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The Prime Ministers of Queen Victoria
Edited by Stuart J. Reid
LORD JOHN RUSSELL
[Illustration: _Reproduced by permission from an unpublished picture by
G. F. Watts, R. A. in the possession of the Dowager Countess Russell at
Pembroke Lodge, Richmond_
_Photogravure by Annan & Swan._]
The Queen's Prime Ministers
A Series of Political Biographies.
Edited by Stuart J. Reid
Author of 'The Life and Times of Sydney Smith.'
_The volumes contain Photogravure Portraits, also copies of
Autographs._
I.
THE EARL OF BEACONSFIELD, K.G. By J. A. FROUDE, D.C.L. (Seventh
Edition.)
II.
VISCOUNT MELBOURNE. By HENRY DUNCKLEY, LL.D. ('Verax.')
III.
SIR ROBERT PEEL. By JUSTIN MCCARTHY, M.P.
IV.
THE RIGHT HON. W. E. GLADSTONE, M.P. By G. W. E. RUSSELL. (Twelfth
Thousand.)
V.
THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY. By H. D. TRAILL, D.C.L. (Second Edition.)
VI.
VISCOUNT PALMERSTON. By the MARQUIS OF LORNE. (Second Edition.)
VII.
THE EARL OF DERBY. By GEORGE SAINTSBURY.
VIII.
THE EARL OF ABERDEEN. By LORD STANMORE.
IX.
LORD JOHN RUSSELL. By STUART J. REID.
* *
* A Limited Library Edition of TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY COPIES, each
numbered, printed on hand-made paper, parchment binding, gilt top,
with facsimile reproductions, in some cases of characteristic notes of
Speeches and Letters, which are not included in the ordinary edition,
and some additional Portraits. Price for the Complete Set of Nine
Volumes, Four Guineas net. No Volumes of this Edition sold
separately.
* * * * *
London:
Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Limited,
St. Dunstan's House, Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, E.C.
LORD JOHN RUSSELL
by
STUART J. REID
I have looked to the happiness of my countrymen as the object to
which my efforts ought to be directed
_Recollections and Suggestions_
London
Sampson Low, Marston & Company
_Limited_
St. Dunstan's House
Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, E.C.
1895
[All rights reserved]
TO THE
LADY MARY AGATHA RUSSELL
THIS RECORD
OF
HER FATHER'S CAREER
IS
WITH TRUE REGARD
DEDICATED
PREFACE
THIS monograph could not have been written--in the intimate sense--if
the Dowager Countess Russell had not extended a confidence which, I
trust, has in no direction been abused. Lady Russell has not only
granted me access to her journal and papers as well as the early
note-books of her husband, but in many conversations has added the
advantage of her own reminiscences.
I am also indebted in greater or less degree to Mrs. Warburton, Lady
Georgiana Peel, Lady Agatha Russell, the Hon. Rollo Russell, Mr. G. W.
E. Russell, and the Hon. George Elliot. Mr. Elliot's knowledge, as
brother-in-law, and for many years as private secretary, touches both
the personal and official aspects of Lord John's career, and it has been
freely placed at my disposal. Outside the circle of Lord John's
relatives I have received hints from the Hon. Charles Gore and Sir
Villiers Lister, both of whom, at one period or another in his public
life, also served him in the capacity of secretary.
I have received some details of Lord John's official life from one who
served under him in a more public capacity--not, however, I hasten to
add, as Chancellor of the Exchequer--but I am scarcely at liberty in
this instance to mention my authority.
My thanks are due, in an emphatic sense, to my friend Mr. Spencer
Walpole, who, with a generosity rare at all times, has not only allowed
me to avail myself of facts contained in his authoritative biography of
Lord John Russell, but has also glanced at the proof sheets of these
pages, and has given me, in frank comment, the benefit of his own
singularly wide and accurate knowledge of the historical and political
annals of the reign. It is only right to add that Mr. Walpole is not in
any sense responsible for the opinions expressed in a book which is only
partially based on his own, is not always in agreement with his
conclusions, and which follows independent lines.
The letter which the Queen wrote to the Countess Russell immediately
after the death of one of her 'first and most distinguished Ministers'
is now printed with her Majesty's permission.
The late Earl of Selborne and Mr. Lecky were sufficiently interested in
my task to place on record for the volume some personal and political
reminiscences which speak for themselves, and do so with authority.
I am also under obligations of various kinds to the Marquis of Dufferin
and Ava, the Earl of Durham, Lord Stanmore, Dr. Anderson of Richmond,
and the Rev. James Andrews of Woburn. I desire also to acknowledge the
courtesy of Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Andrew Lang, Mr. James Knowles, Mr. Percy
Bunting, Mr. Edwin Hodder, Messrs. Longmans, and the proprietors of
'Punch,' for liberty to quote from published books and journals.
In Montaigne's words, 'The tales I borrow, I charge upon the consciences
of those from whom I have them.' I have gathered cues from all quarters,
but in almost every case my indebtedness stands recorded on the passing
page.
The portrait which forms the frontispiece is for the first time
reproduced, with the sanction of the Countess Russell and Mr. G. F.
Watts, from an original crayon drawing which hangs on the walls at
Pembroke Lodge.
It may be as well to anticipate an obvious criticism by stating that the
earlier title of the subject of this memoir is retained, not only in
deference to the strongly expressed wish of the family at Pembroke
Lodge, but also because it suggests nearly half a century spent in the
House of Commons in pursuit of liberty. In the closing days of Earl
Russell's life his eye was accustomed to brighten, and his manner to
relax, when some new acquaintance, in the eagerness of conversation,
took the liberty of familiar friendship by addressing the old statesman
as 'Lord John.'
STUART J. REID.
CHISLEHURST: _June 4, 1895_.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
EARLY YEARS, EDUCATION, AND TRAVEL
1792-1813
PAGE
Rise of the Russells under the Tudors--Childhood and early
surroundings of Lord John--Schooldays at Westminster--First
journey abroad with Lord Holland--Wellington and the Peninsular
campaign--Student days in Edinburgh and speeches at the
Speculative Society--Early leanings in politics and
literature--Enters the House of Commons as member for Tavistock 1
CHAPTER II
IN PARLIAMENT AND FOR THE PEOPLE
1813-1826
The political outlook when Lord John entered the House of
Commons--The 'Condition of England' question--The struggle for
Parliamentary Reform--Side-lights on Napoleon Bonaparte--The
Liverpool Administration in a panic--Lord John comes to the aid
of Sir Francis Burdett--Foreign travel--First motion in favour
of Reform--Making headway 21
CHAPTER III
WINNING HIS SPURS
1826-1830
Defeated and out of harness--Journey to Italy--Back in
Parliament--Canning's accession to power--Bribery and
corruption--The repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts--The
struggle between the Court and the Cabinet over Catholic
Emancipation--Defeat of Wellington at the polls--Lord John
appointed Paymaster-General 47
CHAPTER IV
A FIGHT FOR LIBERTY
1830-1832
Lord Grey and the cause of Reform--Lord Durham's share in
the Reform Bill--The voice of the people--Lord John introduces
the bill and explains its provisions--The surprise of the
Tories--Reform, 'Aye' or 'No'--Lord John in the Cabinet--The
bill thrown out--The indignation of the country--Proposed
creation of Peers--Wellington and Sidmouth in despair--The
bill carried--Lord John's tribute to Althorp 63
CHAPTER V
THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA
1833-1838
The turn of the tide with the Whigs--The two voices in the
Cabinet--Lord John and Ireland--Althorp and the Poor Law--The
Melbourne Administration on the rocks--Peel in power--The
question of Irish tithes--Marriage of Lord John--Grievances
of Nonconformists--Lord Melbourne's influence over the
Queen--Lord Durham's mission to Canada--Personal sorrow 88
CHAPTER VI
THE TWO FRONT BENCHES
1840-1845
Lord John's position in the Cabinet and in the Commons--His
services to Education--Joseph Lancaster--Lord John's
Colonial Policy--Mr. Gladstone's opinion--Lord Stanmore's
recollections--The mistakes of the Melbourne Cabinet--The Duke
of Wellington's opinion of Lord John--The agitation against the
Corn Laws--Lord John's view of Sir Robert Peel--The Edinburgh
letter--Peel's dilemma--Lord John's comment on the situation 113
CHAPTER VII
FACTION AND FAMINE
1846-1847
Peel and Free Trade--Disraeli and Lord George Bentinck
lead the attack--Russell to the rescue--Fall of Peel--Lord
John summoned to power--Lord John's position in the
Commons and in the country--The Condition of Ireland
question--Famine and its deadly work--The Russell Government
and measures of relief--Crime and coercion--The Whigs
and Education--Factory Bill--The case of Dr. Hampden 136
CHAPTER VIII
IN ROUGH WATERS
1848-1852
The People's Charter--Feargus O'Connor and the crowd--Lord
Palmerston strikes from his own bat--Lord John's view of the
political situation--Death of Peel--Palmerston and the
Court--'No Popery'--The Durham Letter--The invasion scare--Lord
John's remark about Palmerston--Fall of the Russell
Administration 163
CHAPTER IX
COALITION BUT NOT UNION
1852-1853
The Aberdeen Ministry--Warring elements--Mr. Gladstone's
position--Lord John at the Foreign Office and Leader of the
House--Lady Russell's criticisms of Lord Macaulay's
statement--A small cloud in the East--Lord Shaftesbury has
his doubts 199
CHAPTER X
DOWNING STREET AND CONSTANTINOPLE
1853
Causes of the Crimean War--Nicholas seizes his opportunity--The
Secret Memorandum--Napoleon and the susceptibilities of the
Vatican--Lord Stratford de Redcliffe and the Porte--Prince
Menschikoff shows his hand--Lord Aberdeen hopes against
hope--Lord Palmerston's opinion of the crisis--The Vienna
Note--Lord John grows restive--Sinope arouses England--The
deadlock in the Cabinet 213
CHAPTER XI
WAR HINDERS REFORM
1854-1855
A Scheme of Reform--Palmerston's attitude--Lord John sore
let and hindered--Lord Stratford's diplomatic triumph--The
Duke of Newcastle and the War Office--The dash for
Sebastopol--Procrastination and its deadly work--The
Alma--Inkerman--The Duke's blunder--Famine and frost in the
trenches 236
CHAPTER XII
THE VIENNA DIFFICULTY
1855
Blunders at home and abroad--Roebuck's motion--'General
Fevrier' turns traitor--France and the Crimea--Lord John at
Vienna--The pride of the nation is touched--Napoleon's visit
to Windsor--Lord John's retirement--The fall of Sebastopol--The
treaty of Paris 254
CHAPTER XIII
LITERATURE AND EDUCATION
Lord John's position in 1855--His constituency in the
City--Survey of his work in literature--As man of letters--His
historical writings--Hero-worship of Fox--Friendship with
Moore--Writes the biography of the poet--'Don Carlos'--A
book wrongly attributed to him--Publishes his 'Recollections
and Suggestions'--An opinion of Kinglake's--Lord John on
his own career--Lord John and National Schools--Joseph
Lancaster's tentative efforts--The formation of the Council of
Education--Prejudice blocks the way--Mr. Forster's tribute 270
CHAPTER XIV
COMING BACK TO POWER
1857-1861
Lord John as an Independent Member--His chance in the
City--The Indian Mutiny--Orsini's attempt on the life of
Napoleon--The Conspiracy Bill--Lord John and the Jewish
Relief Act--Palmerston in power--Lord John at the Foreign
Office--Cobden and Bright--Quits the Commons with a
Peerage 286
CHAPTER XV
UNITED ITALY AND THE DIS-UNITED STATES
1861-1865
Lord John at the Foreign Office--Austria and Italy--Victor
Emmanuel and Mazzini--Cavour and Napoleon III.--Lord
John's energetic protest--His sympathy with Garibaldi and
the struggle for freedom--The gratitude of the Italians--Death
of the Prince Consort--The 'Trent' affair--Lord John's
remonstrance--The 'Alabama' difficulty--Lord Selborne's
statement--The Cotton Famine 299
CHAPTER XVI
SECOND PREMIERSHIP
1865-1866
The Polish Revolt--Bismarck's bid for power--The
Schleswig-Holstein difficulty--Death of Lord Palmerston--The
Queen summons Lord John--The second Russell Administration--Lord
John's tribute to Palmerston--Mr. Gladstone introduces
Reform--The 'Cave of Adullam'--Defeat of the Russell
Government--The people accept Lowe's challenge--The
feeling in the country 320
CHAPTER XVII
OUT OF HARNESS
1867-1874
Speeches in the House of Lords--Leisured years--Mr. Lecky's
reminiscences--The question of the Irish Church--The
Independence of Belgium--Lord John on the claims of the
Vatican--Letters to Mr. Chichester Fortescue--His scheme
for the better government of Ireland--Lord Selborne's estimate
of Lord John's public career--Frank admissions--As his
private secretaries saw him 334
CHAPTER XVIII
PEMBROKE LODGE
1847-1878
Looking back--Society at Pembroke Lodge--Home life--The house
and its memories--Charles Dickens's speech at Liverpool--Literary
friendships--Lady Russell's description of her husband--A packet
of letters--His children's recollections--A glimpse of
Carlyle--A witty impromptu--Closing days--Mr. and Mrs.
Gladstone--The jubilee of the Repeal of the Test and Corporation
Acts--'Punch' on the 'Golden Wedding'--Death--The Queen's
letter--Lord Shaftesbury's estimate of Lord John's career--His
great qualities 349
INDEX 371
LORD JOHN RUSSELL
CHAPTER I
EARLY YEARS, EDUCATION, AND TRAVEL
1792-1813
Rise of the Russells under the Tudors--Childhood and early
surroundings of Lord John--Schooldays at Westminster--First journey
abroad with Lord Holland--Wellington and the Peninsular
campaign--Student days in Edinburgh and speeches at the Speculative
Society--Early leanings in Politics and Literature--Enters the
House of Commons as member for Tavistock.
GOVERNMENT by great families was once a reality in England, and when
Lord John Russell's long career began the old tradition had not yet lost
its ascendency. The ranks of privilege can at least claim to have given
at more than one great crisis in the national annals leaders to the
cause of progress. It is not necessary in this connection to seek
examples outside the House of Bedford, since the name of Lord William
Russell in the seventeenth century and that of Lord John in the
nineteenth stand foremost amongst the champions of civil and religious
liberty. Hugh du Rozel, according to the Battle Roll, crossed from
Normandy in the train of the Conqueror. In the reign of Henry III. the
first John Russell of note was a small landed proprietor in Dorset, and
held the post of Constable of Corfe Castle. William Russell, in the year
of Edward II.'s accession, was returned to Parliament, and his lineal
descendant, Sir John Russell, was Speaker of the House of Commons in the
days of Henry VI. The real founder, however, of the fortunes of the
family was the third John Russell who is known to history. He was the
son of the Speaker, and came to honour and affluence by a happy chance.
Stress of weather drove Philip, Archduke of Austria and, in right of his
wife, King of Castile, during a voyage from Flanders to Spain in the
year 1506, to take refuge at Weymouth. Sir Thomas Trenchard, Sheriff of
Dorset, entertained the unexpected guest, but he knew no Spanish, and
Philip of Castile knew no English. In this emergency Sir Thomas sent in
hot haste for his cousin, Squire Russell, of Barwick, who had travelled
abroad and was able to talk Spanish fluently. The Archduke, greatly
pleased with the sense and sensibility of his interpreter, insisted that
John Russell must accompany him to the English Court, and Henry VII., no
mean judge of men, was in turn impressed with his ability. The result
was that, after many important services to the Crown, John Russell
became first Earl of Bedford, and, under grants from Henry VIII. and
Edward VI., the rich monastic lands of Tavistock and Woburn passed into
his possession. The part which the Russells as a family have played in
history of course lies outside the province of this volume, which is
exclusively concerned with the character and career in recent times of
one of the most distinguished statesmen of the present century.
Lord John Russell was born on August 18, 1792, at Hertford Street,
Mayfair. His father, who was second son of Lord Tavistock, and grandson
of the fourth Duke of Bedford, succeeded his brother Francis, as sixth
Duke, in 1802, at the age of thirty-six, when his youngest and most
famous son was ten years old. Long before his accession to the title,
which was, indeed, quite unexpected, the sixth Duke had married the Hon.
Georgiana Byng, daughter of Viscount Torrington, and the statesman with
whose career these pages are concerned was the third son of this union.
He spent his early childhood at Stratton Park, Hampshire. When he was a
child of eight, Stratton Park was sold by the Duke of Bedford, and
Oakley House, which he never liked so well, became the residence of his
father. Although a shy, delicate child, he was sent in the spring of
1800, when only eight, to a private school at Sunbury--only a mile or
two away from Richmond, where nearly eighty years later he died. In the
autumn of 1801 he lost his mother, to whom he was deeply attached, and
almost before the bewildered child had time to realise his loss, his
uncle Francis also died, and his father, in consequence, became Duke of
Bedford.
[Sidenote: SCHOOLDAYS AT WESTMINSTER]
From Sunbury the motherless boy was sent with his elder brother to
Westminster, in 1803, and the same year the Duke married Lady Georgiana
Gordon, a daughter of the fourth Duke of Gordon, and her kindness to her
stepchildren was marked and constant. Westminster School at the
beginning of the century was an ill-disciplined place, in which fighting
and fagging prevailed, and its rough and boisterous life taxed to the
utmost the mettle of the plucky little fellow. He seems to have made no
complaint, but to have taken his full share in the rough-and-tumble
sports of his comrades in a school which has given many distinguished
men to the literature and public life of England: as, for instance, the
younger Vane--whom Milton extolled--Ben Jonson and Dryden, Prior and
Locke, Cowper and Southey, Gibbon and Warren Hastings.
He learnt Latin at Westminster, and was kept to the work of translation,
but he used to declare somewhat ruefully in after-days that he had as a
schoolboy to devote the half-holidays to learning arithmetic and
writing, and these homely arts were taught him by a pedagogue who seems
to have kept a private school in Great Dean's Yard. Many years later
Earl Russell dictated to the Countess some reminiscences of his early
days, and since Lady Russell has granted access to them, the following
passages transcribed from her own manuscript will be read with
interest:--'My education, for various reasons, was not a very regular
one. It began, indeed, in the usual English way by my going to a very
bad private school at Sunbury, and my being transferred to a public
school at Westminster at ten or eleven. But I never entered the upper
school. The hard life of a fag--for in those days it was a hard
life--and the unwholesome food disagreed with me so much that my
stepmother, the Duchess of Bedford, insisted that I should be taken away
and sent to a private tutor.' At Westminster School physical hardihood
was always encouraged. 'If two boys were engaged to fight during the
time of school, those boys who wanted to see the fight had to leave
school for the purpose.' At this early period a passion for the theatre
possessed him, drawing him to Drury Lane or Covent Garden whenever an
opportunity occurred; and this kind of relaxation retained a
considerable hold upon him throughout the greater portion of his life.
Even as a child he was a bit of a philosopher. In the journal which he
began to keep in the year he went to Westminster School is the
following entry:--'October 28, 1803.--Very great mist in the morning,
but afternoon very fine. There was a grand review to-day by the King in
Hyde Park of the Volunteers. I did not go, as there was such a quantity
of people that I should have seen nothing, and should have been knocked
down.' Most of the entries in the boy's journal are pithy statements of
matter of fact, as, for instance:--'Westminster, Monday, October 10.--I
was flogged to-day for the first time.' A few days later the young
diarist places on record what he calls some of the rules of the school.
He states that lessons began every morning at eight, and that usually
work was continued till noon, with an interval at nine for breakfast.
Lessons were resumed at two on ordinary days, and finished for the day
at five. 'All the fellows have verses on Thursdays and Saturdays. We go
on Sundays to church in the morning in Henry VII.'s Chapel, and in the
evening have prayers in the school.'
[Sidenote: DR. CARTWRIGHT AND WOBURN]
His 'broken and disturbed' education was next resumed at Woburn Abbey
under Dr. Cartwright; the Duke's domestic chaplain, and brother to Major
Cartwright, the well-known political reformer. The chaplain at Woburn
was a many-sided man. He was not only a scholar and a poet, but also
possessed distinct mechanical skill, and afterwards won fame as the
inventor of the power-loom. He was quick-witted and accomplished, and it
was a happy circumstance that the high-spirited, impressionable lad, who
by this time was full of dreams of literary distinction, came under his
influence. 'I acquired from Dr. Cartwright,' declared Lord John, 'a
taste for Latin poetry which has never left me.' Not merely at work but
at play, his new friend came to his rescue. 'He invented the model of a
boat which was moved by clockwork and acted upon the water by a paddle
underneath. He gave me the model, and I used to make it go across the
ponds in the park.' Meanwhile literature was not forgotten, and before
long the boy's juvenile effusions filled a manuscript book, which with
an amusing flourish of trumpets was dedicated to 'the Right Hon. William
Pitt, Chancellor of the Exchequer.' A couple of sentences will reveal
its character, and the dawning humour of the youthful scribe:--'This
little volume, being graced with your name, will prosper; without it my
labour would be all in vain. May you remain at the Helm of State long
enough to bestow a pension on your very humble and obedient servant,
John Russell.'
Between the years 1805 and 1808 Lord John pursued his education under a
country parson in Kent. He was placed under the care of Mr. Smith, Vicar
of Woodnesborough, near Sandwich, an ardent Whig, who taught a select
number of pupils, amongst whom were several cadets of the aristocracy;
and to this seminary Lord John now followed his brothers, Lord Tavistock
and Lord William Russell. Amongst his schoolfellows at Woodnesborough
was the Lord Hartington of that generation, Lord Clare, Lord William
Fitzgerald, and a future Duke of Leinster. The vicar in question, worthy
Mr. Smith, was nicknamed 'Dean Smigo' by his pupils, but Lord John,
looking back in after-years, declared that he was an excellent man, well
acquainted with classical authors, both Greek and Latin, though 'without
any remarkable qualities either of character or understanding.' He
evidently won popularity amongst the boys by joining in their indoor
amusements and granting frequent holidays, particularly on occasions
when the Whig cause was triumphant in the locality or in Parliament.
[Sidenote: SMALL GAME]
Rambles inland and on the seashore, pony riding, shooting small birds,
cricket, and other sports, as well as winter evening games, filled up
the ample leisure from the duties of the schoolroom. One or two extracts
from his journal are sufficient to show that, although still weakly, he
was not lacking in boyish vivacity and in a healthy desire to emulate
his elders. When Grenville and Fox joined their forces and so brought
about the Ministry of 'All the Talents' the lads obtained a holiday--a
fact which is thus recorded in sprawling schoolboy hand by Lord John in
his diary. 'Saturday, February 8, 1806.--... We did no business on Mr.
Fox's coming into the Ministry. I shot a couple of larks beyond
Southerden.... I went out shooting for the first time with Mr. Smith's
gun. I got eight shots at little birds and killed four of them.' On
November 5 in the same year we find him writing:--'Eliza's [Miss
Smith's] birthday. No business. I went out shooting, but only killed
some little birds. I used to shoot much better than I do at present.
Always miss now; have not killed a partridge yet.' Poor boy! But he
lived to kill two deer and a wild boar. 'Similarity of age led me,'
states Lord John, in one of his unpublished notes, 'to form a more
intimate friendship with Clare than with any of the others, and our
mutual liking grew into a strong attachment on both sides. I only remark
this fact as Lord Byron, who had been a friend of Clare's at Harrow,
appears to have shown some boyish jealousy when the latter expressed his
sorrow at my departure for Spain.'
Now and then he turned his gift for composing verses in the direction of
a satire on some political celebrity. He also wrote and spoke the
prologue at private dramatic performances at Woburn during the holiday
season, and took the part of 'Lucy' in 'The Rivals.' A little later, in
the brief period of his father's viceroyalty, he wrote another prologue,
and on this occasion amused an Irish audience by his assumption of the
part of an old woman.
The political atmosphere of Woburn and Woodnesborough as well as his
father's official position, led the boy of fourteen to take a keen
interest in public affairs. His satirical verses on Melville, Pitt,
Hawkesbury, and others, together with many passages in his journal,
showed that his attention was frequently diverted from grammar and
lexicon, field sports and footlights, to politics and Parliament, and
the struggle amongst statesmen for place and power. Although little is
known of the actual incidents of Lord John's boyhood, such straws at
least show the direction in which the current of his life was setting.
Whilst Lord John was the guest of Mr. Fox at Stable Yard, the subject of
Lord Melville's acquittal by the Peers came up for discussion. Next day
the shrewd young critic wrote the following characteristic remark in his
journal: 'What a pity that he who steals a penny loaf should be hung,
whilst he who steals thousands of the public money should be acquitted!'
The brilliant qualities of Fox made a great impression on the lad, and
there can be little doubt that his intercourse with the great statesman,
slight and passing though it was, did much to awaken political ambition.
He also crossed the path of other men of light and leading in the
political world, and in this way, boy though he was, he grew familiar
with the strife of parties and the great questions of the hour. Holland
House opened its hospitable gates to him, and there he met a young
clergyman of an unconventional type--the Rev. Sydney Smith--with whom he
struck up a friendship that was destined to endure. The young schoolboy
has left it on record in that inevitable 'journal' that he found his odd
clerical acquaintance 'very amusing.'
[Sidenote: WITH LORD HOLLAND IN SPAIN]
In the summer of 1807 we learn from his journal that he passed three
months with his father and stepmother at the English lakes and in the
West of Scotland. With boyish glee he recounts the incidents of the
journey, and his delight in visiting Inverary, Edinburgh, and Melrose.
Yet it was his rambles and talks with Sir Walter Scott, whom he
afterwards described as one of the wonders of the age, that left the
most abiding impression upon him. On his way back to Woodnesborough he
paid his first visit to the House of Lords, and heard a debate on the
Copenhagen expedition, an affair in which, he considered, 'Ministers cut
a most despicable figure.' On quitting school life at Woodnesborough, an
experience was in store for him which enlarged his mental horizon, and
drew out his sympathies for the weak and oppressed. Lord and Lady
Holland had taken a fancy to the lad, and the Duke of Bedford consented
to their proposal that he should accompany them on their visit to the
Peninsula, then the scene of hostilities between the French and the
allied armies of England and Spain. The account of this journey is best
told in Lord John's own words:--
'In the autumn of 1808, when only sixteen years of age, I accompanied
Lord and Lady Holland to Corunna, and afterwards to Lisbon, Seville, and
Cadiz, returning by Lisbon to England in the summer of 1809. They were
eager for the success of the Spanish cause, and I joined to sympathy for
Spain a boyish hatred of Napoleon, who had treacherously obtained
possession of an independent country by force and fraud--force of
immense armies, fraud of the lowest kind.' There is in existence at
Pembroke Lodge a small parchment-bound volume marked 'Diary, 1808,'
which records in his own handwriting Lord John's first impressions of
foreign travel. The notes are brief, but they show that the writer even
then was keenly alive to the picturesque. The journal ends somewhat
abruptly, and Lord John confesses in so many words that he gave up this
journal in despair, a statement which is followed by the assertion that
the record at least possesses the 'merit of brevity.'
Spain was in such a disturbed condition that the tour was full of
excitement. War and rumours of war filled the air, and sudden changes of
route were often necessary in order to avoid perilous encounters with
the French. The travellers were sometimes accompanied by a military
escort, but were more frequently left to their devices, and evil tidings
of disaster to the Allies--often groundless, but not less alarming--kept
the whole party on the alert, and proved, naturally, very exciting to
the lad, who under such strange and dramatic circumstances gained his
first experience of life abroad. Lord John had, however, taken with him
his Virgil, Tacitus, and Cicero, and now and then, forgetful of the
turmoil around him, he improved his acquaintance with the classics. He
also studied the Spanish language, with the result that he acquired an
excellent conversational knowledge of it. The lad had opinions and the
courage of them, and when he saw the cause of the Spanish beginning to
fail he was exasperated by the apathy of the Whigs at home, and
accordingly, with the audacity of youth, wrote to his father:--
'I take the liberty of informing you and your Opposition friends that
the French have not conquered the whole of Spain.... Lord Grey's speech
appears to me either a mere attempt to plague Ministers for a few hours
or a declaration against the principle of the people's right to depose
an infamous despot.... It seems to be the object of the Opposition to
prove that Spain is conquered, and that the Spaniards like being robbed
and murdered.' It seems, therefore, that Lord John, even in his teens,
was inclined to be dogmatic and oracular, but the soundness of his
judgment, in this particular instance at least, is not less remarkable
than his sturdy mental independence. Like his friend Sydney Smith, he
was already becoming a lover of justice and of sympathy towards the
oppressed.
[Sidenote: THE QUESTION OF A UNIVERSITY]
In the summer of 1809, after a short journey to Cadiz, Lord Holland and
his party crossed the plains of Estremadura on mules to Lisbon and
embarked for England, though not without an unexpected delay caused by a
slight attack of fever on the part of Lord John. On the voyage back Lord
Holland and his secretary, Mr. Allen, pointed out to him the advantages
of going to Edinburgh for the next winter, and in a letter to his
father, dated Spithead, August 10, 1809, he adds: 'They say that I am
yet too young to go to an English university; that I should learn more
there [Edinburgh] in the meantime than I should anywhere else.'
He goes on to state that he is convinced by their arguments, in spite of
the fact that he had previously expressed 'so much dislike to an
academical career in Edinburgh.' The truth is, Lord John wished to
follow his elder brother, Lord Tavistock, to Cambridge; but the Duke
would not hear of the idea, and bluntly declared that nothing at that
time was to be learnt at the English universities.
On his return to England it was decided to send Lord John to continue
his studies at Edinburgh University. The Northern Athens at that time
was full of keen and varied intellectual life, and the young student
could scarcely have set foot in it at a more auspicious moment. Other
cadets of the English aristocracy, such as Lord Webb Seymour and Lord
Henry Petty, were attracted at this period to the Northern university,
partly by the restrictive statutes of Oxford and Cambridge, but still
more by the genius and learning of men like Dugald Stewart and John
Playfair.
The Duke of Bedford placed his son under the roof of the latter, who at
that time held the chair of mathematics in the university, with the
request that he would take a general oversight of his studies. Professor
Playfair was a teacher who quickened to a remarkable extent the powers
of his pupils, and at the same time by his own estimable qualities won
their affection. Looking back in after-years, Lord John declared that
'Professor Playfair was one of the most delightful of men and very
zealous lover of liberty.' He adds that the simplicity of the
distinguished mathematician, as well as the elevation of his sentiments,
was remarkable.
It is interesting to learn from Professor Playfair's own statement that
he was quickly impressed with the ability of Lord John. Ambition was
stirring in the breast of the young Whig, and though he could be idle
enough at times, he seems on the whole to have lent his mind with
increasing earnestness to the tasks of the hour. He also attended the
classes of Professor Dugald Stewart during the three years he spent in
the grey metropolis of the North, and the influence of that remarkable
man was not merely stimulating at the time, but materially helped to
shape his whole philosophy of life. After he had left Edinburgh, Lord
John wrote some glowing lines about Dugald Stewart, which follow--afar
off, it must be admitted--the style of Pope. We have only space to quote
a snatch:
'Twas he gave laws to fancy, grace to thought,
Taught virtue's laws, and practised what he taught.
[Sidenote: LIFE IN EDINBURGH]
Intellectual stimulus came to him through another channel. He was
elected in the spring of 1810 a member of the Edinburgh Speculative
Society, and during that and the two following years he was zealous in
his attendance at its weekly meetings. The Speculative Society was
founded early in the reign of George III., and no less distinguished a
man than Sir Walter Scott acted for a term of years as its secretary. It
sought to unite men of different classes and pursuits, and to bring
young students and more experienced thinkers and men of affairs together
in friendly but keen debate on historical, philosophical, literary, and
political questions.
It is certain that Lord John first discovered his powers of debate in
the years when he took a prominent part in the Tuesday night discussions
in the hall which had been erected for the Speculative Society in 1769
in the grounds of the university. The subjects about which he spoke are
at least of passing interest even now as a revelation of character, for
they show the drift of his thoughts. He was not content with merely
academic themes, such as Queen Elizabeth's treatment of Mary Queen of
Scots, or the policy of Alcibiades. Topics of more urgent moment, like
the war of 1793, the proceedings of the Spanish Cortes in 1810, the
education of the poor, the value of Canada to Great Britain, and one at
least of the burning subjects of the day--the imprisonment of Gale Jones
in Newgate by order of the House of Commons--claimed his attention and
drew forth his powers of argument and oratory. His mind was already
turning in the direction of the subject of Parliamentary Reform, and
from Edinburgh he forwarded to his father an essay on that subject,
which still exists among the family papers. It shows that he was
preparing to vindicate even then on a new field the liberal and
progressive traditions of the Russells.
The Duke of Bedford was never too busy or preoccupied to enter into his
son's political speculations. He encouraged him to continue the habit of
reasoning and writing on the great questions of the day, and Lord John,
who in spite of uncertain health had no lack of energy, cheered by such
kindly recognition, was not slow to respond to his father's sensible
advice.
[Sidenote: WELLINGTON AND THE WAR]
Meanwhile the war in the Peninsula was progressing, and it appealed to
the Edinburgh undergraduate now with new and even painful interest. His
brother, Lord William Russell, had accompanied his regiment to Spain in
the summer of 1809, and had been wounded at the battle of Talavera. In
the course of the following summer, Lord John states, in a manuscript
which is in Lady Russell's possession: 'I went to Cadiz to see my
brother William, who was then serving on the staff of Sir Thomas Graham.
The head-quarters was in a small town on the Isle of Leon, and the
General, who was one of the kindest of men, gave me a bed in his house
during the time that I remained there.' Cadiz was at the moment besieged
by the French, and Lord John proceeds to describe the strategical points
in its defence. Afterwards he accompanied Colonel Stanhope, a member of
General Graham's staff, to the head-quarters of Lord Wellington, who had
just occupied with his army the lines of Torres Vedras. He thus records
his impressions of the great soldier, and of the spectacle which lay
before him:--'Standing on the highest point, and looking around him on
every side, was the English General, his eyes bright and searching as
those of an eagle, his countenance full of hope, beaming with
intelligence as he marked with quick perception every movement of troops
and every change of circumstance within the sweep of the horizon. On
each side of the fort of Sobral rose the entrenchments of the Allies,
bristling with guns and alive with the troops who formed the garrison of
this fortified position. Far off, on the left, the cliffs rose to a
moderate elevation, and the lines of Torres Vedras were prominent in the
distance.... There stood the advanced guard of the conquering legions of
France; here was the living barrier of England, Spain, and Portugal,
prepared to stay the destructive flood, and to preserve from the deluge
the liberty and independence of three armed nations. The sight filled me
with admiration, with confidence, and with hope.'
Wellington told Colonel Stanhope that there was nothing he should like
better than to attack the enemy, but since the force which he commanded
was England's only army, he did not care to risk a battle. 'In fact, a
defeat would have been most disastrous, for the English would have been
obliged to retreat upon Lisbon and embark for England, probably after
suffering great losses.' Within a fortnight Lord John was back again in
London, and over the dinner table at Holland House the enterprising lad
of eighteen was able to give Lord Grey an animated account of the
prospects of the campaign, and of the appearance of Wellington's
soldiers. The desire for Cambridge revived in Lord John with the
conclusion of his Edinburgh course. His wishes were, however, overruled
by his father, who, as already hinted, held extremely unfavourable views
in regard to the characteristics at that period of undergraduate life
in the English universities. The 'sciences of horse-racing, fox-hunting,
and giving extravagant entertainments' the Duke regarded as the 'chief
studies of our youths at Cambridge,' and he made no secret of his
opinion that his promising son was better without them. Lord John's
father is described by those who knew him as a plain, unpretending man,
who talked well in private life, but was reserved in society. He was a
great patron of the fine arts, and one of the best farmers in England,
and was, moreover, able to hold his own in the debates of the House of
Lords.
[Sidenote: THE FIELD OF SALAMANCA]
Meanwhile, at Woburn, Lord John's military ardour, which at this time
was great, found an outlet in the command of a company of the
Bedfordshire Militia. But the life of a country gentleman, even when it
was varied by military drill, was not to the taste of this roving young
Englishman. The passion for foreign travel, which he never afterwards
wholly lost, asserted itself, and led him to cast about for congenial
companions to accompany him abroad. Mr. George Bridgeman, afterwards
Earl of Bradford, and Mr. Robert Clive, the second son of Earl Powis,
agreed to accompany him, and with light hearts the three friends started
in August 1812, with the intention of travelling through Sicily, Greece,
Egypt, and Syria. They had not proceeded far, however, on their way to
Southern Italy when tidings reached them that the battle of Salamanca
had been fought and that Wellington had entered Madrid. The plans for
exploring Sicily, Egypt, and Syria were instantly thrown to the winds,
and the young enthusiasts at once bent their steps to the Spanish
capital, in order to take part in the rejoicings of the populace at the
victory of the Allies. They made the best of their way to Oporto, but
were chagrined to find on arriving there that although Salamanca had
been added to the list of Wellington's triumphs, the victor had not
pushed on to the capital. Under these circumstances, Lord John and his
companions determined to make a short tour in the northern part of
Portugal before proceeding to Wellington's head-quarters at Burgos. They
met with a few mild adventures on the road, and afterwards crossed the
frontier and reached the field of Salamanca. The dead still lay
unburied, and flocks of vultures rose sullenly as the travellers
threaded their way across that terrible scene of carnage. However,
neither Lord John's phlegm nor his philosophy deserted him, though the
awfulness of the spectacle was not lost upon him. 'The blood spilt on
that day will become a real saving of life if it become the means of
delivering Spain from French dominion,' was his remark.
At Burgos the young civilian renewed his acquaintance with the
Commander-in-Chief, and added to his experience of war by being for a
short time under fire from the French, who held the neighbouring
fortress. Wellington, however, like other good soldiers, did not care
for non-combatants at the front, and accordingly the youths started for
Madrid. Finding that the French were in possession, they pushed
southwards, and spent Christmas at Cadiz. The prolonged campaign decided
them to carry out their original scheme. Leaving Cadiz at the end of
January they set off, _via_ Gibraltar, Cordova, and Cartagena, for
Alicante, where they proposed to embark for Sicily. But on the way
reports reached them of French reverses, and they were emboldened once
more to move towards Madrid. They had hardly started when other and less
reassuring rumours reached them, and Lord John's two companions resolved
to return to Alicante; but he himself determined to ride across the
country to the head-quarters of the army, at Frenida, a distance of 150
miles. We are indebted to Mr. Bridgeman's published letters for the
following account of Lord John's plucky ride:--'Finding the French did
not continue the retreat, John Russell, my strange cousin and your
ladyship's mad nephew, determined to execute a plan which he had often
threatened, but it appeared to Clive and me so very injudicious a one
that we never had an idea of his putting it into execution. However, the
evening previous to our leaving Almaden, he said, "Well, I shall go to
the army and see William, and I will meet you either at Madrid or
Alicante." We found he was quite serious, and he then informed us of his
intentions.... He would not take his servant, but ordered him to leave
out half-a-dozen changes of linen, and his gun loaded. He was dressed in
a blue greatcoat, overalls, and sword, and literally took nothing else
except his dressing-case, a pair of pantaloons and shoes, a journal and
an account book, pens and ink, and a bag of money. He would not carry
anything to reload his gun, which he said his principal reason for
taking was to sell, should he be short of money, for we had too little
to spare him any. The next morning he sold his pony, bought a young
horse, and rode the first league with us. Here we parted with each other
with much regret, and poor John seemed rather forlorn. God grant he may
have reached head-quarters in safety and health, for he had been far
from well the last few days he was with us.... Clive and I feel fully
persuaded that we shall see him no more till we return to England.'
[Sidenote: A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY]
The fears entertained for Lord John's safety were well founded.
Difficulties of many kinds had to be encountered on the journey, and
there was always the risk of being arrested and detained by French
piquets. But the 150 miles were traversed without mishap, and in twelve
days the 'mad nephew' entered the English quarters. He stayed at Frenida
more than a month, probably waiting for an opportunity to see a great
battle. But the wish was not gratified. Dictating to Lady Russell in his
later life the narrative of his journey in Spain, he said: 'When Lord
Wellington left his head-quarters on the frontier of Spain and Portugal
for his memorable campaign of Vittoria, I thought that as I was not a
soldier I might as well leave Lord Wellington and proceed on a journey
of amusement to Madrid.'
General Alava gave him introductions, and in the course of his journey
he was entertained at dinner by a merry canon at Plasencia, who pressed
upon him a liberal supply of wine. When Lord John declined taking any
more, his host exclaimed: 'Do you not know the syllogism, "Qui bene
bibit, bene dormit; qui bene dormit, non peccat; qui non peccat,
salvatus erit"?' At this stage Lord John found it necessary to hire a
servant who was capable of acting as guide. He used to say that his
whole appearance on these journeys was somewhat grotesque, and in proof
of this assertion he was accustomed in relating his adventures to add
the following description:--'I wore a blue military cloak and a military
cocked hat; I had a sword by my side; my whole luggage was carried in
two bags, one on each side of the horse. In one of these I usually
carried a leg of mutton, from which I cut two or three slices when I
wished to prepare my dinner. My servant had a suit of clothes which had
never been of the best, and was then mostly in rags. He, too, wore a
cocked hat, and, being tall and thin, stalked before me with great
dignity.' Such a description reads almost like a page from Cervantes.
Thus attended, Lord John visited the scene of the battle of Talavera,
in which his brother had been wounded, and on June 5, two days after the
departure of the French, entered Madrid. Before the end of the month
news arrived of the battle of Vittoria; and the young Englishman shared
in the public rejoicings which greeted the announcement. 'From
Talavera,' adds Lord John, 'I proceeded to Madrid, where I met my
friends George Bridgeman and Robert Clive. With them I travelled to
Valencia, and with them in a ship laden with salt fish to Majorca.'
At Palma the travellers found hospitable quarters at the Bishop's
palace, and after a brief stay crossed in an open boat to Port Mahon in
Minorca--a rather risky trip, as the youths, with their love of
adventure, made it by night, and were overtaken on the way by an
alarming thunderstorm. Whilst in Minorca Lord John received a letter
from his father, informing him of the death of his old friend General
Fitzpatrick, and also stating that the Duke meant to use his influence
at Tavistock to obtain for his son a seat in the House of Commons. 'He
immediately flew home,' remarks his friend Mr. Bridgeman, 'on what wings
I know not, but I suppose on those of political ambition.'
The Duke's nomination rendered his election in those days of
pocket-boroughs a foregone conclusion. As soon as Lord John set foot in
England he was greeted with the tidings that he had already been elected
member for Tavistock, and so began, at the age of one-and-twenty, a
career in the House of Commons which was destined to last for nearly
fifty years.