DEATH OF BEACONSFIELD.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 91, 20 April 1881, Page 2

DEATH OF BEACONSFIELD.

[BKTJTEB'S TELBGKA2IS.I London, 19th April. The Earl of Beaconsfield died early this mdrning. His Lordship suffered a severe relapse, and suconmbed to its effects. A bulletin published this morning with reference to the Earl of Beaconsfleld's death states thai after the severe relapse which hia Lordship suffered during the night, he sank rapidly, and breathed hh hist at halfpast four this morning. His attendants state that his Lordship passed away without much pain, and as peacefully as if sleeping. The news of the Earl of Beaconsfield's death has been received with universal sorrow and regret throughout the country. HIS LORDSHIP'S CABEER. The annals of British politics and politicians disclose to the diligent student many " strange eventful histories," but none more wonderful; more full of astonishing incidents, than the career of the retdarkable statesman who has just passed away. In whatever light we regret him — as a writer, as a statesman, or merely as an individual member of society— there is something at every point in his history to excite our wonder, to mystify us, and to impress us. Above all, one is struck with admiration at the indomitable will exhibited throughout his life, and the fixity of purpose which carried him, in spite of many disadvantages and obstacles, which to others would have been unsurmountable, to the very pinnacle of his ambition. As is well-known, he was the eon of Isaac Disraeli, the entertaining author df " The Curiosities of English Literature," and was born in London in 1805. Unlike most of his rivals and coLeagueS in the House of Commons who have attained to political distinction, he never had a University education, and consequently never had the opportunity of thundering in "the Union " against the murderers of Oharle3l., or enjoying any of the other advantages which that institution is supposed to afford to sucking politicians. He received an excellent private education, however, which was carefully supervised by his father — himself a D.U.L-, and evidently a man of considerable parts and ability. It was soon evident that he inherited the literary tastes of the elder Disraeli, although they were developed in a different direction. Under the system ct' patronage which then existed, Isaac Disraeli obtained for his son the offer of an appointment in the public service, to qualify himself for which young Benjamin was articled to a solicitor. It was soon apparent that the drudgery of the life was irksome to him, and he consequently abandoned it for the field of literature — first contributing to a Tory journal called the Eepresentative, and afterwards turning his attention to novel writing, at which, he speedily made a brilliant reputation. " Vivian Grey;" the first of his works, appeared in 1827. After extensive travels in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Syria, he returned to England in 1831, and prooeeded with great earnestness to devote himself to the task of getting into Parliament. Most young men, it is said, commence political life as .Radicals, and Disraeli was no exception to the rale. Armed with recommondations from Hume and O'Connell, he stood in 1832 for Wyoombe, Bucks, but was defeated. In 1835 he again presented himself to the same constituency, but with e.i better result. Next he unsuccessfully contested Taunton in the Conservative interest, but in 1837 was elected, with Mr. Wyndham Lewis, for Maidstone. He was 32 years of age when he took his seat, and his maiden effort delivered in a manner bordering on the grotesque and full of extravagant figures of Speech, excited roars of laughter from the House. Lord Beaoonsfield has always been remarkable for a carefully-preserved singularity of personal appearance, and doubtless his odd " get-up " had as much to do with exciting the risibility of the House, as his extravagant hyperbole and gesticulations. A very good portrait of Disraeli, as a young man, is given to us by Willis, an American author. It was some 50 years ago, at a dinner at Lady Blessington's. " Disraeli," he says, " had arrived before me, and sat in the deep window looking out on Hyde Park, with the last rays of daylight reflected from the gorgeous gold flowers of a splendidly embroidered waistcoat. Patent leather pumps, a white stick, with a black cord and tassel, arid "a* quantity of chains about Mb neck and pockets, served to make him, even in the dim light, rather a conspicuous object." Later on, when examining him by the " blaze of lamps," the same author says — "Disraeli has one of the niost retriatkable faces I ever Baw. He is lividly pale, and but for the energy of his action and the strength Of his lungs, would seem a victim to consumption. His eye is black as Erebus, and haß the most mocking and lying-in- wait sort of expression conceivable. His mouth is alive with a kind of working and impatient nervousness, and when he has burst forth, as he does constantly, with a particularly successful cataract of expression, it assumes a curl of triumphant- scorn that would be worthy of? a Mephistopheles. His hair is as extraordinary as his taste in waistcoats. A thick, heavy-mass of jet black ringlets falls over his left oKsek/;alksipBt to his collarless stock, while on the;, right temple it is parted and put away f^w the^wßopth carefulness of a girl's,, and/ slimes most unctuously 'with thine incomparable oil, Macassar.' " The young politician was so disconcerted at the first reception he met with from the Houae of Commons that he completely broke down, uttering, however, the memorable prophecy :—": — " I shall sit down now, but the time will come when you shall hear mo." In, all probability, he was exceedingly nervous, and the graphic description which he gives, in hia latest novel, of Endymion's feelings on addressing the House, the first time, may be taken as a pretty accurate transcript of hiß own sensations t — " The notice of this question," he says, " was the first time Endymion opened his mouth in the House of Commons. It was an humble and not very hazardous office, but when he got on his legs his head swam, his heart beat so violently thai it was like a convulsion preceding death, and though he was only on his legs a few seconds, all the sorrows of his life seemed to pass before him. When he sat down he was quite surprised that the business of the House prooeeded as usual, and it was only after some time that he became convinced that no-one but himself was conscious of his sufferings, or that ho had performed a routine duty otherwise than in a routine manner." In 1838 his colleague, Mr. Levns^, died, and next year Disraeli married,.JuyB. Lewis. He then carefully studied theSstyle^ of successful Parliamentary orator 3, »n9[ " bided his time." In 1848, on the deatfy of Lord George Bentinck, he succeeded to the leadership of the Protectionist party in the Commons, continuing his literary labours in the meanwhile. In 1852 he obtained the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, under Lord Derby. His first budget was a success, but his second one, delivered in 1853, was the means of relegating the Government to the cold shades of opposition. Disraeli, having led the anti-Ministerialists in the meantime, again succeeded to power as Chancellor in 1858, under Lord Derby, but the Government was thrown out on the Reform Bill introduced by Disraeli the following year. In 1866 he again returned to his old post, and next year induced the Conservative party to pass the Reform Bill. In 1868 he succeeded Lord Derby as Premier, but had to resign the following year, Mrs. Disraeli being created Viscountess Beaconsfield in recognition of her husband's official services. In 1870 "Lothair" was published, taking the world by storm. In 1872 the distinguished statesman had the misfortune to lose his faithful wife, to whom, there is every reason to believe, he owed not a little of the success which attended him through life. In 1874 Disraeli was once more Prime Minister, with a large majority at his back, his tenure of office being signalised by a series of brilliant coups that fairly dazzled the public. One of the most noteworthy of his achievements wa3 the diplomatic feat he accomplished in connection with procuring the signature of the famous Treaty of Berlin, attending the conference personally with Lord Salisbury, and conducting the difficult negotiations with the most distinguished ability. The reception with which both statesmen met on their return to London in 1878, announcing that they had secured " peace with honor," was almost uniquo on account of the enthusiasm displayed by the populace. Disraeli was elevated to the peerage by the title of the Earl of Beaconsfield in 187(3, and in 1878, after hia return from Berlin, was invested by the Queen with the Order of the Garter. The sudden subsidence of the " Jingo fever," the discontent of the nation at the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and at the Cape, falling as it did on the people at a time of great depression of trade, and the sudden revival of the popularity of Mr. Gladstone, and the accession of the Liberals to power — are matters of such recent occurrence as to need no dilating upon here. He' garding Lord Beaconsfield as an orator, a writer in Harper's Magazine makes the following, on the whole, very just comparison between the deceased statesman and his two greatest living rivals in the art—Gladstone and John Bright : — " Gladstone is unquestionably the most brilliant orator of the present day — taking voice, manner, action and all into account, as we must in judging of a public speaker ; for impetuous force, flow of varied and vivid expression, quickness in argument, depth of conviction, there is not hia equal, perhaps, in any country. But to most thoughtful men, who have listened more than once to the splendid elocutionary outbursts of Mr. Gladstone, and habituated themselves in a way to the magnetism of his glowing words, the calm cle»c eloquence of John Bright would be

more convincing. Lord Beaconsfield is hardly to be ranked as an orator, but rather as a subtle statesman, who quietly rises up and presents the moat masterly arguments and unexpected shafts of rhetoric with the unconcerned manner of every-day talk." To this we may add that although as an orator Lord Beaoonsfield may have had his superiors, there can be no question as to the immense amount of influence which he Was always able to command — influence oftentimes of a strange, mysterious kind, that it was utterly impossible altogether to dnalyae or fathom. He was, in fact, as has often, been said, a perfect sphynx in hia political life, and thi3 it was perhaps which gave him a great deal of his marvellous power as a diplomatist. His gifts in this respect hate certainly never been equalled by any states* man England has ever possessed.