The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-27 00:00:00

THE LATE PETER BORTHWICK, ESQ., OF

BORTHWICK.

(From the Morning Post.)

Up to this moment we have refrained from any but the
brief and customary announcement of Mr. Borthwick's la-
mented death. But the last sad offices having now been
paid, Mr. Borthwick, like all other public men, becomes
the legitimate subject of history ; and it is due to the posi-
tion which he occupied for many years to record the steps
by which he achieved, and the ability and principle by
which he maintained, it.
The late Peter Borthwick was descended from the ancient
family of Borthwick Lord Borthwick in the peerage of
Scotland, whose castle is still a picturesque and noble ruin.
He was born at Cornbank, in-the parish of Borthwick, in
Mid-Lothian, about 12 miles from Edinburgh, on the 13th
of September, 1804, and received the rudiments of his in-
fant education at the school of Pennycuik. As hie boyhood
advanced, he was removed to the High School of.,Edin-
burgh, where he-wegt - through the usual course of study,
and was then entered at the University of the Scottish ca-
pital. Here he ultimately graduated, having been, simul-
taneously, the private pupil of the late pious and learned
Bishop Walker—a connection naturally resulting from the
fact that Mr. Borthwick had always been a sincerely at-
tached member of the Episcopal Church of Scotland.
His education being completed, an event occurred which
exercised an important and happy influence on his future
life ; he was married, in the year 1827, to Miss Margaret
Colville, daughter of John Colville, Esq., of Ewart, in
Northumberland. This lady, the beloved companion of
his prosperous days, and his solace under the pressure of
severe misfortunes, survives, to lament a lo,s capable only
of being mitigated by the consolations of Christian faith,
and a pious resignation to the will of Heaven. Four chil-
dren of this marriage--three sons and one daughter—are
still living.
Mr. Borthwick was, through life, insatiable in the acqui-
sition of knowledge ; and, notwithstanding his marriage,
therefore, he took up his residence at Cambridge, and
entered himself of Jesus College. Thence, by removal, he
becathe a Fellow Commoner of Downing College, and while
there was the author of some learned works on theological
subjects.
In the autumn of 1832, being still unengaged in any
professional pursuit, an accidental circumstance brought
into active exercise the resources of his powerful mind.
Happening to be present at a meeting called for the pur-
pose of discussing the subject of negro-slavery, the imme-
diate abolition of which was then vigorously urged by a
class of agitators, composed in great part of sectarian
preachers and their immediate followers, Mr. Borthwick
felt impelled, by the gross misrepresentations addressed to
the audience, to refute these calumnies. It was his first
essay as a public speaker; but so complete was his success,
that, from that moment, his reputation was established.
He was at once invited, not only by those who had a per-
sonal interest in the question, but by others actuated by
an abstract love of justice, to disabuse the public mind on
the subject of slavery, by delivering lectures at• meetings
convened for that object. With the disregard for personal
convenience which was part of his character when any good
cause required the sacrifice, he acceded to these numerous
requests • and during no less a time than nine months, he
exerted himself indefatigably, in London, Bath, Chelten-
ham, Edinburgh, Dumfries, and Glasgow, and many other
of the principal towns of England and eotland, in show-
ing the impolicy and injustice of immediate, and the duty
of gradual, abolition.
These purely gratuitous labours, the effect of his con-
scientious convictions, produced an effect far beyond what
could have been expected ; and the general gratitude for
his eminent services displayed itself in spontaneous sub-
scriptions, having for their object to present Mr. Borth-
wick with some lasting memorial of the admiration excited
by his abilities, and the respect entertained for the zeal of
his voluntary exertions. Bath contributed a silver dinner-
service, Cheltenham a breakfast equipage of the same
material, Dumfries a costly piece of plate, and the -Univer-
sity of Edinburgh a cup, bearing a very flattering inscrip-
tion expressive of a sense of the honour reflected by his
talents and eloquence upon the University of which he was
so distinguished a member. On the same occasion, the boys
of the High School of Edinburgh presented to Mr. Borth-
wick's eldest, but then infant, son, Algernon, a silver
bicker " in honour of his father."
The year 1832 had, in another respect, an important
bearing on the views and prospects of Mr. Borthwick. The
reputation which he had so rapidly achieved induced a
suggestion that he should give to the country the benefit of
his services in Parliament. He accordingly contested the
representation of the borough of Evesham, but his claims
could not yet avail against the Whig interest which had
hitherto returned both the members. In 1834, however,
he again entered the lists, and was returned in conjunction
with Sir Charles Cockerell. He was not destined to be one
of those members whose existence would be unknown to
the general public but for the occasional appearance of
their names in the division list. Early associations,
ripened by reflection, aided by the traditions of the family,
distinguished through many centuries for unswerving
loyalty, had made him a conservative—or, as it was then
called, a Tory—in politics. The judicious instruction of
Bishop Walker had thoroughly identified his religious
principles with those inculcated by the Episcopal Church.
The result was, that Mr. Borthwick became the advocate
in Parliament of order and legitimacy in political affairs,
and a strong and undeviating Churchman in matters of
higher concernment. The civil war was raging in Spain
when he entered Parliament, and he firmly supported the
constitutional rights of Don Carlos V. against what, under
the formal settlement of the succession to the Spanish
Throne, he believed to be the usurpation of Donna
Isabella. But he was not satified with the theoretical
knowledge which he had acquired of the subject; he pro-
ceeded to the Basque Provinces, in order to convince him-
self, by personal observation, of the practical bearing of
the Carlist system upon the comfort and happiness of the
people.

Mr. Borthwick had early acquired a strong conviction
rat the Church of England had become too much secular-
sed by its established connection with the State ; anti
'eeling that, to overcome this evil, synodal action and self-
government were necessary, he availed himself of the first
opportunity that offered (May 2, 1837) to pray the Crown
that Convocation might once more be authorised to exer-
cise the rights of assembly and discussion, of which the
Church had been deprived ever since the memorable period
of Bishop Iloadly. This motion was negatived by only a
fractional majority ; and the events of the last few weeks
have amply denionstrated the soundness and practical na-
ture of the view taken and repeatedly urged for many years
by Mr. Borthwick. But the great measure with which his
name is already identified, and by which he will be favour-
ably known to posterity, was the introduction into the
poor law of that admirable provision, " the Borthwick
clause," which his untiring perseverance, after much diffi-
culty, succeeded in extorting from the reluctant House of
Commons. • To him it is owing that married couples who
have shared each others' pains and pleasures up to the age
of 60 shall not, if overtaken by misfortune, be subjected in
the poor-house to become the victims of a violation of the
Divine command which says—" Those whom God hath
joined together let not man put assunder."
At the general election which occurred on the death of
King William IV., Mr. Borthwick was again a candidate,
and again a successful one, for Evesham • and he continued
to represent the borough with credit to himself and advan-
tage to his constituents till the succeeding general election,
when he was unseated on petition, charging him with bri-
bery, on the singular ground of having presented with a
silver snuff-box an elector who had voted against him I
Much might be said, in reference to this transaction, to
criminate some men still alive, and some who have passed
to their last account ; but that is not our object. The
decision of the committee had no effect in diminishing the
kindly feeling entertained towards Mr. Borthwick by his
old constituency at Evesham. At a public banquet,
the ladies of the borough presented him with a magni-
ficent silver salver, with an appropriate inscription ;
and at the next election he was triumphantly returned
free of all expense to himself. But, however satisfactory
this demonstration must have been, it did not alleviate
the consequences of the proceedings before the committee.
The costs involved in the petition, and the subsequent
scrutiny, so seriously affected. Mr. Borthwick's property as
to render it necessary for him to abandon Parliamentary
life, and seek for himself the means of an honourable sup-
port. He devoted himself to the study of the law ; and
having acquired in his state of pupilage more legal know-
ledge than is possessed by many men after years of prac-
tice, he was called to the bar as a member of the Honour-
able Society of Gray's-inn.
The prospect that opened upon his new career was un-
usually promising, and he was justified in anticipating a
distinguished and lucrative future ; but at this time cir-
cumstances occurred which once more changed his destina-
tion, and gave an entirely new direction to his untiring
energies. The management of the Morning Post was con-
fided to him by the proprietor of the paper, and those who
had the best opportunities of judging, were early con-
vinced of the sagacity and prudence which dictated the
selection. Mr. Borthwick's old political associations, and
his intimate relations with some of the most able public
men of the day, gave him peculiar advantages ; and he was
not slow to avail himself of them. He pursued a strictly
Conservative, but unprejudiced, course of policy, as the
only one suited to the present time, and calculated to pro-
mote the success of those great principles, to the mainten-
ance of which he was led by his sincere and honest con-
victions.
His course of usefulness was, however, destined to a
duration but too limited. Always unsparing of himself,
physical fatigue and mental exertion, unremittingly in
operation, at last produced their inevitable effect. Syrup_
toms of decayed health began to exhibit themselves in a
manner too unequivocal not to cause uneasiness' in the
minds of Grim friends ; respite from labour was a sugges-
tion to which he gave no heed ; and shortly after the coin-
mencement of the present year these symptoms. found
their natural result in a severe illness, of a character
fatal in the great majority of instances. Occasionally,
Mr. Borthwick's resolute firmness not to give way
produced a-temporary rally • but it was evident that the
disease had taken a strong hold on his constitution ; and in
the month of May, his medical advisers recommended that
recourse should be had to a warm climate. With this view
he made a tour of three months through the greater part
of Italy, accompanied by Mrs. Borthwick and two esti-
mable friends, from whom he received all the attention
which affection and attachment could devise. Upon his
return, in August, a relapse took place ; once more he so
far recovered as to afford a gleam of hope ; but from that
period his state was one of continued alternation—one week
a little better, the next a little worse—till, on Friday, the
17th of this month, he was suddenly attacked with active
inflammation, assuming the form of pleurisy. After several
horns of intense pain, he became free from it on the morn-
ing of Saturday week, and happily remained so till between
nine and ten at night, when, with pious calm, he resigned
his soul into the hands of God who gave it,
During the whole term of his protracted illness, his
mental capacity was never impaired ; and on the very day
before his death, an article appeared in the fftorning Post,
written by him on the previous evening with all the clear-
ness and vigour of intellect that distinguished him in his
days of rude and unbroken health

In private life,. sll Mr.. Borthwick's acquaintances were
his friends ; in his public character, he was universally
esteemed, even by those who were politically opposed to
him. We well, remember to have heard the late Lord
George Bentinck say, only three or four days before his
own lamented death,—"Borthwick is a very remarkable
man ; he can speak, and speak well, upon any subject at a
moment's notice." The high estimation in which he was
held in the borough which he so long represented has
already been mentioned in the course of this imperfect
sketch, and a peculiarly gratifying proof of its continuance
has been afforded since his decease. A gentleman, de-
puted by his fellow-townsmen, waited on Mr. Borth-
wick's afflicted family to inform himself of the period fixed
for the last sad solemnities, in order that the inhabitants
of Evesham might observe it as a day of mourning. It is at
very rare intervals that we witness such a demonstration
of feeling in constituents to their representative.
The life of which we have thus sketched the mere out.