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LORD CASTLEREAGH."

THE Volumes before us have long been eagerly looked for in this country, as calculated to throw much light upon the most interesting period of the history of Ireland. The late Lord Lon

donderry acted a very conspicuous fart, both during the rebellion, and in the negotiations for a legislative union; and our wonder is, that some relative, or friend, did not earlier take in hand the arrangement and the publication of his correspondence. It is within our knowledge, that he himself earnestly pressed upon the late Alexander Knox, who had been his private secretary, to undertake a history of the measure of the Union, proffering him all the aid which government could furnish, as well from treasury documents as from the private memoranda and the personal recollections of its members; and we cannot but grieve that that most gifted and accomplished individual did not think fit to comply with his request, and that an opportunity was thus lost of presenting to the world an account of that great transaction, such as never could occur again. The next best elucidation of the secret history of the times in which he lived and acted, we would naturally expect to be, the correspondence of the noble marquis himself; and we heartily thank his gallant brother, the present worthy possessor of his estates and title, for the pains he has taken in preparing the present volumes for the press, and which he continues to take respecting those which are not yet published, and in which, at a future period, we expect to see as full development of the noble marquis's continental policy, as those before us exhibit of his policy in Ireland.

The following extract from a private letter of Mr. Alison to the noble editor, expresses, better than we can, an opinion of the importance and the interest of the present publication, in which we cordially concur with that able historian :

"I cannot adequately express the gratification and interest which these papers, one and all, have afforded meI consider them as invaluable materials for history, of which I hope in future largely to avail myself. Those regarding the union and government of Ireland during the rebellion, and after it, are of the highest importance, especially from the vehement manner in which that measure has since been assailed, and the unceasing efforts made to get it repealed.

"You must allow me to add, that I think the life admirably done, in such a way, indeed, as leaves no room for regret, that even the great novelist had not undertaken the task. I was very much struck with several letters it contained, particularly the beautifully expressed one from Sir R. Peel, and the feeling one from the Duke of Wellington, immediately after the melancholy catastrophe. But, more than all, I was impressed with the touching and highly interesting account of his life from your own pen, which none but a member of the family could have done so well, which elevates him so much above what those unacquainted with his private character were aware of, and which does equal credit to the head and heart of both brothers, who, in their respective careers, have deserved so well of their country."

We do not agree with Mr. Alison that the biographical portion has been well done. It is wholly unsuited to the dignity of the subject; and, respecting the more important transactions of his eventful life, meagre, jejune, and unsatisfactory. The noble editor pleads the profession of arms as an excuse for his literary deficiencies; but that is no excuse whatever for having undertaken what he was unable to perform. His brother's memory ought to have been dearer to him than any idle desire of literary distinction; and the pens were many and able of which he might have availed himself to do justice to that distinguished statesman.

It is true, Sir Walter Scott was

"Memoirs and Correspondence of Viscount Castlereagh, second Marquess of Londonderry." Edited by his brother, Charles Vane, Marquess of Londonderry. Vols. 1 & 2, 8vo. London: Henry Colburn. 1848.

VOL. XXXII.-NO. CXCI.

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asked to undertake the memoir-an office which, for very sufficient reasons to our seeming, he respectfully declined. But there were others, whose services, on such an occasion, the noble marquis would have done well to have solicited. His friends, Mr. Gleig or Mr. Alison, would either of them, we feel persuaded, have complied with such a request, had the materials in his hands been placed at their disposal; in which case, a valuable and interesting piece of biography would have been the result. Had his son, Lord Castlereagh, been permitted to try his powers upon such a work, he has already given promise of ability and skill, as a sound thinker and an accomplished scholar, which induces us to believe that it could scarcely have been placed in better hands. Lord Londonderry does feel a brother's affection for the memory of his distinguished predecessor, and it was his heart's desire to exhibit him to the most advantage; but beyond this he possesses no one quality which could have enabled him successfully to execute the delicate and difficult office of his biographer; and we would earnestly advise Mr. Colburn to discard, in the next edition, the present life, and procure one to be written, in which the character of the noble marquis may be fully portrayed, his views as a statesman clearly expounded, his

style of parliamentary oratory graphi cally illustrated, and a somewhat fuller account given of his conduct, both personal and political, during the more critical and interesting periods of his administration.

It grieves us to say anything disparaging of the present Lord Londonderry. He has proved himself, again and again, an able negotiator, and a gallant soldier. But, "ne sutor ultra crepidam ;" he has here undertaken a task beyond his powers. It often happens, such is the perversity of human nature, that the very qualities which we do not possess are those for which we chiefly give ourselves credit. The beautiful woman frequently desires to pass for a wit; and she whose conversation might fascinate, to be regarded as a beauty. It is just so with the noble marquis. Instead of being satisfied with the high distinction which he has achieved in the noble profession of which he is an ornament, he affects the character of a litterateur, and tries "his prentice hand" upon a subject which would have fully taxed the powers of the ablest and most experienced writers; and we are angry with him precisely in proportion as we desired to see such a statesman as the late Lord Londonderry exhibited to the most advantage.

Of the early years of this distin

To us

*It is but right to give the noble editor's excuse for having undertaken a work out of his line, and above his powers. "Valeat quantum valere potest." it is by no means satisfactory. That others, who could do it, would not, is no reason whatever why he who could not do it should have made the attempt. Let him read "Bell's Life of Canning," in which his brother is victimised, and then ask himself whether corresponding ability should not have been employed in his vindication. But let him speak for himself:

"In regard to the biography of my lamented brother, including a connected narrative of his public transactions, which is comprehended in the plan of this collection, I did hope that my task might be reduced to little more than a discreet and judicious selection from such materials and documents as were in my possession; but a wholly unforeseen accident has deprived me of that intimate fraternal correspondence for twenty-five successive years, which would have formed the most important part of any work I could have offered to the public. On returning from my embassy to Vienna, many years since, I placed this collection in the hands of the Rev. S. Turner, who was at that time nominated and going out as bishop of Calcutta. This excellent and invaluable divine and friend had been tutor to my son, Castlereagh, and feeling a deep interest in the family, he had undertaken to ar range these papers, and to commence the life of the late Marquess of Londonderry, aided by various other documents and information which he had collected. The vessel, however, that sailed for India, with Mr. Turner's baggage, effects, papers, &c., was unfortunately wrecked, and thus ended all my hopes, at that period, of leaving for posterity such a record of the statesman and the brother as I felt that he deserved. I suggested the idea of writing his life to Mr. Turner alone: it was he who applied to Sir Walter Scott on the subject, and Sir Walter's reasons for declining the task have already been given in the letter from him, inserted in my pamphlet in answer to Lord Brougham."

guished nobleman we have, in the account before us, some interesting particulars. He was born on the 18th of June, 1769, the very day upon which, forty-six years afterwards, was fought the battle of Waterloo, and the very year which gave birth to Napoleon Buonaparte and the Duke of Wellington.

"Even in his youth he was distinguished by a remarkable intrepidity of character, which was particularly displayed on one occasion, when he ventured, and almost lost his life, to rescue a schoolfellow from a watery grave. The circumstance occurred near Mount Stewart, on the Lough of Strangford. The two schoolboys were fond of sailing; and the record of the efforts of young Stewart to save his companion may still be seen in the Temple of the Winds, at the family-seat, written upon a picture of the Lough of Strangford. It is as follows:

"This view of Strangford Lough is for ever memorable, for the providential escape, on August 5, 1786, of Robert Stewart, aged seventeen years, and of Henry Sturrock, a boy of twelve, who, sailing on the lake, and being overset in a thunder-storm, nearly three miles from the shore, floated on the water more than an hour, till they were taken up in a boat by the activity and collected conduct of the Rev. Mr. Cleland, who happened to accompany the Rev. Mr. Sturrock to the Temple, and, missing their vessel, flew to the beach, put off to their assistance, and saved them as they were in the instant of perishing.'

"Robert Stewart had lost the power of his limbs, from the coldness of the water, and almost his sight.

"Henry Sturrock was totally senseless: the former an indifferent swimmer-the latter never swam before in his life-and when he attempted it after his recovery, was found incapable of supporting himself a moment on the surface.

"Let not these particulars of a deliverance almost miraculous, pass without just emotions of gratitude to the Almighty Preserver, and let it teach a due reliance on his providence in the greatest of dangers."

The reader can scarcely fail to remark the slovenly inaccuracy of the noble biographer, as it appears in the above extract. He tells us that his brother "ventured and almost lost his life" in the attempt "to rescue a schoolfellow from a watery grave;" but he does not tell us how, nor does

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the inscription referred to record anything but the imminent danger of perishing to which both the young men were exposed, when they were both rescued by the zeal and the intrepidity of the Rev. Mr. Cleland. would only be in accordance with all that we know of the subsequent conduct of Robert Stewart, to believe that he did render some service to his youthful companion, which enabled the latter to keep afloat until the providential arrival of their common preserver. But of any such assistance, or encouragement, there is no indication in the pages before us; from which we could no more infer that Sturrock owed his life to Stewart, than that Stewart owed his life to Sturrock; or that either gave the other any assistance whatsoever, until Mr. Cleland succeeded so happily in bringing them both safe to land.

His school education was received at the royal foundation, in Armagh, and at seventeen he entered St. John's College, Cambridge. The accounts, from the most competent authorities, are all uniform of the correctness of his deportment, and his steady diligence, during this period of this life, when so many young men of family and fortune are seekers of pleasure rather than cultivators of learning. And it is creditable to the future minister, that the severer pursuits of science and literature had attractions for him, which outweighed, in his estimate, the fashionable frivolities by which so many of his age and station were led astray. Doctor Bushby, of St. John's College, thus writes:

"It was towards the end of 1786 that Mr. Stewart went to reside there, under the tuition of Mr. Pearce, afterwards dean of Ely. That he applied himself with great diligence and success to the appointed studies of that place, appears from his position in the classes after every examination. In that college an examination of the students took place every half-year, in the elements of mathematics, in certain portions of classical authors, and in logic, and moral philosophy. Mr. Stewart's name was among the first on every occasion; and at the third examination, in December, 1787, being the last which he passed, he was first in the class.

"It is gratifying [adds Dr. Bushby] to observe these early tokens of his future distinction, especially as they sup

ply a sufficient answer to any disparaging remarks which may have been made with regard to his early education, and want of proficiency in the studies proper for his rank and station.

"I have not been able to ascertain the cause why he left college so soon; whether it was that he was in a hurry to travel abroad, or that some opportunity was offered in Ireland for his entering parliament. I have inquired of a good many persons who remember him here, and they all agree in the same account of him, testifying as to his gentlemanly appearance and manners, his diligence in study, and the propriety of his conduct in all respects. I need only give two short extracts from letters which members of our college have written to

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After leaving college, he made what was called the grand tour, upon his return from which he was elected a member of the Irish parliament for the county of Down, at an expense to his father of sixty thousand pounds. Our noble biographer gives no date; but this return must have been to the parliament which was called in 1790, as, during his canvass, we are told he attained his one-and-twentieth year.

His first essay in parliamentary oratory was upon the question, whether Ireland had a right to trade with India, notwithstadinng the monopoly of the British East India Company. His biographer does not tell us upon which side he spoke; but we infer it must have been on that of the opposition, as he particularly commended himself to the notice of Lord Charlemont, and entered parliament with what were called liberal principles.

A mind like his could not, however, long remain in the trammels of party, and he very soon saw that it was right, or felt that it was expedient, to give all his support to the Irish government, whose wisdom and whose firmness

were taxed to the utmost by the disturbers and the anarchists, by whom the country was at that time infested.

By the promotion of his father to the peerage, in 1797, he obtained to the title of Lord Castlereagh, and became locum tenens of Mr. Pelham, the chief secretary, upon the retirement, in disgust, of that gentleman to England, to avoid being personally instrumental in carrying into effect the severe measures now rendered absolutely necessary, by the daring treason of the insurgents. His position was one of much difficulty, and required a combination of caution and firmness, in which the young politician was not found wanting; and, to his conduct at this period, as the responsible minister of the crown in Ireland, is to be ascribed much of his unpopularity in after-life, although, in point of fact, he was, perhaps, one of the mildest of the counsellors of state, and remarkable chiefly for an aversion to witness any scene of suffering, and a clemency towards great state criminals, which was much more creditable to the goodness of his heart than to the soundness of his understanding.

In 1799, Mr. Pelham resigned, and Lord Castlereagh was appointed his successor; in which capacity he continued to tread out the embers of rebellion, and to make arrangement for the accomplishment of the legislative union.

Of his personal intrepidity and ge nerosity, let the following incident speak:

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"He was fond of field sports, and frequently beat up the Wicklow hills, as far as the house of Counsellor Colback, which, perched on high like an eagle's nest,' looks over the capital. In these sports he was very successful, and always proverbial for being a remarkably good shot. Returning, one evening in July, from the mountains, he was accosted by two men, who inquired the hour; at the same instant one of them seized the double-barrelled fowling-piece which Lord Castlereagh was carrying. latter drew a pistol from his pocket, and shot his assailant, who immediately fell. A second pistol having missed fire, another ruffian, springing out from an adjacent ditch, rushed, together with

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the fellow who was still unhurt, upon his lordship, who at once began to retreat. At this moment a person, jumping over the gate which impeded his approach, fired a pistol at one of the robbers, and seizing him instantly by the collar, he, with Lord Castlereagh's as

sistance, secured this man, while the other made the best use of his time in running off as fast as possible, and to this movement his opponents did not think proper to offer any obstruction. The fellow who had wrested the gun from Lord Castlereagh had received a ball in his neck: he was raised from the ground, and his hands, as well as those of his comrade, having been tied behind, their captors conveyed them to Dundrum, where their wounds were dressed. These offenders were found to belong to the Liberty of Dublin, and having casually seen Lord Castlereagh change a two-guinea note at a small public-house, they had determined to commit the above-mentioned daring assault, in order to effect the robbery of their proposed victim. It turned out that the person who appeared so opportunely to aid Lord Castlereagh was Mr. Jennings, a lieutenant in the navy, then on halfpay. He was returning from a visit, when he had the happiness to rescue so valuable a life from the murderers' hands.

"Jennings was a brave officer, and well worthy of notice, and Lord Castlereagh afterwards presented him with a commission, as commander of the Rose' cutter, of 14 guns, and gave him £100 for outfit. Mr. Jennings held his command for many years with honour and profit, and then retired to the enjoyment of a competence at Balbriggan.

"As for the men who attempted to rob and murder him, Lord Castlereagh merely reprimanded them, and sent them on board the tender, to expiate their offences by serving their country. These occurrences in the life of any man would do credit, and they show Lord Castlereagh to have been possessed of a noble, kind, and generous heart.

His

residence at Dundrum was not of long duration. His office obliged him to be constant in his attendance at the Castle, so that after the expiration of a year, he returned to Dublin."

Nor can we withhold the following, in which his lordship appears in two characters, for which, hitherto, the public have given him very little credit ;as a judicious and munificent patron of Irish national literature, and as one who had unconsciously won for himself golden opinions from an Irish hodman in London :

"Lord Castlereagh was a munificent patron of literary talent, and particularly of that of his own country. The collection of Irish melodies, made by the able Mr. Bunting, of Belfast, from the

ancient bards of Ireland, was undertaken at his suggestion; and the translations from Carolan were moulded into their present shape by his masterly hand.

'Lord Castlereagh was the means of establishing in Dublin a Gælic Society,' the object of which was to encourage writers in the ancient Erse, and translations from scarce works in verse and prose. This society went on well for some time; and a volume of their proceedings was printed, highly creditable to all who had contributed towards it. Theophilus O'Hannegan was the secretary, a man who was quite a genius, and a scholar of unrivalled attainments, but who possessed not an atom of discretion. The removal of Lord Castlereagh to England withdrew his attention from this local institution, and it was, in consequence, discontinued. The last service he rendered it was releasing poor O'Hannegan from the Sheriff's, where he was confined for a considerable debt.

"Upon a certain occasion, as Lord Castlereagh was passing slowly and thoughtfully from an interview with his Majesty (George IV.) at Carlton House, to his own residence in St. James's-square, he was met by an Irish labourer, who, with his hod reversed, seemed as if prepared to attend the funeral of his own hopes. 'Long life to your honour!' said Pat, in a peculiarly melancholy tone. Lord C. raised his eye. Pat took off his apology for a hat, made his bow, and repeated 'Musha, then, long life to your honour's lordship!'

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"There was something singular in the man's appearance and address, and Lord Castlereagh, half-hesitating, halfadvancing, fixed his eyes upon him with a kindliness of look, which induced Pat to go on 'God be with the days, your honour, when you used to be fishing in the lough!' What lough, my good fellow? Lough Foyle, to be sure, your honour.' Why, were you ever there?' Maybe I wasn't, plase your honour, when I used to help to push your honour's boat off, and when, may God for ever bless you for it, wonst (once) when I tumbled in, neck and crop, you pulled me out by the nape of the neck. Och! faith, I remember it,' added the poor fellow, with a smile, and if it hadn't been for your honour's lordship, I'd have been as dead as a herring, sure enough!' Ay, well, what's your name?' Brady, to be sure." 'Oh, I remember something about you; but what brought you here?' Och! like many others, I came to seek my fortune, but the devil a much luck I have had yet.' 'Are you in employment?' 'No, faith, I am

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