The sun., 1908-05-17


was sdiaAstsd 10 che ccnAdsnas ef \ aiinis-
Ter OF whom Ae concsIved an shdhfing
admiration and respect. This was Lord
Aberdeen. who both IN ofice and In oppo-
sition addressed 10 him numerous ietters
Of political Importance. Another Of hls
correspondents was Lord Canning. whsn
tho latter was Under Secretary FOR Foreign
Affairs, and In te4A we find Delane corres-
ponding with Dlsracli and with Lord
Shasteshuyy lshsn LORD Ashisye.
Passing 10 some Of tho Tfmss's early
achievements under Delane's editorship,
We observe that its exposure Of the railway
mapia In isSs-4e was only effected at avast
pectiniafy loss to the proprietors OF the
paper through the stoppage OF advertise
mente, but the gain to prospective investors
must have becn incalculable. Az far back
at 1889 tho Ti,nss had denounced the duties
On imported grain, while nearly oil the
cther London newspapers had supported
them. Although the untiring exertdons
Of the Anti-Corn Law League. headed by
Golden and Q. p. villiers, had awakened
the public conscience to the enormity OF
the Corn Laws to such an extent as to over
shadow all other questions Of the day. and
although the wet summer Of 1s4S had caused
o bad harvest In England and the potato
disease In Ireland. SIR Robert Peel long
hesitatsd to sweep nom the statute book
fiscal legislation which the Wings them
selves bad beon manifestly reluctant TO
repeal Az the year 1876. however. drew
to close there was feeling In the air that
the hour was close at hand whom q final
solution OF the question must be attempted.
II was, therefore, profound impression
which the Tamss created throughout the
length and breadth Of England whom on
December 4. 1slS. IL announced that by the
end OF January. 1s46. at the latest the pro-
duoe OF all countries would enter the British
market on an absolute equality with Brit
aims own.
The other London newspapers. which had.
like the Cabinet as a whole. been leftwith-
out any definite information. were struck
with oonstarnation not unmixed with envy.
Old fashioned Tories like Lord Wharn-
oiiiie chung to the opinion expressed by
the StSndard that the whole story was a
fabrication. Eventually the widest tales
were circulated In town as to how the Times
had obtained its exclusive information.
The news really came straight from Lord
Aberdeen. but false and malicious report
to the effect that the news had been ex-
tracted from Sidney Herbert through the
Establishments Of Mrs. Norton and COM
munioated by her to Delane obtained wide
currency. Many years afterward this
groundless insinuation was reproduced by
George Meredith In his novel -Diana Of the
Crossways.s and from time TO time para
graphs still appear in newspapers and
magazines perpetuating the fiction. In
the Autobiography OF Sir William Greg
ory," published in 1894, the additional blum
der was committed OF stating that Mrs.
Norton sold the information for G5O0 TO
Barnes, whereas the latter had been dead
for years.
For some years following is47 only a
few extracts from Delane's diary are given
In this book, because he did not resume
he practice Of keeping full record OF
his activities until 1854. We note, how
ever, that toward the end OF May in the
year first named he was called to the bar.
for what reason 10 uncertain, because he
never praotised. His nephew thinks that
he may have been advised to join the legal
profession by Lord Broueham, who in his
younger days had been a leader writer
Tor the Times at a salary. 1t is said, Of $500
q month. Brougham may also have told
Delane OF his versatility In connection
with the press. Tie prospective Lord
Chancellor is said to have written an ad-
mirable article for the Morning Chronicle
completely demolishing one which he had
written for the Times the day before.
About this time Delane went to live at
10 Serjeant's Inn. Temple, in an old house
In the morning room of which on the first
floor he was in the habit of receiving visi-
tors for thirty years. Here much il not
most OF his reading and correspondence
was done. In connection with this fact
we may recall the often printed statement
that Delane wrote nothing in the paper
which he edited 80 successfully for SO many
years. According to the present biographer
the statement Is not strictly accurate.
Delane cid not write much, but he knew
how to write, and that better than most
men. Much that appeared in the Times
under the head of leading articles was 90
amended by his pen that 1t was in reality
Delane's handiwork, and his ablest writers.
instead OF feeling impatient at his altera-
tions and corrections. freely confessed
that he had much improved their compost
tions. Mr.. Dasent is undoubtedly justi-
fed in asserting that herein Delane acted
within his right. for he alone was responsi-
BILE for what w-s published
With the formation of Lord Aberdeen 8
Ministry, in December. 1852. the first period
Of Delane's career as editor of the Times
comes to Close At this point 1t is con-
venient to pause and mark what he had
already accomplished. He had now been
twelve years in Printing House Square.
during which time he had raised the circu-
lation Of the paper fourfold. From a re-
turn made to him in 1852 Of the compare
tive number Of London papers printed
daily we learn that the normal issue Of the
Journal which he edited was over 10000.
The Morning Advertiser came next with a
daily circulation Of 1000: the Daily Neus
had $500, the Morning Herald $500. the
Morning Poet and the Morning Chronicle
both under 5000. The gross income Of
the Times from circulation alone must have
been 81, ,252. 900 year. How much should
be added TO this sum for the advertisements
which at high rates filled the supplement-
we cannot state with precision.
It is not OF course by pecuniary profits, but
by the magnitude Of his papers infiuenoe
that the importance OF Delane's achieve