DEATHS-JUNE. charge of the magisterial duties of the only dangh” colony. 1828. Oldnail, 21 Skr of On the accession of as Premier in April 1827, Letermined to retire, because dered that minister pledged to to the demands of the Roman oes, to which Mr. Peel had always ered an uncompromising resistance. On the 25th Jan. 1928, he was reinstated in office as one of the ministry of the Duke of Welling. The agitation of the Roman Cathes had now become irresistible, a relief bil had been passed by the Commons and thrown out by the Lords After the discussions in the two Houses of Parliament on the question in the session of 1928, frequent cOMENTnications took place between the Duke of Wellington and Mr. Peel respecting the position of that question, and each of them came to the conclusion that it could not safely be left in the position in which it had stood for so many years, the members of the King's Government having no opinion in common upon it, and the two Houses of Parliament coming to opposite decisions. In August, 1828, Mr. Peel wrote a letter to the Duke, in which he gave a deliberate opinion-that there was, upon the whole, less of evil in making a decided effort to settle the Catholic question, than in leaving it, as it had been left, an open question. He expressed his readiness to commit himself to the sup port of a measure of ample concession and relief, but desired to give it out of 20. At his seat, Rock, Northumberland, Charles Bosanquet, esq., Governor of the South Sea Company, and for many years Colonel of the Light Horse Volunteers of London and Westminster; a magistrate and Deputy-Lieutenant of the counties of Middlesex and Nor, thumberland. Elder brother of late Right Hon. Sir John Ber ame Bosanquet, a Justice of the CoppenPleas. Mr. Bosanquet served t’,, all the of High Sheriff of Northumbrotestant Peel found demagogue abused him artunity. At feit so highly Colonel Brown to aries of a hostile tely, this became wing was prevented. ars that he held the Mr. Peel introduced Irish measures, inpeace-preservation bills. ment of a constabulary country is amongst the ent results of his adminis may be considered as the preliminary step to the of the system of metroslice, which in London has so superseded the old watch In June, 1817, when the of Mr. Speaker Abbot to the office. caused a vacancy in the repreof the University of Oxford, At his seat, Lee, leigh, Devonshire, aged Preston, esq., Q.C., an the Inner Temple, and excellent work on other professional · - Near Rama' home from Se Henry St. Alb 2nd Madras E of the late W Twickenham - At F ham, in h hill Cogh Coghill, House. the Be the e first 38 t tr in In C tal or Peel was unanimously elected one In Jan, 1829, the Duke of Wellington convinced him that his assistance in office was indispensable. The King referred to his own scruples-to his own uniform opposition to the measure in question-and said “You mmittee on Currency, the result of advise this measure; you see no escape which was one of the measures on which from it; you ask me to make the sacri you not make the same sacrifice!" which passed in the same session. The Mr. Peel felt he could return to his bus political celebrity mainly rests-the fice of opinion and of consistency-will return to cash payments: the Act for from his son as to the tendency of this one he did return-viz. that he would first Sir Robert Peel altogether differed Sovereign no other answer but the mesure; but it was asserted at the make that sacrifice, and would bear time, that it rendered that gentleman his full share of the responsibility and more wealthy man, by something like unpopularity of the measure he admillion sterling, than he had vised. He moved the Relief Bill in the eriously been. On the 17th Jan., House of Commons on March 5, 1829. $22, Mr. Peel was appointed Home The contest was long and arduous, the Secretary, on the retirement of Lord position of the Minister open to great dmouth and from that period he illed that office during the remainder the Liverpool administration. In 96 he brought forward, and carried, for the reform of the obloquy, but Mr. Peel met the opposi tion with unshaken firmness, and the measure was carried :-but Mr. Peel's connections, private and political, were greatly estranged by so sudden and un as in Catho the royal 29. On the succeeded his i a baronet, and amworth, which he esent in Parliament On the 15th Nor, ninistration were in a mi9 in the House of Commons, ivil List, and on the following se. red the wha LOTI a per EDC the Vis m elk, with a view the medie ae House of Commons was in his command of temper is a aed by Sir Robert Peel that he and haustless resources of adMAINL Es colleagues had resigned office. The vigorous and eagredenste Tes real motive to this resignation was not appear to create suÀ NELIER I of the Civil, minority on the question draw forth expressions of 2002 12 Dame of the Civil List, as from the anticipation admiration, as in the early part of the of the probable result of Mr. Brougham's year 1895 Bat afer a vali motion for Reform in Parliament, which contest, he resigned on a the si f stood for the evening on which they an- April, and retired core more 219position. But that restored a five the vigour of the Whig party appeared to be exhausted, and fra TOMB no share. It was carried by his rivals causes their power percepully denized the Whigs, in spite of all the efforts he Amongst these was the compact and could make to oppose it. But the talent, the genius, and the courage well-drilled party which Sir Elten led with consummate prodence and skill which he manifested in the struggle an opposition frequently strer avec to modify the views of the Ministry a won back for him the support, and restored to him the confidence, of many accordance with their own, yet not s of those who had abandoned his leader- ciently numerous to accept office with been betrayed by him in the passing of of the Queen to the throne had also ship, because they considered they had prospect of permanence. The accession the Relief Bill, as well as in the repeal given to the Melbourne administration of the Test and Corporation Acts. The additional strength from the personal first elections under reform reduced the friendship of the Sovereign for its largest number they were able to collect with characteristic caution, bided his upon any one occasion being 174, in Tory party to a small minority; the leaders. But it was wonderful in how brief a Sir Robert Peel, therefore, time," conducting the business of Oppo established constitution of the Legisla opposition to the second reading of a sition throughout the whole of this bill introduced by Mr. Wood for the period with an ability and success of admission of Dissenters to degrees in the which history affords few examples. Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. He had accepted the Reform Act as the time Peel rallied his broken forces; the ture, and as the system upon which unobjectionable party name of "Con- the country was thenceforward to be and it soon appeared that the period of out in its true spirit, but he would proservatives" was dexterously assumed, governed. He was willing to carry it reaction was at hand. Every engine of ceed no further. He marshalled his party organization was put into vigo- Opposition upon the principle of resist rous activity, and before the summer of ance to any further organic changes, DEATHS.-JULY. of State in the Home Department, of which the Right Hon. Richard Ryder was then Chief Secretary. In May, 1812, Mr. Perceval fell by the hands of an assassin, and, on the formation of the Liverpool ministry, Mr. Peel was Chief Secretary in Ireland, where the Duke of Richmond was then Viceroy. On this appointment he was sworn a Privy Councillor on the 13th Aug., 1812. At the general election in the same year he had been elected for Chippenham in Wiltshire. Pledged by all the ties of party to maintain the Protestant supremacy in Ireland, Mr. Peel found his bitterest opponent in the demagogue Councillor O'Connell, who abused him heartily on every opportunity. At length, in 1815, Mr. Peel felt so highly provoked that he sent Colonel Brown to arrange the preliminaries of a hostile meeting. Fortunately, this became known, and the meeting was prevented. During the six years that he held the Irish Secretaryship, Mr. Peel introduced and defended many Irish measures, including some peace-preservation bills. The establishment of a constabulary force in that country is amongst the most permanent results of his administration, and may be considered as the experimental or preliminary step to the introduction of the system of metropolitan police, which in London has so effectually superseded the old watch system. In June, 1817, when the elevation of Mr. Speaker Abbot to the peerage caused a vacancy in the representation of the University of Oxford, Mr. Peel was unanimously elected one of its burgesses. On the 4th Feb., 1819, he was chosen chairman of the famous Committee on Currency, the result of which was one of the measures on which his political celebrity mainly rests-the return to cash payments: the Act for which passed in the same session. The first Sir Robert Peel altogether differed from his son as to the tendency of this measure; but it was asserted at the time, that it rendered that gentleman a more wealthy man, by something like half a million sterling, than he had previously been. On the 17th Jan., 1822, Mr. Peel was appointed Home Secretary, on the retirement of Lord Sidmouth and from that period he filled that office during the remainder of the Liverpool administration. 1826 he brought forward, and carried, his measures for the reform of the In Criminal Code. On the accession of Mr. Canning as Premier in April, 1827, Mr. Peel determined to retire, because he considered that minister pledged to yield to the demands of the Roman Catholics, to which Mr. Peel had always offered an uncompromising resistance. On the 25th Jan., 1828, he was reinstated in office as one of the ministry of the Duke of Wellington. The agitation of the Roman Catholics had now become irresistible, a relief bill had been passed by the Commons and thrown out by the Lords. After the discussions in the two Houses of Parliament on the question in the session of 1828, frequent commonications took place between the Duke of Wellington and Mr. Peel respecting the position of that question, and each of them came to the conclusion that it could not safely be left in the position in which it had stood for so many years, the members of the King's Government having no opinion in common upon it, and the two Houses of Parliament coming to opposite decisions. In August, 1828, Mr. Peel wrote a letter to the Duke, in which he gave a deliberate opinion-that there was, upon the whole, less of evil in making a decided effort to settle the Catholic question, than in leaving it, as it had been left, an open question. He expressed his readiness to commit himself to the support of a measure of ample concession and relief, but desired to give it out of office. In Jan., 1829, the Duke of Wellington convinced him that his as sistance in office was indispensable. The King referred to his own scruples-to his own uniform opposition to the measure in question-and said "You advise this measure; you see no escape from it; you ask me to make the sacrifice of opinion and of consistency-will you not make the same sacrifice!" Mr. Peel felt he could return to his Sovereign no other answer but the one he did return-viz. that he would make that sacrifice, and would bear his full share of the responsibility and unpopularity of the measure he advised. He moved the Relief Bill in the House of Commons on March 5, 1829. The contest was long and arduous, the position of the Minister open to great obloquy, but Mr. Peel met the opposi tion with unshaken firmness, and the measure was carried :-but Mr. Peel's connections, private and political, were greatly estranged by so sudden and un DEATHS.-JULY. looked-for change of policy. Having announced in a letter to the Chancellor of the University of Oxford the reasons of his change of opinion, and consequent resignation of his seat, Mr. Peel's re-election was opposed, and Sir Robert Harry Inglis was returned in his place by a considerable majority. Mr. Peel re-entered the House of Commons as member for Westbury, and it was in that capacity that he proposed the Catholic Relief Bill, which received the royal assent on the 18th April, 1829. On the 3rd May, 1830, Mr. Peel succeeded his father in the dignity of a baronet, and also as member for Tamworth, which he continued to represent in Parliament until his decease. On the 15th Nov., 1830, the administration were in a minority of 29 in the House of Commons, on the Civil List, and on the following day the House of Commons was in formed by Sir Robert Peel that he and his colleagues had resigned office. The real motive to this resignation was not so much the minority on the question of the Civil List, as from the anticipation of the probable result of Mr. Brougham's motion for Reform in Parliament, which stood for the evening on which they announced their resignation. Parliamentary Reform was one of the great changes of his time in which Peel had no share. It was carried by his rivals the Whigs, in spite of all the efforts he could make to oppose it. But the talent, the genius, and the courage which he manifested in the struggle won back for him the support, and restored to him the confidence, of many of those who had abandoned his leadership, because they considered they had been betrayed by him in the passing of the Relief Bill, as well as in the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts. The first elections under reform reduced the Tory party to a small minority; the largest number they were able to collect upon any one occasion being 174, in opposition to the second reading of a bill introduced by Mr. Wood for the admission of Dissenters to degrees in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. But it was wonderful in how brief a time Peel rallied his broken forces; the unobjectionable party name of "Conservatives" was dexterously assumed, and it soon appeared that the period of reaction was at hand. Every engine of party organization was put into vigorous activity, and before the summer of 1834 reached its close, Sir Robert Peel was at the head of a compact, powerful, and well-disciplined Opposition. Such a high impression of their vigour and efficiency had King William IV. received, that when Lord Althorp became a peer, and the Whigs thereupon lost their leader in the House of Commons, His Majesty having taken the advice of the Duke of Wellington, sent to Italy to summon Sir Robert Peel to his councils, with a view to the immediate formation of a Conservative Ministry. Sir Robert accepted this heavy responsibility, though he mistrusted the condition of the country and the chances of success. A new House of Commons was instantly called, and for nearly three months Sir Robert Peel maintained a gallant struggle against a most formidable opposition. At no time did his command of temper, his almost exhaustless resources of information, his vigorous and comprehensive intellect, appear to create such astonishment, or draw forth expressions of such unbounded admiration, as in the early part of the year 1835. But, after a well-fought contest, he resigned office on the 8th of April, and retired once more into opposition. But though restored to office, the vigour of the Whig party appeared to be exhausted, and from various causes their power perceptibly declined. Amongst these was the compact and well-drilled party which Sir Robert led with consummate prudence and skill— an opposition frequently strong enough to modify the views of the Ministry in accordance with their own, yet not sufficiently numerous to accept office with prospect of permanence. The accession of the Queen to the throne had also given to the Melbourne administration additional strength from the personal friendship of the Sovereign for its leaders. Sir Robert Peel, therefore, with characteristic caution, "bided his time," conducting the business of Opposition throughout the whole of this period with an ability and success of which history affords few examples. He had accepted the Reform Act as the established constitution of the Legislature, and as the system upon which the country was thenceforward to be governed. He was willing to carry it out in its true spirit, but he would proceed no further. He marshalled his Opposition upon the principle of resistance to any further organic changes, DEATHS. JULY. and he enlisted the majority of the Peers and nearly the whole of the country gentlemen of England in support of the principle of protection to British industry. In 1839 the Whig ministry was reduced to a majority of five, and it resigned on the 7th of May, but was restored on the 11th; Sir Robert Peel had been "sent for," had submitted to Her Majesty the names of his principal coadjutors, and had been accepted. He required that certain Ladies of the Bedchamber-the near relatives of eminent Whig politicians-should be removed from the personal services of the Sovereign. This was refused, and he abandoned for the time any attempt to form a Government, and his opponents remained in office till 1841. On the 27th May in that year he submitted to the House of Commons a vote of want of confidence in the Ministry, which after eight nights' debate was carried by a majority of one. Still they did not resign; but on the 30th Aug. Sir Robert Peel became First Lord of the Treasury, and the Duke of Wellington, without office, accepted a seat in the Cabinet, taking the management of the House of Lords. Sir Robert Peel's Ministry was formed emphatically on Protectionist principles; but before the close of its career his sense of public duty impelled him once more to incur the odium which attends a fundamental change of policy. The repeal of the Corn-Laws, the relaxation of the commercial code, the Bank Charter Act, and the general financial policy of the country (including the income tax), are the marked features of his last administration, which will ever make it memorable in our annals. These great measures were, however, again accompanied by the total aliena tion of political friends and supporters. Abandoned by a great portion of the party he had organized and led to victory, and receiving a precarious support from the Whigs, open opposition from the radical reformers, he was defeated and finally driven from office in June, 1846, on the Irish Arms Bill. For the last three years the Whig administration received an efficient support from Sir Robert Peel. This support had been more than a mere parliamentary assistance the advice of the great statesman was constantly asked and freely given on the details of Ministerial measures. The actual circumstances in which Sir Robert was placed rendered him, as an adviser, perhaps the most useful that any government ever possessed. To an experience singularly great and a mind pre-eminently practical he added the most entire dis interestedness. He had known enough of place and power. He was jealous of his influence, and cared for little beyond. Time had chastened the few prejudices he possessed, and his clear head was undisturbed by any of those clouds with which the passions or promptings of the heart obscure the judgments of most public men. On the night before the occurrence of the fatal accident which terminated the life of Sir Robert Peel, the House of Commons, which, for more than forty years, had witnessed his triumphs and reverses, was filled with an extraordinary assemblage anxious for the result of a great political crisis. Sir Robert addressed them with an ability and a spirit which recalled his more youthful efforts and more powerful days. He sat down amid "loud and long-continued cheering." Within a few hours, the statesman who had commanded the applause of that listening senate was a wreck of life and strength, shattered, feeble, restless, and agonized. An account of the accident which terminated the career of this great statesman is given in the "CHRONICLE," p. 81. It has been remarked by an able journalist in the Times that Sir Robert Peel "died in harness. He never sought repose, and his almost morbid restlessness'rendered him incapable of enjoying it. His was a life of effort. The maxim that if anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well, seemed ever present in his mind, so that everything he did or said was somewhat over-laboured. His official powers, as some one said the other day, were Atlantean, and his Ministerial expositions on the same gigantic scale. There was an equal appearance of effort, however, in his most casual remarks, at least when in public, for he would never throw away a chance; and he still trusted to his industry rather than to his powers. But a man whose life is passed in the service of the public, and whose habits are parliamentary or official, is not to be judged by ordinary rules, for he can scarcely fail to be cold, guarded, and ostentatious. His egotism was proverbial; but, besides the excessive use of the first person, it occasionally betrayed him into performances at variance both |