Untitled

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 728, 6 April 1853, Page 4

Memoir of L'.rd Hardinge.—A member of a good Derbyshire family, Heiirv joined bis r mmem in Ca.na.ds*. 'iNh ( %oy of fibeeii. Some anecdotes illustrative oi (be r*a Ijr galtetjtryTti'e qui'.vne*s and generosity of bis nature at this < arly period of his career, are extant. it a bn** |-.c:iu;l"oi inactivity, awl young Hardinge returned to Englarijjt But the renew-al of hostilities found him aHachjJfSto me staii of the Q>m termasterGeneral. He served under Sir 13. Spenc.r in 1807— followed the f rfunes of Wellealey in tbe campaign of l»<)B—was present at Rolia, and wounded at Vimiera. Then we find him soon afterwar s rapidly earning despatches, in tbe tace of manv difficulties, to Sir John Moore—sharing with that chief tbe dangers of tbe retreat of Corunna, and not far from bis side when he fell; next with Sir Benjamin D'Urban, as Deputy Quartermaster-General of the Portuguese army: at the passage of tbe Upper Duoro: at the baitle of then in tlie campaign under Beresford, ever active, ever doing bis duty, ever proving the fine soldierly spirit which animated his slight frame, and spoke out from his clear quick eye. He was very young at this time, but be was an approved good soldier; and when, at the battle of Albuera, tbe fight was going against our overmatched troops —when one-half bad been mo wi down by the enemv, and the other half were reeling and staggering under the shock of the outnumbf ri ig foe, it was Henry Hardinge, then only twenty-five ye ra of age, who suggested the movement which turned the tide of victory in our favour. At I'.iudad Rodiigo, at Badajoz, at Vittoria, were he was severly wounded ; at Sebastian, at the passage of the Bidassoa, in tlie battle of the Nivelle and Nive, at Orthes, for which he received his ninth medal; everywhere «as young Har dinge, always at work, always doing good service, save when laid a-ide for a little space by the severity 01 bis wounds. With tbe peace came again a brief cessation from active duty; but, on the. escape of :\apoleon, and the renewal of tbe war, Wellington, who had watched his career, and knew bis worth, attached him to tbe bead-qiiaters of the Prussian army, in a political capacity, with tbe rank of Brigadier-General, and be became tbe companion of Marshal Blucber. It was at Ligny that be lost bis baud. We give the incident in the words of a contemporary writer, well acquainted with the subject of his memoir:—"At the sanguinary battle of Ligny, on the 16th June, Sir H. Hardinge again distinguished himself. Ahout 4 r.M. his left band was shattered by a common shot; but refusing to dismount or leave the field, be plaC d a tourniquet on bis arm, and sat out the battle ritirmg after nightfall with tbe Prussian army. At midnight, in a hut hy rushlight, attended hy a single servant, he bad bis hand amputated. Sir Henry bad previously despatched his br ther who was his aid-de-Camp, to report to the Duke the fate of the day, and to bring an English surgeon. At daylight the French beat up the bivouac; whet. Sir Henry determining not to fall into the tnenay's bands, though faint from loss of blood, accompanied the retreating Prussians. At Wavre. be joined the gal'ant Blucber, who, though still suffering from a fall, and from having been ridden over by a whole brigade of cavalry, got up, and kissing bis friend affectionately, begged be would excuse the garlic Cwitb which he was perfumed) and condoled with him on Ligny; hut characteristically at.de I, ''Never mind, my friend, if we outlive to-morrow, Wellington and 1 will lick the French." The battle of Waterloo was (ought and win, and then came peace indeed not a mere transient interval ol rest, a lull between two storms —but years ot peace counted not by units, but by tens, and the soldier became the staiesman. Sir Henry Hardinge, for be had received for bis services a Knight Companion* ship of the Bath, was still a very yout.g man—less than thirty. He had established a military re, uiatiou of the first class, and now be began to take part in politics. For twenty years be sate in the Hou-e of Commons as member for Durham and Launceston. During this time be held office under Conservative a Iministrations, twice as Sectetary-at-War, and tw ce as Secretary for Ireland, Once too, for a short period, be was Clerk of the Ordnance. All this official training was of great service to him, and he prov.d himself to be an admirable man of business, Tbe quickness and readiness of apprehension, the keen penetration, the intuitive sagacity, which had distinguished him in the field were distinguishable tie bureau, and ov< r a d above these qualities, there was an industry t»i d a perseverance seldom to be found in nun of such quick parts and vivacious temper. And so now in olhce, now out of office, now on the ministerial, now on the oj - position side, until the year 1814 dawned upon him, Sir Henry Hardinge held his own, respected hy the world,and dearly beloved by all who knew him, fi remo.-t among whom wtie Wellington and Peel. Then came the offer of the Governor-Generalship of India. Tbe selection was in all respects a happy one, ... It was generally known that when he accepted office under the Derby Administration as Master General of the Ordnance, he joined the ranks of tbe Protectionists, as then they were believed to be, with tbe understanding tl »t an unqualified adherence to their policy, especially on points connected with tbe commercial system of tbe country, was not to bp demanded from him. The arrangement was honourable alike to him who m do and them who accepted the condition. It was soon found how wise a choice Ministers had made. Loid Hardinge went to the Ordnance Office at a time when tbe aiming and equipment of our nat onal forces pressed lor sum.- speedy revision, that in this respect we might not altogether be distanced by our foreign neighbours ; and he soon made, tbe appointment a laborious one. The JMaster-Generulsbip of the Ordnance n Lis hands

was a Btrenuous reality. If anything bad before been needed to demonstrate Lord Hardinge's qualifications for a higher military post, it would have been supplied by the intelligence and activity displayed by him during bis tenure of office a. the bead of the Ordnance Board. He was indeed, doing so much good at the bead of that department, that we cannoi help regretting his removal from u. especially as the combination of the business of the Home Guard, wit.-, that of the Ordnance Office ha- been r. commend* d by the first military authorities, and there could not have arisen a better opportunity than the present of combining them under one compc tent chief.— Benlley's Miscellany. Distress at Madeira. - The following official cirhas b.en is-ued by the Civil Governor of Madeira, which speaks for itself, as to the nature, extent, and severity of the calamity which has befallen the population, and from which all classes wi 1 be involved in one common suffering :-Deeply lamenting «h- calamitous losses which this island has suffered by the entire destruction of its vintage, occasioned by the blight which has unfortunately annihilated its principle production. 1 th.uk it proper to call your attention to the dipterous effect which this loss wil have on the landholders, formers, and labou ing classes of this Island. Ihe landed proprietors and farmers have this year thus suffered most heavily trom the annihilation of their crops; and the labouring classes w.ll suffer equally with them by the entire secession of the labour which the prepe.ation and treatment of the wines hitherto required In consequence of this calamity these classes will be reduced to the greatest distress, and their subsistance became almost imposib e if no extraneous succours be provided for their relief. I feel entire confidence in the solicitude of Her Most Faithful Majesty's Government to relieve as much as in their power the *nffenng population of this inland; bur the distress ia go great, and presses so heavily on every class, that it will find it impossible to extend commesurate relief, particularly as the exiraordmary defalcation in the revenue hiherto derived from ibis island will tend still further to embanas the air. ady attenuated circumstances of general treasury. Under the circumst nces I have thought it my duty to call ihe benevolent attention of the principal 'mercantile establishments of Funchal to the distressing crisis now inpending over so large a portion of the unf'otruniite inhabitants ofths island, in order that they being in constant communication with the wealthy cities of Europe and America, may make known abroad the present distressed situation of the country, and solicit the liberallity of their correspondents ane connexions in behalf of its unfortunate population, now threatened with all the horrors of starvation. 1 abstain from making a more direct application ; but I am convinced that those whom I now address, who have now at all times slo-vn the greatest so'icitude in all that tends to the general welfare of the island, wdl now do all in their power tocontribute to the relief of a community suffering uuder so severe a dispensation." Diatiiof the Karl of Shrewsbury.—The above d stin;;uish(l noble nan expired on the 9th instant, at Naples after a short illness. The noble Earl has been sojou n gon the Continent durit.g ihe last two years, and was recently at Palermo. About the 3rd instant he was suddenly seizi-d with sffeciion of ihe prain, cased by exposure to the intense beat of the place, an i nis runoval to Rnme was advisdd by his medical attendants. Aite. resting for a day bis Lordship and suit" set out for that city ami reached Naples, where he was suddenly take ill of fever aud soon after expired. At Binning ham, on Thursday evening, a solemn dirge, at which the Ri.ht Rev. Dr. Ullathorne officiated, »»s sung foi the repose of the soul of the deceased nobleman. Lord Shrewsbury, who was well known as a i rominent Roman Catholic, of the Ultramontann school, was in his sixty-third year, and in default of male i-sue. is succeeded in bis titles by his cousin, Bertram Arthur son of the late Lieut-Colonel T-dhot, by Julia, daughter of t*ir Henry Ticubooe, Bart. This joung gentleman i> HOW, therefore, Earl o-f Shrewsbury, Watedord T and vV ex ford, rtW*S3ti ary Lord •*f<£«rartht)f tbe Huusqfcold for Ireland - 6/t/t*. ■■*