THE LATE EARL BEACONSFIELD K.G. |

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1373, 21 April 1881, Page 2

THE LATE EARL BEACONSFIELD K.G. |

In our cablegrams appears the announcement of the death of Lord Beaconsfield, a not altogether unexpected, though exceedingly lamentable piece of intelligence. Men of (he Times notices His Lordship as follows: — The Right Hon. Benjamin Disraeli, X G., eldest son of the late Isaac D'lsraeli, Esq., of Bradenbara, Bucks, the celebrated author of the " Curiosities of Literature," was born in London on December 21, 1804, and becamo an author while yet a minor. In 1825 he took the novel reading public by surprise with " Vivian Grey," followed at intervals by " The Young Duke," " Henrietta Temple," " Contarini Fleming," " Alroy," and other brilliant works of imagination. After extensive travels in the East, he returned to England in 1831, and contested the borough of Wycombe, being defeated by a small majority. In 1837 he was elected to the House of Commons for Maidstone, which constituency he exchanged in 1841 for Shrewsbury. In 1847 he was returned for the County of Buckingham, in which his estate of llughenden Manor wap situated, and which he has continued to represent to the present time. He adhered to Sir R. Peel's party until that Minister became a convert to the doctrines of free trade, and from that day allied himself closely with the Conservative party, of which he became the ackowledged leader in the House of Commons after the death of Lord George Bentinck. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer under Lord Derby's three administrations, and on the resignation of that nobleman in February, 1868, was appointed by the Queen Prime Minister of England, which office he resigned at the end of the year. On the Liberal Government being defeated on the Irish University Bill by a majority of 3 (March 12, 1873), Mr Gladstone tendered his resignation to Her Majesty, and the Queen having accepted it, sent for Mr Disraeli, who, however, declined to take office in the circumstances. Mr Gladstone accordingly reconstructed his Cabinet, and remained in office till the commencement of the following year, when most unexpectedly, after the Parliament had been summoned for the despatch of business, he rashly resolved on an appeal to the nation. The returns of the general election — the first which occurred under the system of ballot — were completed on February 27, 1874, and showed a total of 351 Conservatives and 302 Liberals, inclusive of the Home Rulers, whose allegiance to the Liberal cause was by no means to be relied on. Of course Mr Gladstone, without daring to meet Parliament, at once resigned, and Mr Disraeli succeeding him in the Premiership, formed his Cabinet early in March. Mr Disraeli was elevated to the peerage by the title of the Earl of Beaconsfield August 16, 1876. Together with the office of First Lord of the Treasury, he held that of Lord President of the Council fromAngusfc, 1876, till February, 1878. His policy, which was severely criticised at the time with regard to the Eastern Question resulted in the assembling of the Congress of Berlin, at which the Earl of Beaconsfield and the Marquis of Salisbury assisted as the plenipotentiaries of Great Britain. It is interesting to know that Lord Beaconsfield went to Berlin at the earnest solicitation of Lord Salisbury, who felt that the Prime Minister, " speaking as he alone was able to do, with the full mandate of the English people, would produce an effect on the negotiations and the action of the Powers such as no other man could have produced." The Congress held its final sitting on July 13, 1878, when the Treaty of Berlin was signed by all the plenipotentiaries. Lords Beaconsfield and Salisbury, on returning to London on the 16th, were met with a most enthusiastic reception at Charing Cross, and were enabled to announce that they had brought back "peace with honour." On July 22nd, Lord Beaconsfield was invested by the Queea with the Order of the Garter. A few months previously the same honour had been ofiered to him. but, with Her Majesty's permission, it was then declined, The policy of the Government which brought about the Treaty of Berlin, and the signing of the Anglo-Turkish Convention, and the occupation of Cyprus, led to much discussion in Parliament. The Marquis of Hartingdon moved in the House of Commons a resolution directed againt that policy, and after a debate of four nights the action of the Government was supported by the overwhelming majority of 143, there being 195 votes for the resolution, and 338 against it (August 2, 1378) . The day after this decisive political victory had been achieved, the Earl of Beaconfield and the Marquis of Salisbury were presented with the freedom of the city of London, and subsequently entertained at a grand banquet at the Mansion House. Lord Beaoonsfield is an honorary D.C.L. of Oxford and Edinburgh, a Privy Councillor, a Trustee of the British Museum, a Governor of Wellington College, an Elder Brother of the Trinity House, a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery, and a Deputy-Lieutenant for Bnoks ; and was a Royal Commissioner of the Great Exhibition of 1851. He was installed Lord Rector of the University of Glasgow, November i 9, 1873, and reelected to that office in November, 1874. Among his publications since his entrance on political life, are "Coningsby," "Sybil," " Tancred," works curiously compounded of politics and fiction : , " A Vindication of the English Constitution," "A Biography of Lord GL Bentinolc," and Lothair," a novel, 18701 An early poetical work entitled " A Revolutionary Epic," was republished in 1864. His last work, " Endymion," was published a few months ago. For it he received, it was said, £10,000 from his publishers. He married, in 1839, Mary Anne, only daughter of the late John Evans, Esq., of BrancefOrd Park, Devon, and widow of Wyndham Lewis, Esq., M.P. In acknowledgement of her husband's official services, Mrs. Disraeli was raised to the peerage of the United Kingdom, as Viscountess Beacoasfield, November 28, 1868. She died December 15, 1872, aged 83.