New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-17

! iaby appears as doubtful whether the reports
| are not unduy alarmist. and as dcprecating the
| the premature recourse 10 force as remedy. IL
| is to lis credit that he never would consent 10
the employment of public informers. for whom
| and for whose evidence he had the heartiest ana
most undisguised scorn and contempt
As regards political principles lie was never
! an enthusiastic Liberal, and he joined the outcry
| against Peel when the latter took the lead IN
| the Anti-C orn-Law fight. But he was sufficiently
opportunist to adopt measures in which he dld not
believe, and sufficiently cynical not to pretend TO
| have changed his views in doing So The story
of the Cabinet dinner when, Just as his coleagues
| were going away, lie leaned over the staircase ana
called out to them: :" Is bread to 20 up or down
| don't care which il is. you know but we
must all say the thing in the House, Is
certainly Characteristic enough TO be true; and
there was the less excuse for this moral delinquency
! that Melbourne did not care about politics, and
would have preferred life of lcttcred ease 10 the
| labors and the responsibilities of government.
He was not Il sef-scckcr, for he refused an earl
| dom and the Garter. When he thought it was
his duty to do q thing he did it, and 10 the best
of his ability and perhaps the only duty in his
whole career which laid strong hold upon his
sympathy was that which he performed 50 nobly
| toward the young and inexperienced Queen VIC
toria. Grevillc was Of opinion that Lord Mel
bourne was passionately attached" 10 the Queen,
rs he might have been to daughter. lie was
man possessing, no doubt great fund OF love,
and il had not been utilized in early life.
Not much appears in this book concerning his
unhappy marriage. The judicial separation be-
tween him and Lady Caroline Lamb however, did
! not involve permanent social cstranpement. The
couple no longer lived together, but they met one
| nj iun1 frip IN
| Melbourne came over from Ireland, when he was
Chief Secretary at the time, 70 attend the death
| bed OF Lady Caroline As 10 his behavior re-
cardng the Byron scandal, there at least
two stories-onc TO the effect that he showed
| too much cOmplaisance the other to the effect
that he strongly moved Lady Caroline twho
probably was more than little unbalanced main
tanned to the last that she had really loved
any other man than Melbourne. and it is note
worthy that she always spoke of him in terms OF
highest admiration II appears, indeed, that his
family prccipitatcd the separation, and it is pos
| sible that but for this Interference it might not
| have taken place. This not his only affection.
| His only son, after few years of early promise.
seemed to fail under a blight, and gradually sank
into a state bordering upon docy. SO, as be
| grew old his house was left unto him desolatc,
and it is. perhaps, not surprising that in these
! latter years he should have developed a certain
miSO0yny. The bittCrcst expression Of this at
| trbutcd TO him consists in a refusal 20 he nur5cd
| by women when he i'll. the ground that
man required 10 be in robust health to endure
feminine society. This, however. if he really said
it, was bat bitter jest. for he miniStcFcd TO
tcndcrly by womcns hands 10 the end, and he
appreciated The care bestowed upon him
| Melbourne cannot be said TO have been very
! good friend TO literature or science. His views
as TO both were in fact uitra-Tory and even some
| what barbarc. Art tCo, he coatcmned, as far
| as popular education in IL was concerned, and Inc
! conld with difficulty bring himself To grant pen
! sions to men Of letters lie boGglcd over ihat TO
| Wordsworth. ard almost refused point-bhnk {"
| help poor Cary, the translator of Dante, brcaus,
he had once written political some, behalf
of tie wrong party. lis opposition to education
| he put Oh the ground of his observation that the
| Pagets got on so id well without it. He
was, it must be acknowledged, addicted Ia the
use of profane language. "D--r IL, another
Bishop dead is the manner in which he IS said
| 10 have received the news OF vacancy Oh tie
episcopal bench. But he sought advice always
| in making Bishops, and generally from the most
| distinguished churchMcn lie did not always
| make decided successes Of his ecclesiastical APP
| pontments though the one which made the most
noise-that of DR.. lIampden 10 the Regins Pro-
| fessorship at OXfOrd-rciectcd more credit upon
| him than upon the opponents Of the appointment
On this occasion. too, he stood 10 his guns with
a fine rcsolutencss, and his letter 70 the Queen
Oh the subject is a really noble example Of Dig
uity Independence, self-respcct and breadth Of
thought.
Lord Melbourne was not great statesman, but
he greater statesman than has been com
monty admitted Toward the end Of his second
oI sft
impossible situation, but even that is by no
means certain. lie considered his duty 10 the
| Queen paramount. To serve her he held on 10
the rcins Of Government. There was 40 pressing
emergency demanding change aad hc wished 10
| give the young sovereign time 10 establish her
/ self and to become acquainted win In" politics
| of the country. That purpose was served, and
a candid opinion may well be that the end jusi-
fed the means. In the papers collected here we
see little of that brilliant Wit for which Melbourne
was noied. His official correspondence is CHAR
acicrzcd by rest rliHt sobricty, and strong com
nonsense, together with disposition 10 hope for
the best lie had several bad GuartFr-hours II
his public carter, as in the manufacturing riots,
the Chartist riots. the Mchcmct Ali affair. the
Canadian rebellion, and the difficulty with Louis
Philippes Government when Theirs apparently
sought to force with England. At sub
scqlcnt period Mclbourne 10 regard this ~
an arranged affair between the King and Minis
ter but upon no solid grounds In ls4l his
career closed, and hc did not live many years
after that. This partial list of his papers is in
structiyc and often interesting, but il leaves much
! 10 be desired in the way of intimate revelation,
and it is TO be feared that in consequence Of Lord
Melbournc's careless habits no fuller collections
of his writings can be hoped for.
LITERARY NOTES..