New-York tribune., 1868-04-02
BENJAMIN DISRAELL
To ne Editor Of The Tribune


Premiership of England, vacant through the retire
ment of Lord Derby who has for many years been
the leader of the Tory party and was known rs the
Rupert of debate. CLEAN the following features of
Mr. Disraeli's life from authentic source and con-
slider them sufficiently interesting TO form lengthy
article.
The Right Honorable Benjamin Disracii is now 63
years of age. lie is TIE son of Isaac Dsrae ESQ,
author OF the CiOstes Of Literature, who spent the
later years of his life at Brakeman, County OF
Bucks England, In n moderately sized mansion
adjacent to the Church and overlooking the village
green. il was at this mansion that Disracli passed
his boyhood, youth, and carly manhood. There wero
three brothers, Bcn Ralph. and Jcln ne they were
called by the neghbors, ana one daughter No other
member of the family having earned any distinction
we may pass them. Ralph faded away somewhere or
somehow Jem, WHO was q country farmer, was given
lucrative Office under Government. n life appoint
ment with high pay and lttle 10 do and the
daughter has scarcely been heard OF IN literary or
fashionable circles.
DSTae he was like Milton, SightlcsS unless mind
and it was bis wont To aid III thc education of hiS
children. The ianiiy was not rich. Inc boys ahd
girls went regularly to q town liilgh Nycnmhcl,
about four miles from their village, and called at
booksellers 10 hear the gossip, read Tie Times and
There was a ial,orcr in Brakeman who. since
DsIar has acquired distinction, told mo the io low
Ing story, which 1 believe. OHr day the Iaborrr
was az work. when Zen came 9ud sat ON the gate ut
n field. The laborer sad: well Benny. what Go
YOU intoud to beF Benny who was then - years
of age replied: IL mean 20 write - book, become
famous. and tlcn 20 10 Parliament Tho lnborcr
told mo with plee, that he informed Benny he had
great work before him; and, in after years, would
say, BY George. Be- is going 10 doit'
Shortly after Dsrae was of age De- became o can
didatc for Parliamentary hOnors IN the Borough Of
High WyCOmbe then "a close borough. for The period
10 Whirh / aule was prior 20 tho Reform Iill of
I4e pgu1 5gp "A hlIfpul aud 1
time was a great faVOutc lie took the common
people bi storm. They ido2ed him. and Ec IN iuIn,
carried them away 10y the poWcr Of his cloqdcnce
and Eis sweeping deuuHc.ailonS 81 wings ana
Tories. Wycoluhe, at that period, WAS borough in
which Quaker influences were extensive. At first
the Quakers looked upOu Ben as hc was called. with
favor hut at length deserted him. lic WAS first IN
the field and bad done as much work rs should have
carried have dozen borOUeIls before The campaign
was opened 10y other parties. lis opponents were
the Hon. Robert Smith, son Of Lord Canprton, and
the present CaTiuCt0u, LOA Lieutenant ot Bucks los
marriage related to Lord Nii0uGlby, and ilus assO-
Ciated With TIC highest tduIIltS; and the Hon.
Charles Grey, an officer Of the Guards. and gOn Ot
Earl Grey. the then Premier OF England. Caring
toms family mauslgn was adjacent tu IN, borough
and was called The Abbey" DiGar used face
tOuSlY 20 say that Ac fought the abbey hand,
and the Government on the other.
DisIaclI 10y bis Wit and sarcasm, acnatcd The two
leading brewers Wheeler ard Lucas, and thus added
the weight Of hcer 10 the opposition. The Mayor oi
the borough, whose duty IT WAS 80 suprrintcnd thc
erection OF the lUstl.gS, borrowed some o-CGIon
casks from Nhceei's brewery stood them ON cnG,
and laid flooring over them for tie stage ON t:It
memorable nomination day EsTucll spoke three
hours, and put lis opponents 10 shame lie Cid not
care for tho QuakcIE, let their Blius be never so
liOad. He did not like the HUStiulS they sWcilpd
Of brewers grains. lie knew that CuaIl,rslueono
Of the CarnCtou estate was greater than all q
DisIaeli funds, and that the PrcmIcrs son could
count on the National Treasury The clos of thn
poll showed Disraeh only Hiu0 behind so that his
bOyhOod elOquouce did something 90 win friends
Three successive elections found hin at the old
stand; for at that period, when England WAS CON
vulsed with reform ideas, elections followed swiftly.
Three times did he fight ana three times was hc de-
feated. lie then tried the County OF Bucks, Tor
which he has since sat for twenty years, with no
better Success, and was looked upon as political
daredevil who had little principle and less money.
Hc became wandcrer acquainted himself with
Eastern aud European last lie, wrote the famous
Ruunymede letters in The Times. the finest exposure
of the political state Of England ever penned and
again yenturcd TO try the fatcs By accident TO was
returned for Shrewsbury, but the Sal0pIans growing
weary Of him, he went to Gladstone, Tor which
borough he Was returned through tho PATRONAGE OF
Wyndham Lewis When thc news OF bis return i0r
Shrewsbury reached WyCOmbe, the place he had
three times uusucCcssiully contested, the common
people turned out cl mGSsC. Bands OF music pIradcd
the streets fair ladies displayed bis coOTs pink aud
white ana there was JOY that Ben lad ut last become
His first at 'empt at speech in the Commons was n
failure. The House Is generally favorable 10 yOung
members gives them every latitude but Ben had
como with kind Of stacy gIlmaCe hc had not
learned that the OratOry Of hustinPs and the lee
ture-hall il not that of the English House OF Com
mons. As Inc proceeded, the members ha-hacd,
cOughed, laughed, became unruly, crOWed lik0 rOOs
ers bayod like asses; still he held on. Bat as the
multiplication of voices greater than h!S own
he was forced TO yield. His closing sentence was re-
markabe Though you hear me not now, the time
will come when you shall hear me" which only
called forth louder laughter and wilder demOnStra-
Disrael was silent for some time. He had begun to
make his mark an author but his financial wants
were pressing. We know that he contested the BOr
OuRh of Shrewsbury with capital borrowed at 80 per
cent per annum interest. and that Lord john Man
ners kindly backed some OF the bills. by the men,
tiOn OF the name Of Manners 1t Will be seen that
Disraoli had changed his coat and become Tory.
This was the same Manners who wrote
"Let literature, law, md learning die,
But give us stu our old nobility"
When Sir Robert Peel from policy and conviction.
indorsed the views Of Free Trade, which had been
so eloquently enforced by CObden and Bright Dis
raeli was q rising star IN the Tory ranks He was
thorn in the side of Peel. To bear his denunClatiOn
OF the traitor from the Tory ranks there were full
houses. He had found his vocation. Peel writhed
uDder his elOquence, and suffered mental agony.
Disraeh had pitted himself formerly against Daniel
OCOnnel, but was badly whipped, the Irish orator
stigmatiZmg Ben Rs descendant OF the lmpenitent
thief that hung on the cross.
The success Of Disraeli in finishing Peel, and the
great want Of brain power in the Tory party, made
BcD songht after. lie formed the friendship OF Lord
GeOrge BentInck, who forsOok the turf for politics,
and whose life Disraeli wrote, after Benunck had
passed. by DEATH from the scene OF action. But tho
greatest hit that he made was IN marrying Mrs.
Wyndham Lewis, widow Of the gentleman who had
been his friend in Maidstone. Scandal, ever ready
20 deal with rising men,, said that Mrs. Lewis,
who had been raised, by marriage IN social
position, from a servant 10 Lady of the establish
ment, much preferred the rising and eloquent
Disraeli 10 the stald Old-fashiOned Lewis, VINO was
much her senior. Rumor said that LOWS knew OF
the attachment of his wife before his death. That
did not prevent tho wife from having the greater
portion Of Wyndhams wealth, roughly estimated at
f36OOO which brought financial status at once to
Disraeh.
This was not the only stroke Of luck. Bucks, the
county that had rejected him in comparative youth,
received him with open arms the champion OF
protection The shattered forces of the fallen house
of buckingham aided. Tenant farmers and aTsto-
cratic landlords combined TO give him honor and be