unreformed Parliament, 411. The King yields, 412. Brougham in the

zenith of his greatness, 412. His coming fall, 414. Elections for the first

Reformed Parliament, 414. Blunders of the Whigs, 415. Irish Coercion

Bill, 415. The Chancellor's legislative measures, 417. Altercation between

the Chancellor and the late Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, 417. Irish

Temporalities Bill, and Slavery Abolition Bill, 419. Brougham in the

judicial business of the House of Lords, 421. In the Court of Chancery,

421. Brougham's philosophical pursuits while Chancellor, 422.
His dispute

with Horne, the Attorney General, 424. Brougham's kindness to Sir John

Campbell when thrown out at Dudley, 426. How he wrote a speech for

the Solicitor General, 427. Secession of Stanley and three other Cabinet

Ministers, 429. Brougham on application of Church property, 429. Resigna-

tion of Lord Grey, 430. Brougham's refusal of the Premiership, 433. Lord

Melbourne Premier, 433. Brougham "Viceroy over him," 435. Fantastic

tricks of the Lord Chancellor, 436. The Chancellor at the Fish dinner, 438.

Poor-Law Bill and Central Criminal Court Bill, 439. Brougham's quarrel with

the 'Times,' 440. Sir John Campbell's eulogy on the Lord Chancellor.. in the

House of Commons, 444. Brougham at the prorogation, 446. His "Progress"

in Scotland, 446. The Grey Festival, 454. Brougham seeks to fortify his

position as Chancellor by making Pepys Master of the Rolls, 458. Dismissal of

the Whig Ministers, 458. Brougham's charge against Queen Adelaide, 458.

Brougham's manner of returning the Great Seal to the King, 460. His offer to

become Chief Baron of the Exchequer, 460.

CHAPTER VI.

""
THE HUNDRED DAYS TO THE FINAL RESIGNATION OF LORD MELBOURNE.

1834-1841.

On a dissolution of Parliament, majority returned for the Whigs, and Brougham's

exultation, 463. His speech against the new Government, 464. Lord Melbourne

restored. What was to be done with Brougham? 466. Brougham duped, and

the Great Seal put into Commission, 467. Brougham Lord Protector, 468.

Lyndhurst's factious opposition, 469. Brougham's multifarious labours in

Parliament, 470. His complaints of the abuse in the Press, 472. And in

the House of Commons, 472. His confident expectation of being restored to

office, 473. Resolution of the Cabinet to abandon Brougham, to make Pepys

Chancellor, and Bickersteth Master of the Rolls, 475. Opinion that Brougham

was ill-used by Melbourne and his old colleagues, 476. Effect on Brougham

of the ill-usage he suffered, 477. Bickersteth a failure, 477. Brougham's

recovery, 478. Lord Cottenham Chancellor, 479. Approaching death of

William IV., 480. Accession of Queen Victoria. Brougham's panegyric upon

his late royal master, 481. Melbourne continues Prime Minister, 482.

Brougham's ascendancy in the House of Lords, 483. He is violent against the

Government and the Court, 483. Query Whether he was given to glozing?

484. He co-operates with the Tories, pretending to be Radical, 488. Canada

Bill, 489. He denounces the Whigs as having become courtiers, 490. His labours

with his pen, 493. His 'Political Philosophy,' and the bankruptcy of the Useful

Knowledge Society, 493. The success of his 'Sketches of Statesmen,' 494. Minis-

terial crisis, 495. His delight at supposed fall of Melbourne, 495. Melbourne

restored, 496. Brougham on the Bedchamber ladies, 496. He complains of a

breach of privilege in being libelled, 497. His grand motion as Leader of the

Tory Opposition, 498. His victory is fruitless, 502. Brougham assists Lyndhurst

in the Review of the Session, 504. Report of his death, 505. Brougham

suspected of suicide, 509. Announcement of the Queen's marriage, 511.

Privilege question on right of Houses of Parliament to authorise publication of

criminatory matter, 512. Part taken by Brougham, 512. Dispute settled by a

bill establishing the disputed right, 514. Brougham's château in France, 514.

Session of 1841, 515. Vote of want of confidence carried against Government
in the House of Commons, 517. Dissolution of Parliament, 517. Return of
Conservative majority, 517. Brougham refuses to rejoin the Whigs, and to
"let bygones be bygones," 518. Brougham tramples on the dead body of
Melbourne, 518. Sir R. Peel Prime Minister, 519.

CHAPTER VII.

FROM THE RESIGNATION OF LORD MELBOURNE TO THE RESIGNATION OF

SIR ROBERT PEEL.-1841-1846.

Brougham, professing to be "in the front of the Opposition," is Advocate General

of the new Government, 520. Brougham's reception of Lord Campbell in the

House of Lords, 522. Brougham contented and happy, 522. Brougham on the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, 523. Creation of an Earl by

Brougham, 524. Brougham's locality in the House of Lords, 525. Brougham's

logomachies with Lord Campbell, 526. Brougham's consistency on the Income-

tax, 526. Brougham petted by the Tory peers, 527. Prosperity of Sir R.

Peel's Government, 528. Brougham trumpeter to the Tories, 529. Part taken

by Brougham on O'Connell's case, 530. Brougham's imputation against others

acting judicially, that they were actuated by party motives, 531. His valuable

assistance in carrying Lord Campbell's bills, 531. How a public man may be

written down, 531. Disruption of the Church of Scotland, 531. Brougham's

scheme of becoming President of the Judicial Committee, 532. Interview at

Boulogne between Brougham and his biographer, 536. Session of 1845, 537.

Brougham performs to empty boxes, 537. Brougham at the Court of Queen

Victoria, 538. Sudden turn of the Wheel of Fortune, 538. Brougham's unhap-

piness on the success of the 'Lives of the Chancellors,' 539. Brougham's denun-

ciation of the Corn Law League, 540. His speculations with respect to Peel's

remaining in office, 541. Factious coalition of Whigs and Protectionists against

the Government bill for the Administration of Charities, 541. The Corn-law

Abolition Bill in the House of Lords, 542. Brougham's eloge of Sir R. Peel,

542. Peel's approaching end, 543. Irish Coercion Bill, Peel's coup de grace,

544. Restoration of the Whigs, 545. Close of the Session of 1846, 545.

CHAPTER VIII.

1847-1852.

Dinner to the

Brougham a leader of Opposition, 546. Combined attack of Brougham and

Stanley on the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 546.

Heads of Factions at Stratheden House, 547. Brougham's failure in at-

tempting to imitate Lyndhurst in a review of the Session, 547. Brougham

remains through the autumn in England, 548. Intrigues in consequence of

the dangerous illness of the Lord Chancellor, 548. State of France, 550.

Brougham tries to become a naturalised French citizen and a Deputy to the

National Assembly, 550. Correspondence with the Minister of Justice, 552.

Citizen Brougham in the House of Lords, 554. Articles on Citizen Brougham

in the French and English newspapers, 555. Brougham supports the Whig

Government, 556. My visit to him at Brougham Hall, 557. Brougham

enlists with the Protectionists, 558. He resists the repeal of the Navigation

Laws, 558. Defeat of Brougham and the Protectionists, 560. Brougham

resolves to make me Chief Justice of England, 561. Brougham devotes himself

to science, 563. His lecture on light to the French Institute, 563. Brougham's

advice to me on my becoming a Judge, 564. Resignation of Lord Cottenham,

565. Brougham invests himself with the functions of Chancellor in the House of

Lords, 566. Brougham declines to lay down his functions on the appointment

of Lord Truro as Chancellor, 567. His judicial performances in the absence of

the Lord Chancellor, 568. Attacks upon him in the Press, 568. He complains

of breach of privilege for a libel upon him, 568. All his schemes for recovering

the Great Seal for ever ruined, 570. Papal aggression, 570. Brougham's

quarrel with Lord Truro, 571. Brougham gives up the great game of politics,

572. My visit to the Château Eleanor Louise, 573. Factious proceedings of

Lords Brougham and Lyndhurst, 573. Fall of Lord John Russell, 574. Regret

of Lord Brougham, 574. Brougham under Lord St. Leonards as Chancellor,

574. Overthrow of the Derbyites, 574. Brougham favours the coalition be-

tween the Whigs and Peelites, 575.

CHAPTER IX.

1852-APRIL, 1859.

Sketch of the years 1852 to 1856, 576. Brougham supports Lord Aberdeen, 577.

The appellate jurisdiction of the Lords, 578. Courts of reconciliation, 579. The

Criminal Code, 579. Meeting with Brougham in Paris, Oct., 1854, 580.

Conduct of the war, 581. Palmerston Prime Minister, 581. Brougham sup-

ports the new Government, 581. Attack upon the appellate jurisdiction of the

Lords, 582. Parke made a peer for life, 582. Brougham's able opposition to

life peerages, 583. Violent attacks on Brougham as an appellate judge, 583.

Farewell for the present of my 'Life of Lord Brougham,' 583. From 13th

April, 1856, to 13th April, 1859, 584.

3

CHAPTER I.

HIS EARLY LIFE. 1772-1804.

CHAP.
I.

MANY of my contemporaries have sunk into the tomb, but
Lord Lyndhurst, considerably my senior, survives, in the full
enjoyment of his intellectual powers.* He is a noble subject Lord Lynd-
for biography, from his brilliant talents-from the striking hurst as a
vicissitudes of his career-from the antagonistic qualities biography.
subject for
which he displayed-and from the quick alternation of warm
praise and severe censure which must, in fairness, be pro-
nounced upon his actions. Having known him familiarly
above half a century both in public and in private life, I ought
to be able to do him justice; and notwithstanding a hankering
kindness for him with all his faults, I think I can command
sufficient impartiality to save me in this Memoir from con-
founding the distinctions of right and wrong. All rivalry
between us has long ceased, and I am sure I can never be
induced to disparage or to blame him from resentment or

envy.

Half in jest, half in earnest, he has prayed that in writing his Life I would be merciful to him; and I have promised that if he would supply me with materials I would do my * This Memoir was begun in March, 1853.-Ed.

VOL. VIII.

B

CHAP.

I.

best for him as far as my conscience would allow. He has replied, "Materials you shall have none from me; I have already burnt every letter and paper which could be useful to my biographer, therefore he is at liberty to follow his own inclination."*

When I have proceeded a little way, Law Reports, Parliamentary Debates, and my own testimony, will furnish me with abundant materials for my narrative. But, in starting, I have only uncertain rumours as to the origin of Lord Lyndhurst and his infancy. I thought that Debrett's, Lodge's, or Burke's 'Peerage,' would at least have given me a pedigree, which I might have adopted; but instead of telling us how the first Copley, under the name of De Couplé, came in with the Conqueror, and tracing the Chancellor up to him, they do not even mention the Chancellor's father, for they all begin with his own birth on the 21st of May, 1772, as if he had then sprung from the earth, without even telling us what region of the world witnessed this wonderful vegetation. The account of himself which he sent to these genealogists seems to disclose a weakness, that he was very unreasonably ashamed of his family. Although not descended from De Veres, Bohuns, or Bigods, he might have been proud to be the son of an eminent artist, whose pencil had worthily commemorated some of the most striking events in English history: Charles I. ordering the arrest of the five Members in the House of Commons; the Siege of Gibraltar; the Victory of Wolfe, and the Death of Chatham. Lord Lyndhurst, when in the zenith of his power, was much hurt by a speech delivered at a public dinner by the Honourable James Stuart Wortley, now Recorder of London, himself of royal descent. In demonstrating the superior good qualities of the Tories over the rival party, he dwelt particularly on the alleged aristocratic exclusiveness of the Whigs, by which, when they were in power, Burke and Sheridan had been banished from the Cabinet; "whereas,"

*Lord Lyndhurst has since asked me, "How are you getting on with my Life?" and has offered to correct the proof sheets, adding, "I can surely judge better than any one of the accuracy of your statements.' This reminds me of a married lady, against whom a scandalous story had got abroad, and who said to a friend of mine, "You have my authority positively to contradict it; and surely I ought to know whether it be true or false."