The morning call., 1893-04-23
THE NEW EARL OF DERBY.

The accession of Lord Stanley of Preston,
Guvernnr-General of Canada, 10 the rank
of the Earl of Derby, is something more
than an item of family chronicle. The
family of WHICH he becomes the head is
historical. The gentleman now living at
Ottawa will be the fifteenth Earl in direct
succession. His ancestors figured in the
wars of the Roses, and took an active part
in the struggles Of the English against the
Siuarts. Their story carries us back to
the times when no one in England wore
stockings and the belted Earl signed leases
with the hilt Of his sword, being unable to
write his name.
The Lords of Derby acquired the pick OF
the county of Derbyshlre. with its mines
of galena and marble; and rode to battle
at the head of their retainers long before
the discovery of this continent There are
oaks at kedleston which are said to be 500
years old; Lords of Derby, probably, did
their counting under them long before
Shakespeare. The High Peak and its spnrs,
the lovely valleys which intersect the
mountain region, the dense woods which
clothe the slopes, the beautiful banks of
the Trent and the Derwent. have tempted
many noveiists besides Walter Scott to
choose Derbyshire as the scene of romance.
And more recently. in our day. Chats
worth has become the chief show place in
England.
Though the title is the second in point of
age in England the Earls of Derby have
not figured much in history until the pres
ent century. The great man of the house
the Rupert of Debate-made his name as
Lord Stanley, his father being alive to wit
ness his trIumphs. He entered Parliament
as n member for pocket borough In 1920,
and first made his mark by supporting Earl
Grey's reform bill in 1882, in opposition to
the party to which his family belonged.
From that year until his retirement in 1865
he was one of the most conspicuous men in
England. He was three times charged
with the Office of Premier. and, having at
early period of his career repented of
his temporary filtration with the Liberals,
he was for thirty years the recognized head
of the Tory party. He owed his power and
his leadership to his mastery of the art of
Parliamentary debate. he was equally
capable as an orator and as a wrangler in
the cut aud thrust of Parliamentary strife.
Macaulay said Of him that he was born
with the instinct of debate.
TO the American mind he seems to have
invariably taken the wrong side on public
questions. He was an ingrained believer
in tradition, precedent vested rights and
Tory principles, Thus he naturally re-
sisted reform in any shape, and was always
found battling in defense of ancient super
stitiOns and crumb!ing Institutions.
He left two sons. One was the Earl who
died on Friday. The other went into Par
lament, became Lord Stanley of Preston
the city which he represented at Westmin-
sier-and has led life of respectable
mediOcrity. His brother the Earl. was a
highly decorous nobody who did not even
translate Homer like his father and per-
haps the junior member Of the family, who
would never have become an Earl if his
brother had chosen 10 leave lineal heir,
did not care to exhibit superior ability.
He now goes to England to take his place
in the august assemblage Of legislators who
assist the people in making the laws for the
British Empire. He will wear all sorts of
curious habilaments and will enjoy all sorts
of Anticipated privileges. Hardly any MEM
Der of the House Of Lords will take preee-
dence of him. His income will be enor-
nous and will enable him to crafty any
taste however expensive. In his term OF
service as the representative Of a mauufac-
turing city in Parliament and in his term as
GovernOr-General of Canada he must have
acquired some knowledge; thus he may, if
he chooses. infuse little life in the debates
of the sleepy, body to which he belongs.
But men of his age, with his rank and
wealth, seldom arouse themselves to intel
lectual effort.
1t will be curious TO observe whom Mr..
Gladstone will appoint 70 succeed him. The
govern UI-generalshlp of Canada is one of
the fatlest plums which the British Premier
has to bestow. The salary is $50. 600 year,
with palace and various perquistes; the
work is nothing and the responsibility is
next to nothing. Over Il region larger than
the United States the Governor-General is
lord of all he surveys. He cannot order a
man to death, as his brother Governor in
India may, but he represents the awful
dignity of the British crown. and when he
walks the Canadian soil quakes under his