The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-10 00:00:00

AN:

A MODERN LIBERAL STATESMAN.

--„,.
The following political character of Lord Mel-
bourne is published in the " Life of Archbiahop
Whabeley" by his daughter. It appears to have
teen found in the Archbishop's private note-book :
After all, Lord Melbourne's plan was to let everything
alone, good or bad, till forced to make a change. He was
the highest conservative I ever knew. For he was not like
many so-called, who have really' persuaded themselves
that such and such alleged abuses are really good ; he saw
in many cases, and has often pointed out to me, the evils
of such and such institutions ; adding, however, that he
was very sorry they should ever have been meddled with :
" I say, Archbishop, all this reforming gives a deuced deal
of trouble, eh ?eh ? I wish they'd let it all alone." Any
change, in whatever department, was to him so much
greater an evil than the continuance of any abuse that he
i would always avoid it if he could. But then he had,
t which most conservatives have not, shrewdness enough to
I
perceive when it was unavoidable, and then be always wel-
-1 corned it with so muck gladness that many people were
alarmed with a dread of his going too far ; and thus he
! coffered the most effectual check to innovations. For John
I Bull becomes furious at a very obstinate opposition to some
change, which be conceives called for ; but if tt is readily
i graated,the innate conservatlna of the nation is called forth
I very strongly. He is hie a restive hens, which, if you turn
his head away from the ditch heis baeking towards, sad whip
and spur him from it, will back the more violently ; but
if you turn him towards it, and seem rather to rep him
that way, will shrink from it. Lord Melbourne took
1 the latter mode. Yet though he thought with the tories and
acted with the whip, I always vindicated him health' Amp
of inconsistency. A man is not a traitor for surrendering •
1 town to the enemy when untenable, instead of waiting to
have it stormed sad sacked ; though in so doing he is act-
ing with those who wish the enemy to have pomenion
of it, while his feelings and wishes are with those who are
for holding out and dying in the breach. He differed
from the whip in deprecating all changes, good or bad ; he
differed from the (other) tories in conceding readily what
he saw to be inevitable. Yet this man will probably go
down to posterity as a scalene reformer I A monument to
Sir Robert Peel and the Duke, aa the authors of catholic
emancipation and free trade and the Maynooth grant, and
to Lord Melbourne as the friend to parliamentary reform,
tithe reform, the Irish Temporalities Act, and the obeli.
tion of slavery, these should certainly 'tend side by side,
and • most laughable pair they weld be. " I say, Arch-
bishop, what do you think I'd have done about this slavery
business, if I'd had my own way? I'd have done nothing
M all ! I'd have left it all alone. It's all a pack of non-
ce-nee! Always have been slaves in all the most civilised
countries ; the Greeks and Romans had slaves; however,
they would have their fancy, and so we've abolished
slavery ; but it's great folly, Ice." And this was the gene-
ral tone of his conversation, and • specimen of his political
views.