The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-13
VI.

IL d CHupt5I VI ooluo bctoouhi SudIdCtcIISe
tics Of Lord Pnlmerston. We are told that his
appearance In 1887 was thus described: "In
person Palmerston Is tall and handsome. His
face is round and his complexion Of the dark
est hue. His hair Is black and always exhibits
proofs OF the skill and attention OF the friseur
His clothes are In the extreme OF fashion. He
is very vain OF his personal appearance" It
Is odd that while Palmerston himself would be
described as rnther tall than otherwise. he once
declared himself convinced by his observation
OF mankind that being above five foot ten
is strong prima facie presumption against
a mans intelligence and activity OF mind
1t would be intere. ting to see. some stalls
tics compiled regarding the relation OF
physical height, to. intellectual capacity. We
will only note in passing that the three men
who would generally be pronounced the great
est that have lived upon the earth. Alexander.
Cesar. and Napoleon. were short :
Sir William Fraser has sketched Palmer
Rton as he appeared to a later. ceneratiop
Lord Palmerston on horseback looked big
man. and standing at ,t..e table of the House
he did not appear ill.proportioned Each foot,
to describe 1t automatically. was n four.
sided irregular figure HIS portraits In
Punch are very like him. Those with flower
or straw in the mouth nte the best He had
very horsy look" Rmch warmly supported
Palmerston: not so with the Times. He him
self recorded that from tho time when first
went to the Foreign ONCE. for some reason or
other which could never discover. the Tunes
has been animated by unmitigated hostility
personal and political. toward me. and i have
never known from whom or from what th1t
hostility proceeded" We learn from the Gre
vile memoirsthat to the clerks In tho Foreign
Oflce the very name OF Palmerston was
hateful. yet they gave ample Testimony to his
tv,nkh Il
and could express himself perfectly in French.
very sufficiently In italian. and understood
German: that his diligence md attention were
unwearyng-he road everything and wrote an
immense, quantity. The statement that
Palmerston read everything means. OF course.
that he overlooked nothing bearing on his
official business OF contemporary literature
he knew little. or nothing Apropos OF his
shortcoming In this particular. Sir William
Fraser records that Lord Palmerston pre-
sided ut an annual dinner ofthe Royal Literary
Fund. / asked Monckton Milnes. afterward
Lord Houghton. how Palmerston got on at tho
dinner He answered. For man who never
read . book 10 his life think be did
very well.'" A correspondent who saw
O good deal OF him seems to have
formed a correct conception OF the man. He
says: "The impression my intercourse with
him made on my mind IL simple one. He
left on my RECOLLECTION the imprAsslon OF tia
possessor Of strong character aud intellect.
with coarse eRin init. verGIng' sometimes
almost on, brutality: and OF u mind little exer-
cised on gub'oots Of thought beyond the
immediate. interests OF public and, private
life. little cultivated. and drawing. it's
stores. not fran reading. but from ex-
perience and long and varied intercourse
with men and women. - : That means no
did not talk much. I don't think he cared