THE OCTOBER MAIL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 9, Issue 571, 30 December 1865, Page 3

THE OCTOBER MAIL

[form correspondent.] London, 26th October, 1865

Lord Palmerston died on the morning of Wednesday last the 18tli, at the age of 81. With this simple announcement I begin my letter, but it would take much more space than I can command to give yon all the details of his illness, his death, the. sensation created, here and on the Continent, and the speculations attending the event with all its consequences. He had been ailing for some time. Last session of Parliament he was not much in the House, and those who watched* him carefully shook their heads and hinted ominously of a rapid breaking up in his splendid physical constitution. During the autumn he had frequent attacks of gout, but nothing very serious shewed itself till, 'in the early part of this month, while residing at Brockett Hall, his, or rather Lady Palmerston’s seat in Hertfordshire, lie- caught a chill on a sudden change of the weather, took to his bed, and, after one or two short rallies, died without apyparent suffering on the day named. The event took all by surprise, and produced a feeling of general regret and almost consternation. The fear of political complications to follow the removal of the leading English statesman had, of course, a great deal to do with this feeling of sorrow, but liking to the individual was the main cause of that universal gloom which overspread the country. Never was Lord Palmerston’s unrivalled popularity more strikingly apparent than when the nation found that he was lost to it. He was liked quite as much as he was admired, and during the later years of his life he came to be regarded with almost boundless . confidence by all classes and parties. Probably he had not one personal enemy. It is a question if even J ohn Bright dislikes him, for all the hard words he and the late Mr. Cobden have used When speaking of the deceased statesman’s piolicy. Certainly if he does he is even more singular than he usually is from the rest of his countrymen. From all quarters have come expressions of regard and condolence. The Queen was foremost in sending a message of sympathy to Lady Palmerston and by her express command the deceased Premier is to have the honour of a public funeral in Westminster Abbey. Corporations all over the country give expression to similar feelings and in the public journals the unanimity of eulogium and regret is most remarkable. This is not confined to Great Britain. On the Continent the sensation created was quite as great as ixi England, in one sense greater ; even a quarter of a century ago the name of Palmerston was one to conjure with from Paris to Pekin. The Emperor and Empress of the French sent messages of condolence to Lady Palmerston, so did the King of the Belgians, The French Foreign Minister, sent through the embassy here a despatch conveying the sincere and poignant regrets of the French people, from the Emperor downwards, at the loss of one of the ablest and most constant friends of the alliance between the two .nations. General La Marmora, on the part of the King of Italy, telegraphed from Florence the regret of the Italian nation at the death of one of its most constant and disinterested friends. At the funeral, which will take place tomorrow, the Queen will be represented, as will also the Prince of Wales ; and the Duke of Cambridge will be present, with members of the Cabinet, a large number of members of both Houses of Parliament, the Corporation of London, and many very distinguished representative men. To a considerable extent, indeed, the day will be observed as a holiday, and the procession will assume all the characteristics of a najtional display, notwithstanding the well known wish of the deceased statesman to have as private a funeral as possible. Lord Palmerston, although married, left no children, and the estates go to a nephew, a Mr. Sullivan. The title becomes extinct. Lady Palmerston has a large property, having inherited the estates of her late brother, Lord Melbourne. These, on her death, will go to her second son, the Right

Hon. W. Oowper, Chief Commissioner of Works in the present Government. Lord Palmerston’s estates were in Hampshire, and in the county Sligo, the latter were very unprofitable, all and more than all the rents having been for a long time absorbed in improvements, when they were collected at all. He was considered a model Irish landlord, although he never resided on his Irish property, and rarely visited it. In my letter mentioning the death of Mr. Cobden, I ventured the remark that tnis year promised to be noteworthy for the death of eminent nun. First Wiseman, then Cobden, then Palmei-ston, not forgetting Lincoln! Who next ? The list is not yet full, and these gusty autumn days will howl dirges over many more, falling with the falling leaf. The circumstances that attended the death of Lord Palmerfton were such as in popmlar tradition usually attend the passing away of the great ones of the earth. An equinoctial tempest raged that day and the day following, violent gales of wind swept land and sea, and the s y mpathetic skies added a deluge to the general gloom. What with rumours of cholera and the ravages of the cattle plague _ the omens of disaster were certainly sufficiently abundant.

Of course one of the first subjects of speculation on Lord Palmerston’s death was as to the prospects of the Government which had lost its head. It was comparatively easy to find a successor to the Premiership!, but the loss of Lord Palmerston was not merely the loss of the leader of the Government —it was also the loss of the man who formed the bond of union between different sections of the Liberal party. Many members followed Lord Palmerston cordially, who would give a very hesitating adhesion to Lord Russell or Mr Gladstone, and yet between these two men the choice of leader must be. Earl Russell has been commissioned by the Queen to remodel the Administration, and he has undertaken the task with every prospect of success for thepresent. It is pretty certain that the solution of the difficulty will be found in his lordship being Premier, and Mr. Gladstone retaining his present office in conjunction with the leadership of the Commons. But it is doubtful if this will work well when the session fairly opens. Mr. Gladstone with all his talent and eloquence has as yet been a conspicuous failure as a leader of the Government in the Lower House. He wants tact, temper, and self control, nor is he popular with the Commons, except with a limited section. Again, even if he succeeded as leader lie will want assistance. Singly lie cannot cope in debate with all the best men of the Qpposition, and at present his only efficient aid is Sir Roundell Palmer. There is however, plenty of young blood among tlie Liberal party, and while Mr Lowe and Mr Horsman may bring experience and power in debate to their helps, such men as Mr. Coleridge, Mr. Gosclien, and Mr. Torrens, only want official training to become first rate Ministers in course of time. We arc, therefore, pretty certain to see a ivide remodelling of the Government within the next few months—pretty certain also to see measures of reform brought forward on the ( queuing of Parliament in order to secure the support of the more advanced Liberals and create a bond of unity in the party. While on the subject of deaths of public men, I may also mention that of Canon Stowell, of Salford, an eloquent and evangelical minister of the Church of England, whose death is a severe blow to the Low Chu’.ch party. He was 65 years of age. Mr. Vincent" Wallace, the eminent composer, is also dead, after a long illness. He was only 50. but attained a high rank as an original composer. His operas of Maritana, Lurline, <fec., showed musical gonius of a high order. I believe he could play on every instrument in the orchestra. He Avas of Irish extraction. Giuglini, the great Italian tenor singer, is also dead, after an illness said to be the result of a grossly immoral life. He fell iuto a state of idiocy, or paralysis of the brain, and ivith occasional glimmers of returning reason his life flickered out. His voice was one of exquisite beauty, pmre, rich and sweet. (To be continued in our next.)