New-York daily tribune., 1861-08-12
LORD JOHN.
ayear.

SO Lord John has ceased to be. He has beea
translated to a higher sphere aud is known no
more below by bis long familiar name. For
though there may be many Lord Johns among
the younger sprouts Of the higher nobility, there
has been none other whose bare baptismal DIS
tinguished him from among the crowd As there
was but one Sir Robert among the multitude Of
baronets so christsned, so there has been but ono
Lord John within the memory Of mediaval man.
Young England indeed, made Lord John Man.
ners somewhat notorious few years ago, whom
he led the movement for the bringing back Of
very Old England again, and when be sung ts
the effect,
"Let art. and sciences and commerce die,
But leave us still our old noblity."
but his notoriety was brief one, and he never
achieved the eminence which made his patroo-
ymic superHuous designation. Lord John Rus
sell has now been hard upon forty years prom
inent public man, and for more than thirty
very prominent one. 1t seems like parting with
on old friend, to think that we shall see his
name no more in the details of the HOUSE ct
Commons, of which he has seen the whole and
been so large a part for 80 many years Of
history.
Lord John has bad long life of public SER
vice in Parliament and in the administration OF
affairs. lie was not educated at either OF tho
English Universities, but in Edinburgh, where
his hereditary Whiggery was nourished by tho
society Of Jeffrey, and the circle gathered UNDER
meath the shadow of the great blue and buff
Review. He was destined for political life, aud
or tha Idara nf tha
principles and policy Of the great Revolutoa
families. Accordingly, he was brought into Par
ament as soon as he was Of age, 10 1913, for
the family borough Of Tavistock, for which hs
sat till 1919, becoming member for the County
of Huntingtonshire in 1870. Losing bis seat
a. the election Of 1896 when Gaming came into
power, he sat that Parliament for the borough
of Bandon Bridge, in Ireland, which small con.
stituency he represented at the opening OF tho
Reform Bill campaign. On tho first dissolution
after the fall of the Duke Of Wellington, Lord
John was carried by the advancing wave Of
Whiggery into seat for the North Division OF
Deyonshire, which he changed in 1882. at the
final triumph Of the bill, for the South Division
of the same county, which be represented until
I-0D. Ou hcCtptibS tHo tHiite'" "P"~
his appointment as Home Secretary under Lord
Melbourne, Le lost his election, and took refuge
in the Borough of Stroud, which was vacated
for bin by Colonel now Mojor-General, Fox.
son of Lord Holland, aud son-in-law OF tho
King. There he remained until the dissolution
Of lsll. when he was chosen one of the men,
bers for London, which eminent political position
he has held ever since
For nearly twenty years Of his parliamentary
life Lord John sat on the opposition benches aud
helped in what seemed the almost hopeless war
fare upon the Tory ascendancy. But liberal
opinion took fresh start after the death OF
Lord Liverpool, and though Canning perished
uIder the weight of authority and the fury
of the assaults made upon him, yet the Duke
of Wellington was forced to concede the 70
peal of the Lot and Corporation acts, and even
of the Catholic disabilities. Parliamentary Re-
form next stood knocking at the door. The
Duke refused to open 1t, aud had to give way
to Earl Grey and the dynasty of the Wings.
Lord John then received the lucrative post OF
Paymaster of the Forces once honored by the
holding of Burke, with seat in the Privy Coun-
ell. On the reconstruction OF the Wing Ministry,
on the failure of Sir Robert Peel to maintain
himself in power, under Lord Melbourne, IN
1895. he was Home Secretary, aud afterwsrd
Colonial Secretary, until Sir Robert came in for
five years in l5il. In le46 Sir Robert went
out ard Lord John reached the top OF bis
ambition as Prime Minister. He was First Lord
of the Treasury, for about six years, being run
out by Lord Derby, in February lco%. on LORD
Aberdeen's accession to power In the next DE-
cember, Lord John had seat in his Cabinet
during bis administration, part oi the time WIZ
out Office and as Foreign Secretary, Colona
Secretary and President of the Council. Wheo
Lord Aberdeen went out and Lord Palmerston
came in, in February 1876, Lord John renamed
Colonial Secretary for few mouths and tnon
resigned and remained out of place three or ioar
years, returning again in 1859 as Foreign oeofe-
tary, which office he held at the time Oh h'' e''-
vation to the peerage.
II will be- seen. therefore, that his lOrdship has
had a very reasonable number oi 'nicA si'co'
cake. and very piummy ones, too Ii was Wen
Cor him. and not i'll for his country, that %
Needed Tom Moore's Remonstrance, forty years
ago. against an idea he had iutmatsd-nos
very fixed one, probably-of giving up public iho'
in the spirited stanzas beginning
.v,,, thou with thoy eeou, thy youth sDdthey name
Thou born II a Russell whose Instinct to run
Tha sccusto med career Of Thy sres is the same
A, the easlet, 70 With his eyes on the SUM-
He was always true friend to Moore tnous'
b;s life Of him-which contends with Bishop Tom
lines Life of Pitt as the worst biography 10 'hs
English language--may seem to be an ODD We!