New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-24
QUEEN AND GLADSTONE.
Some Incidents in Their Relations
Brought Dat in Nesc Biography.
BY HENRY w. LUCY


all take its place on the sparsely filled shelf Of
rrelish literature where stand Iockhart's IT isa
- scott and Trevelyan's Life OF Macaulav.,-
AZ John Morley quotes a pathetic little note
:, which the faithful servant OF more than fifty
Gears records how. for the first and last time
ms royal mistress shook hands with him III
IS almost the end OF both nlustrious lives
The Queen was seeking peace and rest at
,gr,,ez MT Gladstone was the guest at Cannes
~ his old friend. Lord Rendel Invited TO take
sea with the Princess Louise. Mr.. and Mrs
MAIDSTONE repaired TO the hotel and were sum-
,ooned TO the presence OF her majesty. she
gave me her hand" Mr.. Gladstone wrote. "a
ming which never happened with me during all
my life though that life. be if remembered. had
srcluded some periods OF rather decided favor"
re gracious act might now at last be safely
psrforrned. Mr.. Gladstone In his eighty
seventh year. There no chance Of his
popping Up again." as on the eve OF the cleo
don OF 1892 Unionist duchess petsiantly ac-
cusea him ~ being in the habit OF doing
Daring a recurrent intimacy necessarily close
90 between sovereign and First Minister of the
Crown. Queen Victoria never disguised her dis
rssre for Premier who, as Disraeli said was
accustomed to address her as il she were
,phlso meeting. With that profound. almost
superstitious. reverence with which statesman
VAo has disestablished a church and revolt
,ionized q land system regarded royalty Mr.
Gladstone aid not permit himself TO record or
ooulrlent on the fact even in the privacy OF his
sisry. Only once he hints at il IN s happy
ah~ase describing her maSestys manner at one
audience as being marked less than usual by
can attitude Of armed neutrality" Whenever
the pendulum OF popular opinion knocked Mr..
Gladstone OF the pedestal OF the Premiership,
TIE Queen artlessly offered him a peerage. The
,s--gy,,
.act that its acceptance meant the shelving Of
tie statesman once sarcastically known as the
peoole's william" Unfortunately for success
~ The enterprise Mr. Gladstone was equally
alive 10 the prospect
u IS pretty 20 watch the play that goes on on
these occasions. on his defeat and resignation
after the great rout at the polls in 1874 mention
IS made Of repetition by the Queen Of "a former
11~onosal Of a peerage." The honor was de-
cline6 as il had been the earlier unnamed
date In January, 1883 Mr.. Gladstone being
only seventy-four years old. full OF energy. at
the head Of FESTIVE but overwhelming ma
jority IN the House OF Commons with posi-
blities IN him Of further far reaching mischief,
her majes;y's concern for his health was
aroused Having been rebuffed in two earlier
Efforts. the Queen now enlisted Lord Granville
IN her service. Sc wrote requiring him 10 in
Fist Gpon the Premiers diminishing the
amount OF labor thrown upon him. and ex-
pressing an opinion that acceptance OF peer
age would relieve him of a heavy strain"
Mr.. Gladstone was grateful. but obdurate. Nor
old success attend a final eCort. In 1885,. Mr..
Gladstone having been defeated by coalition
Of Tories and Parnelites. he resigned. and Lord
Salisbury, while recognizing the futility OF the
action. on the Queens command formed a min
istry. The Stop Gap Government" Mr.. Cham
1eriain not then In a state Of grace. called il.
Nr. Gladstone. though noMinally defeated, was
more dangerous. more undesirable, than ever.
A general election was imminent, and circum-
stances pointed to the probability. IN the event
-eal.zed. that he would come back with an in
creased majority. The Queens concern for his
health and comfort thereupon became too great
f0r kindly message to be intrusted to a third
party. Her majesty wrote direct 10 Mr. Glad
stone under date Of June u, lS9J. she wishes
to offer him an earldoin as a mark OF her recog-
milton % his long and distinguished services.
ana she believes and thinks he VIII thereby be
enabled stu 10 render great service 10 his
Sovereign and country, which. IL he retired
as liz has repeatedly told her of late he intended
70 do shortly-he could not The Queen be
Reeves it VIII be beneficial TO his health. and
trusts therefore AIr. Gladstone viii accept the
oGer-of IN earIdom, which would be very graft
fyug 10 her."
ia this letter. with its DELIGHTFULLY."- delicate
reminder THAI Mr. Gladstone had repeatedly
told her" he really would shortly retire, the
Queen unknoNingy was working for more mo-
neurous ends than tilst closest 10 her heart TO
Wit. the pIesera alton OF Mr.. GladstoIes heaith
and Ife. Had he opened his mouth TO the al
luriaa bait De would have sunk to the com
pa-a.ive oHscurlty OF the House OF Lords. Liv-
ing its geuteel political life there would have
been no Home Rule bin. no driving into the viii
deruess Of shattered squadrOns Of the Liberal
host. no creation OF a Unionist party, and all
that through the space Of seventeen years has
followed thereupon NJ. Gladstone was touched
70 the heart But his resolution 10 AVOID poiu-
cal extinction was unshakable. He refused the
earldom. and ten months later introduced the
Home Rule bin.
Il was Mr. Gladstonc's habit, he tells US oi
the eve IF an important speech In the House on
Commons 10 recall and fervently repeat 10 MIN
self q passage from the Psalms. In his GARY
he records that on the morning OF the Gay on
which ne introduced the Home Rule bill In a
House OF Commons crowded from floor TO top
most ran OF the Strangers Gallery the mes
sage that came 10 him was. Hold thou UP my
gongs in thy path. that my footsteps SIP not
Never since avalanches began TO IAN Was 0iis'e
such slip as followed that day.
The peculiar personal relations eAls1hs O0
tween Queen Victoria and Mr.. Gladstone during
their long Official intercourse are dramatically
revealed IN the incidents that followed on lhe
general election OF 1880. Their GRIT was
guessed at by the public at the time Deesiis
are for the first time made known by Mr.. MOT
ley. Since the sudden reappearance on 'he
scene q the Emperor Napoleon, escaped from
Elba, there is nothing in history equal 10 the
unexpectedness and the completeness OF MI