Book II, Chap. III. Book The office accepted in April was resigned in September, when the coalition with the BEDFORD party' was made. LOVERS AND Lord SHELBURNE'S loss was felt in the House of Lords. PUBLIC BENKFAC TORS. But it was in the Commons that the Ministry were now feeblest. 'I don't see how they can meet Parliament,' said CHESTERFIELD. 'In the Commons they have not a man with ability and words enough to call a coach.' In February, 1765, SHELBURNE married Lady Sophia CARTERET, one of the daughters of the Earl of GRANVILLE. The marriage was a very happy one. Not long after it, he FORMATION began to form his library. Political manuscripts, state papers of every kind, and all such documents as tend to throw light on the arcana of history, were, more especially, the objects which he sought. And the quest, as will be seen presently, was very successful. For during his early researches he had but few competitors. OF LORD SHEL BURNE'S LIBRARY. THE SECRE TARYSHIP OF STATE. 1766-1768. On the organization of the Duke of GRAFTON's Ministry in 1766 (July 30) Lord SHELBURNE was made Secretary of State for the Southern Department, to which at that time the Colonial business was attached. His colleague, in the Northern, was CONWAY, who now led the House of ComAs Secretary, Lord SHELBURNE's most conspicuous and influential act was his approval of that rejection of certain members of the Council of Massachusetts by Governor BERNARD, which had so important a bearing on colonial events to come. mons. SHELBURNE, however, was one of a class of statesmen of whom, very happily, this country has had many. He was able to render more efficient service in opposition than in office. Of the Board of Trade he had had the headship but a few months. Administration, he served little more than two years. His As Secretary of State, under the GRAFTON opponents were wont to call him an impracticable' man. Chap. III. They both LOVERS AND if he shared some of CHATHAM's weaknesses, he also BOOK II, d much of his greatness. And on the capital question e American dispute, they were at one. ght that the Colonies had been atrociously misgoverned. were willing to make large concessions to regain the y of the Colonists. They were utterly averse to admit everance. PUBLIC TORS. OPPOSITION. der circumstances familiar to all readers, and by the LORD SHELmal urgency of the King, Lord SHELBURNE was dis- BURNE IN d from his first Secretaryship in October, 1768. His ssal led to CHATHAM's resignation. SHELBURNE became minent and powerful leader of the Opposition, an of special dislike to a large force of political adversand of warm attachment to a small number of political s. His personal friends were, at all times, many. nickname under which his opponents were wont to him has been kept in memory by one of the many ties of speech which did such cruel injustice to the ■rts and the generous heart of GOLDSMITH. The story en many times told, but will bear to be told once again. athor of the Vicar of Wakefield was an occasional supof the Opposition in the newspapers. One day, in umn of 1773, he wrote an article in praise of Lord URNE'S ardent friend in the City, the Lord Mayor HEND. Sitting, in company with Topham BEAUat Drury Lane Theatre, just after the appearance of ticle, GOLDSMITH found himself close beside Lord JRNE. His companion told the statesman that his iend's eulogy came from GOLDSMITH's pen. 'I said his Lordship-addressing the poet-'you put 1773. in it about Malagrida? Do you know,' rejoined November. OLDSMITH, I could never conceive the reason why Life of Lord 1 you “Malagrida,”—for Malagrida was a very good voi, p. 177. Hardy, Charlemont, BOOK II, Chap. III. BookLOVERS AND PUBLIC GROWTH OF THE CESAR THE CECIL OR BURGH sort of man.' This small misplacement of an emphasis was of course quoted in the clubs against the unlucky speaker. 'Ah!' said Horace WALPOLE, with his wonted charity, that's a picture of the man's whole life.' Lord SHELBURNE's library profited by his long releasement from the cares of office. He bestowed much of his leisure upon its enrichment, and especially upon the acquisition of manuscript political literature. In 1770, he was fortunate enough to obtain a considerable portion of the large and curious Collection of State Papers which Sir Julius CESAR had begun to amass almost two centuries before. Two years later, he acquired no inconsiderable portion of that far more important series which had been gathered by BURGHLEY. Whilst Lord SHELBURNE was serving with the army in Germany, the Cæsar Papers' had been dispersed by auction. There were then-1757- —a hundred and eightyseven of them. About sixty volumes were purchased by Philip Cartaret WEBB, a lawyer and juridical writer, as well as antiquary, of some distinction. On Mr. WEBB'S death, in 1770, these were purchased by SHELBURNE from his executors. On examining his acquisition, the new possessor found that about twenty volumes related various matters of British history and antiquities; thirtyone volumes to the business of the British Admiralty and its Courts; ten volumes to that of the Treasury, Star Chamber, and other public departments; two volumes contained treaties; and one volume, papers on the affairs of Ireland. The Burghley papers,' acquired in 1772, had passed LEY PAPERS. from Sir Michael HICKES, one of that statesman's secretaries, to a descendant, Sir William HICKES, by whom they were sold to CHISWELL, a bookseller, and by him to Chap. III. mentioned BOOK II, somewhat BOOK BENEFAC TORS. E, the historian. These (as has been former chapter) were looked upon with us eyes by Humphrey WANLEY, who hoped to have LOVERS hem become part of the treasures of the Harleian y. On STRYPE's death they passed into the hands nes WEST, and from his executors into the Library elburne House. They comprised a hundred and --one volumes of the collections and correspondence d BURGHLEY, together with his private note-book urnal. ther valuable acquisition, made after Lord SHELs retirement in 1768 from political office, consisted vast historical Collections of Bishop White KENNETT, ng to a hundred and seven volumes, of which a proportion are in the Bishop's own untiring hand. -two of these volumes contain important materials glish Church History. Eleven volumes contain hical collections, ranging between the years 1500 17. All that have been enumerated are now national y. r choice manuscript collections were added from time. Among them may be cited the papers of l RYCAUT-which include information both on d on Continental affairs towards the close of the nth century; the correspondence of Dr. John nd that of the Jacobite Earl of MELFORT. varied accessions-with many others of minor ce-raised the Shelburne Library into the first long private repositories of historical lore. To d to study them was to prove to its owner the f deep personal affliction, as well as the relief of ils. At the close of 1770, he lost a beloved wife, AND Воок ІІ, Chap. III. LORD SHEL BURNE AS A LANDSCAPE after a union of less than six years. He remained a widower until 1779. Another source of solace was found in labours that have an inexhaustible charm, for those who are so happy as to have means as well as taste for them. Lord SHELBURNE lived much at Loakes-now called Wycombe Abbey-a GARDENER. delightful seat, just above the little town of High Wycombe. Its striking framework of beech-woods, its fine planetrees and ash-trees, and its broad piece of water, make up a lovely picture, much of the attraction of which is due to the skill and judgment with which its then owner elicited and heightened the natural beauties of the place:* But those of Bowood exceeded them in Lord SHELBURNE'S eyes. There, too, he did very much to enhance what nature had already done, and he had the able assistance of Mr. HAMILTON of Pains-Hill. In consequence of their joint labours, almost every species of oak may be seen at Bowood, with great variety of exotic trees of all sorts. Both wood and water combine to make, from some points of view, a resemblance between Wycombe and Bowood. And both differ from many much bepraised country seats in the wise preference of natural beauty--selected and heightened to artificial beauty. Lord SHELBURNE himself was wont to say: 'Mere workmanship should never be introduced where the beauty and variety of the scenery are, in themselves, sufficient to excite admiration.' But, in their true place, few men better loved the productions of artistic genius. He collected pictures and sculpture, as well as trees and books. He was the first of * Loakes had been purchased from the last owner of the Archdall family by Henry, Earl of Shelburne. Earl William (first Marquess of Lansdowne) eventually sold it to the ancestor of the present Lord Carrington. |