New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-17
LORD MELBOURNE.
AN ECCENTRIC STATESMAN.

lord MELBoURNE's PAPERS Eaitcd by Lloyd G.
Sanders. With Preface by Earl Cowper h. IL
6vo, PIP. 534. Longmans, Green GO.
Lord Melbourne has always been regarded as
an odd and paradoxical character, bat the TRAIT
in him which his contemporaries were fondest OF
dwelling on was his indifference 1t doesn't
matter was the phrase put in bis mouth at all
times and seasons; and next 10 his indifference
his Incidence has been exploited. Yet there is
obviously no little eXaggcration in these popular
estimates a man who WAS twice Premier OF Eng
land, who was several times at the head OF I'M
portant departments who served ana was ad-
mired by three sovcreigns, and who certainly dd
manage to dispose of q great deal OF pubic Dusi-
ness could by no possibility have been the ldlcr
and dlettante he has so often been pictured as
Earl Cowper in his preface to this imperfect col
lection of Lord Melbourne's papers, remembers
the statesman only from the point of view OF
Juvenile "Reminiscences 81 have Visions he
writes "of somewhat massive though not cor
pulent figure reclining in an armchair, whit"
or nearly white head, shaggy eyebrows, ana
sngularly keen and kindly eye, fits of silence
occasionally broken by an incisive and rather
paradOxical remark accompanied by genRil
laugh and n rubbing of the hands together
remember also noticing how easily the tears came
into bis eyes, not so much, rs | have heard 1t
said. at anything tender or affecting rs at the
expression of a noble or generous sentiment .
This, however. is only glimpse of him in his
decline In his prime and when he was in power
he produced very different Impression
Melbourne was born with a silver spoon in his
mouth His father was very rich. and his elder
brother dying carly left him the heir TO a great
estate He does not appear To have had par
ticular bent for anything lie read for the bar
and ate his necessary dinners. but aid not follow
.hc law further He attained university repu-
tation in the classics and living fife af MXuri-
Gus ease until near fifty, INDUCED liking for
literature by becoming an omnverous reader
TO produce original work he was too incident:
neither could ne bring himself 10 the patent
labor of gathering materials for others. but
it is evident that he acquired large experience
of men, and that he knew how to deal with them
and with affairs when the time came to put his
capacity to the test. He enjoyed vigorous, and
even rude health, and ills gave t. his manncrs
an exuberance which passed for eccentricty in Il
,otc society which prided itself upon its external
ttoicism and repression of the emotions. Not
Mat he was devoid Of ecccntricty, for he had
marked pecuiariiies, one of which was an IN
dependence which found expression in freedom
of address scarcely cm bed OF behalf of royalty
Some Of his letters 10 William the Fourth, when
no was Premier. arc distinguished by poSlnNe
breeziness and refreshing absence OF everything
in the shape of subseTviencc \iscount Melbourne
maintains his opinions before the throne with in
yinciblc sturdncss and when he thinks the k!ng
wrong never hcsitates TO tell His Majesty SO.
Earl Cowper says that this eXuberant vitality
this rude, handsome manlincss, 2s 1t has DccA
called is TO be taken as the leading trait Of his
character before his illness, but it must be taken
in conjunction with other things. 1t was tenn
g chi fulp a %
melancholy as much concealed as it YVES in the
nature of O very open, unaffected man TO conceai
ANYTHING. With all his genial. almost boistcrous
beartiness upon occasions, he i'll reality
sensitive man, and every sensitive man must IN
self-defence very often wear mask. HIS mask
was an assumption OF reckless Indifference But
this exterior of joval Indifference was not al
WAYS a mask for he was really indifferent ABOUT
small things Earl Cowper holds that he was
in reality very industrious man: mat ne iei'
most keenly the heavy weight Of labor ara re-
sponsibility which attended his position IS 10 my
mind, proved only too clearly by tie paraiSuo
stroke which made It's appearance as Is 50 oi'eh
the case in similar circumstances Just as 'ie
strain began to be relaxed Yet in another place
no saws. 1T has been said with truth that the
great question about Lord Meltournes me- aa
TO which our public las not yet made up us mihu
is what part lie really took i'll the administration
of his own Government. Everybody allows
his personal charm, his knowledge, his original
inv of mind. and his upright and honorable char
acter But did he really govern the county "a
WAC bc n mere fgurehead, or, rather, what inter
mediate position did he fill between the TWO "c
was cert1iny associated with colleagues of partcu-
larly masterful character. PalmerstOh, Brouehaii
and John Russell were each and all not only ready
vi no
frs, named unoues; ionably mapocuvred more imam
once To- force the hand of his chef
7, those papers there is little evidence tihJ
Melbourne exerted himself TO hold PalmeTston
back. though lie called upon to delehd U'c
Foreign Secretary against the Queen S complaints
several times Russell, on the other hahd' was
nearly always fighting Pa!merstOn' ana strongly
resented the habit of the latter OF uhuer'"Nlio
important foreign measures without CONSULTING
The Cabinet Melbourne, however, was eVlaoh'iy
,ften in sympathy with Palmerston, while KuSSeIi
was always afraid Of his headlong Practices AS
to Brougham, who member oil any govern
ment was a perfect bull i'll a china shop Mel
bourne showed himself fully able to bring tie
fiery Chancellor to book, witness his iettci
90 February IA 1855. Brougham had been
summing the North. and saving the widest and
most imprudent things 10 the serious INJURY OF
the Administration, which in fact had been uhaoI1
n carry on the Government partly on TINS account
To him the late Premier wrote thus straight
forwardly and bluntly:
You must be perfectly aware that your char
acter and conduct have since November last formed
the principal and general topic of debate ana diS
:usson. | believe myself 10 nave ed4u ny. e, v.
no,hing cxccDt 10 one or two persons, and tha'
in the strictcst confidence AT Lord Holland >
where politics are talked every day and al d'A
observations have been made but if you believe
that any hostility or malignty toward You hd'
prevailed there, as far as | have been witness
10 what has passed, ! can assure you that you arr
misinformed 1t is a very dsagrecabc task Il
have to say to a statesman that his characte
is injured in the public estimation; IT is SUI
more unpleasant to have to add that yOu conside
this his own fault; and il is idle 10 expect 10 b'