WHIGS SKETCHED BY WHIGS. [From the " Britannia."]

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 689, 20 November 1852, Page 3

WHIGS SKETCHED BY WHIGS. [From the " Britannia."]

Wynvilk, or Clvhs and Coteries. By the author of " The Ago of Fox and Pitt." London: Skcet. 1852. Clubs and coteries have ever been the life and soul of the Whig party. Balls at Devonshire House, literary re-unions at Holland House, and the club-room at Brookes, have gone far to win to the ranks of the whigs muck of the young talent of this as well as previous political ages. The aspirant after political fame was gratified by the admission to the great Whig Club. The sensuous were led captive by tlu fetes of Devonshire House, and the free-thinker captured by the peculiar style of conversation that graced the dinner table of the Lord of Kensington. In the present woiv these Whig- recipes for raising young Whigs are sketched with a free and fearless pen. \\ ltll great po-»er of witching a character and painting it with a few hold touches, the writer brings before us the leading Whigs of the political ago between the llagency and the opening ot the Reform agitation. . It is in a few words, the Whigs of the last thirty years, sketched by a Whig, with a few of their opponents brought into the picture as foils. Let us begin our portrait gallery with the author's Lord John Rowland :—: —

the EX-ritEanEß. I was introduced to Lov<l J'»hn Rowland, and my veiy fir-t reeling 1 was that of extreme disappointment. 1 It-It at once dispiwd to join with those who scotfrd at the idea of such a man over becoming the leader of the Commons of Knpland, or a pjime minister of the Briti-h empin\ But alter a little while, I changed my fiist opinion, and »elt iliat there was unnvUaLnble force of chaincter in that defined outline of ihe face— that wpll-chiselled mouth with its r^ly cut lips, around which a slighty sarcastic smile played at times, while in die warihumly u.quisUive glance of the eyes there was intellectual power and vigour of will. I" short, 1 thought, on looking .it the young nobleman, of Dryden's hues on Shafies-bury :— A ficiy soul which woiking out its way Ft cited the pigmy bwlj to ilec.iy, And o'ei liitonniil us tenement of cliy. Lord John Rowland ateined then in every poor health, his cheeks were «*unken, his fnce pale, and he had a short pbih sical cough; ceitainiv in nppeara ice. he was the Very hu,t petson that any one would suppose was destined The applmsc of listening icnitcs to command. We were now at the dituier-Uible, and Lord Jo|mJ 0 |m began to display his mental diameter in a way that riveited my attention. His conversation was most in> icie-ting in Ks kind, though tint kind was neither brilliant or profound; his memory seem, d stored with a viuwiy oi cm ions facts, which threw light in various directions on society. Sometimes it was a story showing the mercantile valun of ceitain popul.ir woih<*, and he would cite for his inlbiinant, a bookseller in Paternoster row; or perclnnce be would mention some commercial anecdoie, which he had learned fiom a Ruasian merchant; or borne personal history which he had from the propiietor of a leading newspaper. Ilia facts v\eie hitpily and t«ld in a pithy, unpreiending style, occ.isionnlly dismissed from the company's notice, with a slwiit trenchant aphonsm. Ilw m.inner nlso was different from that of mm of fashion and persons of coiiMtleriMion. 'I here was a certain eagerness in gins\>wg at any new piVce of information put before his niii.d, and a certmn earnestness and zeal when be spoke upon a favourite topic veiv unlike tho stoical insouciance ol young nobles of celehuty. An intellectual spun dominated bis namre, which one might have supposed was more of amoral philosopher than a piactital statesman. Our next portrait is that of Mr. Macaulay, whose peculiar fnnlts are as gcntl) T touched as his good points arc forcibly brought out. The writer has a correct view of the history — that cross between a historical novel and a political pamphlet : —

MACA.ULA.Y. " Barrington Mackenzie has most extraordinary poweie: but I doubt the substantiality of his genius, ami I nm sceptical about hU possessing the higher order of Hie thinking; faculty. His poweis aie very exir.ioi(Htuiiy of tljpir kind; his talnnt is dazzling ; bin he often dcizzli's to delude. Has he seriousness) and gravity of charactei 1 Is his lite exalted by ,\ lofty moinl purpose? la be of tint au»u^t and lofty order of spirits, who contemn present supenoiiiy, and toil for posthumous and luuK^tly-oarripd fnmol It strikes ma that lie is a rhetorician ot (he fust class in his htemturt', rather than n gifted and original thinker, as in Parliament ho shows that hp is more i>l a declairaei than a debater. He u>ea strong ond brave vvoids, but would he dosttiong and brAVi' dieds?" "I think that you nn> unjust, Sir Charles, in exacting, that a man of Mackenzie's liteiary culture, should b<» nlso a great man of action. Who can be great men in letters and iiffans at thu same time?" ''Yon mistake me," n'plied Mnclauvin; "I monn by biave woids and deeds— brpveiy in putting- foith man's whole ihouglit^ iiffoic Ins readeit,. Would Mackenzie, for uibtauco, follow the example of Hume and Gibbon and intimate plainly to the reader his own opinions on the greatest and giand st qutMion to the solution of which the human mind can be applied? No! Mackenzie would deal m a satirical tone with ' the abuses of our tcclebiitßtical system. He would ■ castigate the pnrsons, and anew at the fanaticism of tho Disrating interest. He wou,ld round splendid periods

about England nncl Englishmen, and bide fiom numbers the reality of hi* opinion*-." '"Pon my soul, Sir Charles," Penro^e "my ftiend Barnnsfton Mackenz.e, is as sincere a Whig, as can be found." *' Yes, in a conventional sense, he is undoubtedly a very good party man; but Mackenzie exaggerates opinions, and affects interest when he feels indifference. Jt may be hypercritical; but in his ei-says and hi* speaking, thpre is the internal twang of a chief of some college debating cub. Theie is a want in his character of that homeliness — that natural simplicity, beyond all affectation, which I have ever found to be the companion of gieatness. Mackenzie is that bort ol man j who comes under the class of artists rather than author. J fear that he will prove merely an artist —writing lor public effect — reproducing, with wonderful brilliancy, the received opinions of otheis, who, with more originality of speculation, but less brilliancy of style, propounded them. I doubt, in short, the reality of Mackenzie ; first, as a man, and next, as an author ; for every really great author must first bp a great man «r heart, lie must scorn all the vulgar applause of his own time, and regard the opinion's of the impartial few, more than the cheets of the applauding multitude. Gibbon and Hume wrote to the few of all ages and times. GibbonVlabonv and learning were enormous ; and Hum* spent years upon yeais in fbiming his remarkable style. Mackenzie's style of writing is that of the rhetorician ; he always has an eye to effect, effe>t, ejfect. He never would encounter boldly the moral or religious delusions of his own time and country, supposing that his views in philo-opby were of a profound, searching, or original character. If he attempt the history of England, he will jumble togethpr \m politics and his literature, and spoil the httpr with the virus of his parly spirit.' For a moment let us turn aside to the sketch of one now passed and gone, the late Sir R. Peel, at the supposed date of this sketch Mr. Peel, the Tory :—

SIR R. PEEL, " I cJnn't rate Peel high," s«id MacTaurin ; "heis r mechanical genius — if he be a genius at all — as it is almost absurd to call him an orator — ." " But tlwre is," observed Lord John, " what I will renlure to call an actuality about Sir Robert Peel which is very remarkable, othpr men in public life pretend to intellectual qualities which they hnve not. Brougbam affects lo be an omnis homo; Milbourne pretends to rare for nouglit or nobody, like a thoroughbred stoic, though at heart he has kind feelings ; Lambton pretends to ba an intellectual dnmocrat, when by nature he is the very incarnation of an aristociat; O'Connell pretends to be a g»ntleman, and «o on. -But Sir Robert neems to me to bp thoroughly the man he play* — nn English statesman, stooping to the prejudice of Ms »gp, but never (h^ir creature ; ready to compromise with what, is prudent and practicable, rather than mm at an airy and unsubstantial ambition." " He has none of the mews divinior t of those that I remember — of Burke — or Fox — .'' " Well, perhaps so, but his information is really prodigious. Take him on law, commerce, finance, or the public history of the country — be is never at fault. "His memory is a file of precedents," said Maclaurin. "To be Pure," said Lord John, " official habits have considerably influenced him. If he had been vvitli Stewart, bis conception might have enlarged along with his memory; but I doubt whether the venejable Dv gald would have really made him more suited for the work he has to perform." " Ah ! Lord John," mildly broke in Maclaurin — 4< how can you, the pupil of Stewart, affect to think that our honoured friend noulJ not have enforc<d a more ethical principle into the materialist naiure of Si> Robert Peel ! There is no moral enthusiasm about Peel, and the pecul>ar merit of Stewart was a power of giving to those under his care a strong sense of the sublime. It is evident that Peel is merely th« ■.nccessful roan of loutine, with vigorous mind, and sustained health — a vast fortune, and a stiongainbitioli to be on«of the vulgar great men of the daw" " As to his ambition," said Lord John,*' it is difficult to determine how far his character is influenced bv that passion. His position is a very peculiar one. H« is a Parvenu, competing for the lead in politics with ilie ecions of api owl aristocracy. Every false step he makes is maliciously criticised. A Goulburn or a Herries aie allowed to pass unlashed by ridicule, but the new great man, with a vast fortune, pays a penalty for his heavt purse ; and yet, after all, i* not Peel au Aristocr.it, de facto as much so as if he weie a peer ? He is a landlord — has great mansions — has a title hmeditary in hi/ family — and has even a great influence amongst a large portion of ibe aristocracy why should he be sneered ai : for his origin? There is, to me, something disguttmg in »he way that we English attack a new rrun." The late changes give to the next sketch considerable interest, always bearing in mind that he was at the time of this drawing Mr. Stanley, the young Whig : —

LORD DERBY. Mr. Percy, I have intimated, was proud, if not haughty, of the first rank, and heir to an earldom of great historical renown. In attacking one of his speeches in the Gridiron, old Cohbet said, " What wonder for this young sprig of nobility to be an aristocrat to the backbone, a fellow that has got the blood of princes in his veins?" A 'Wynville, of Wynville Manor, was - not known to be looked down upon by Mr. Percy, who in point of fact wfl9 undoubtedly prouder of his superlative talents than of his illustrious descent, or of the princely property to which he was the heir. And superlative ability he certainly had, and of the most remarkable kind. He had a certain masculine ▼ehcmrnce of nature, joined to an in-tanianeous perception. He was quick and rapidly comprehensive beyond any man I ever met, though in the working of hi*intellect there was so much of physical impulse, that one could not be alwnys confident of the soundness of the conclusion arrived at by a mind that glowed with ardour in the exercise of its athletic power. He was a man who revelled in self-r< li-ince, and was reckless of the small and useful ans of judgement, by which ordinary men guide their mind?. His character influence I his intellect. There wa9 a wild stock of pride in his nature that was poetical, not in its manifestation (for lie was no rhymster), but in its lolly ambition, and it-< •uperionty to common-place life. Whatever motive -would influence such a man, you would be «uip, nßyou looked on him, that no vulgnr motive could rule the proud and lofty spuit tabernacled in that masculine and wiiy frame, gleaming from the deep set eyes that twinkled under a bold brow, over-arched by a massive and grand skull, which contained a bmin. often surphSsed in subtility, but not easily excelled in force, in power, in logical Leeness. With imagination hp would have been one of the master spirits of the world. But he had the power of appreciating the ideal, and a play of Shakspeare ever made him forget the »tormy life in which he had embarked his energies. To conclude our political portraits, can we do better than take the ex-Premier's sketch of his late colleague, the mischief-maker of Europe :—: —

LORD PALMERSTON. " Amongst the pupils of Mr. Canning, who were in* clined to mipport reform, Viscount Pallarston was in some respects rhp most remarkable, from his union of many qualities not often found together. He possessed many accomplishments, enahling him to fill with effect a leading department of affairs. His reputation with tbf country in those days was not so hi<sh as it deserved, for in the early part of his career lie sacrificed too much to social enjoyment, being proficient in those graceful pursuits, v hich impart more polish to the person than power to the will. But his nature was too masculine to •ink heneath the flowery bondage of fashionable life, and applying to affairs he took them for his pastime. Popular with both sides of the House of Commons bod without bitterness, at once affable and vaunting in his port, he could alternately conciliate or command as exigency required. With the advantages of official experience, he had also some of the main qualities requisite for power. LiKe more than one of his contemporaries, he had acquired from Dugald Stewarts teaching a certain largeness of thought, enabling him to look beyond precedents on the official file, and making him understand and sometimes sympathise with those bioad social impulses, wliich burst beyond tiaditionul routine. As fluent in the cant of diplomacy, ns if he had lisped it from liis cradle, he could as a debater sail noat the wind, without commuting hims< If to any tack, like one bred in the old Pittite school. His secretarial aptitude was undoubted, for he had been connected all his life wiili office, having served under Poitland, Perceval, Liverpool, Canning, and Wellington, all being Ministers of transitional Toryism. He had as much liveliness of fancy, as is requisite for decorating a parliamentary Larangue. He could sparkle with vivacity in a style that scintillated, but never flashed tvith the fire of genius, and was conversant with all the arts of compilation and selection necessary for parliamentary speaking. Then his fine presence, his buoyant animal spirits, with bis undoubted maolineM, txceUentlj su««

tnined him before a popular nssembly like the CommonsThe wear and tear of public life, the pangs of ambition, the toil of comjietitoiship, never sound him into moroseness, or pnrclied him into a mere thing of formuln, like a hardened hunter niter power. 1 hough bis thinking was nevpr original or profound, he could spice h s common-places with so much piquancy, and dre.ss up pniliamentary platitudes with so much sounding rhetoric, and then rattle off his concerted piece* with such swashing spirit, that he would deceive political novici'tinto the idea that he was a genius? Wanting n high mor.il purpose, he was only a desultory pa'riot, and w;.s tnoie calculated to attain present notoriety thin po^s thumous renown. On the whole, lip wai a man fitter to head a faction than rule a nation ; for though aided by opportunities and the providence of events, he might mike or break ministries, he was not of an order o! pirits that overwhelm and establish empires. If trou blosome — the policy of the Sovereign to such a man would besuggesteil by thp Pftllaiston family motto being rpad convetsely, as—" >Frangi nnnfleoli," for it is a testimony to the moral order of nature, that it is more eas.v to crush than to cajole, the statesman too enamoured ol — H imself ! Such a man always wants the sympathies of others to make him formidable in his fall." Many other character of note call for a place — Praed, Mackintosh, Lord Holland, the late Duke of Bedford are among them, but we must conclude; happily story there is none, or next to none, so we may well be excused for having left it to the reader of the book itself, content to have exhibited a few of the author's political daguerreotypes.