAED is now no more ;
he was more of a poet than a politician, and
he was not well suited for the struggle of life.
Like CHARLES BULLER, he was of a weakly con-
stitution, and his brains were not supported by
backbone. Of all that brilliant company Mr.
MACAULAY alone has culminated. Both PRAED
and CHARLES BULLER were prematurely cut
off; and many others, with considerable
talents, have pursued the " humdrum " course
of existence—they married, got rich, and
gained happiness without renown. Mr.
MACAULAY, in Lord BACON'S language,
never gave " hostages to fortune ;" and
even with all the advantages of his splen-
did talents, his dazzling style, and his varied
knowledge, the new literary peer has been
singularly fortunate, so much so as to deserve
his old name of " lucky Tom."

He was " lucky " in having a father before
him who had somas to all the high Whig
circles. Old ZACHARY was not a bad progeni-
tor for an ambitious young orator. Many of
the interesting social anecdotes which flow so
rapidly from Mr. MAcAuLay's lips testify to
the fact of his early initiation into political
circles. WILBERFORCE, in his diary, speaks of
young MACAULAY and his father, and young
TOM'S old competitor, the present distinguished
Greek scholar, Professor MALDEN. Earl GREY
(then Viscount Howick) was one of the first
who praised in high circles the eloquence of
the young member of the Cambridge Union.
Knight's Magazine introduced the charming
essayist to the Edinburgh Review. The disser-
tation on " Milton " carried his name far and
wide; and Lord LANSDOWNE gave him a
borough at the exact time most suitable to the
display of his powers.
" MACAULAY, sir," said the late Mr. SHEIL,
" is the cleverest man of the day ; he made
" four speeches on the Reform Bill, and got
" ten thousand a year." In nothing was Mr.
MACAULAY more " lucky " than in the time
when he was launched on the Reform current.
He was not well fitted for breasting the stream.
He could not fight a losing game, and he had
not the vehemence and strenuous qualities
which made BURKE, SHERIDAN, and BROUGHAM
stand up session after session to encounter
crowds of adversaries. The " House " was
with him while he recited his essays ; the cry
out of doors was with his party, and he had
abundant success. Yet in the session of 1833,
when O'CONNELL and SHEIL split the English
Reform party, and when Mr. STANLEY (Lord
Derby) showed uncommon powers, it was
generally felt that Mr. MACAULAY failed to grap-
ple with the sturdy aasailants of the Whigs.
And afterwards, when he returned from India,
and when he became a " Cabinet Minister " of
the Melbourne Whigs, it was soon felt that
Mr. MACAULAY could not stand in debate
against Sir ROBERT PEEL or Lord STANLEY.
He could deliver essays, but he could not
follow an antagonist through the sinuous wind-
ings of an argument. He advanced a
a few showy generalisations ; he then illus-
trated them with rhetorical art, but he never
impressed one with the idea that ho had
capacity for affairs.
,We agree with an able writer in the Daily
iNeits in thinking that the peerage to Mr.
MACAULAY must be accepted as a tribute to his
brilliant literary talents. Of these talents, so
well tried, this is not the place to speak. Yet
we may admit our concurrence with the
opinion that Mr. Macaut.ay's admirable
essays, rather than his " History of England,"
«tuu his "Bataviad," will shed most perma-
nent lustre on his name. That, however, is
matter of opinion, on which sentiments may
differ. Independently of literary exertion the