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MEMOIR

OF

SIR GEORGE GREY

0 <7

MEMOIR

OF

SIR GEORGE GREY

BART., G.C.B.

BY

M. CREIGHTON, D.D. OXON. AND CANTAB.

LATE VICAR OF EMBLETON AND CANON OF NEWCASTLE, ETC.
AND BISHOP OF LONDON

Reprinted from the Edition privately printed in 1884
WITH PREFACE BY

SIR EDWARD GREY, BART., M.P.

AND PORTRAITS

LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.

39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON

NEW YORK AND BOMBAY

1901

All rights reserved

PREFACE

THIS Memoir was written immediately after
my grandfather's death by the late Bishop of
London, who was then Vicar of Embleton.
The work was undertaken by him at the
special request of those who were most
attached and most nearly related to Sir
George Grey, and it was in accordance with
their desire that it was privately printed and
sent to near relations and intimate friends.
They felt for the Memoir the greatest appre-
ciation and gratitude, and to my grandmother
especially, who survived my grandfather for
eleven years, it gave much satisfaction and
comfort.

It had been in contemplation that at some
later time the book should be published ; and
the hope had been that this would be done

vi Memoir of Sir George Grey

under the supervision of Bishop Creighton
himself, but in 1884, the year in which the
Memoir was completed, he left Embleton, and
the years which followed brought, as in the
Church they always must bring to men of his
great capacity and earnestness, a great and
increasing burden of work. For him the time
of leisure, in which it would have been reason-
able to ask him to review the Memoir and
decide upon its publication, never came. It is
now published as it stands, in the expectation
that such a sympathetic appreciation of the
life and character of a statesman of the last
generation will have a permanent interest.

Little is required or would be appropriate
by way of preface. There is nothing which
any of those who knew Sir George Grey best
would wish to alter ; there is no doubt much
which might be added, if it were intended to
write a full biography ; this book, however, was
not meant to be a biography, but a portrait of
character and personality. As such it is com-
pletely successful, and for another hand to add
personal touches, however true, would be not

Preface vii

to improve but to confuse the impression left
by the Memoir as it is.

If additions were to be made either from
the personal or the political point of view,
Lord Northbrook would be best able to make
or suggest them-; the question has been con-
sidered by him, and it is his opinion, founded
upon a more intimate personal knowledge of
Sir George Grey, and a longer and closer
experience of his political life, than any of his
relations and friends who are now living, that
as a personal sketch the Memoir is so perfect
as it stands, that it is best to leave it untouched.

In this I entirely concur, and I shall not
attempt in this preface to do more than to
explain how it was that Mr. Creighton (as he
was at that time) was asked to write the
Memoir, and why it is that all who shared
my grandfather's home have felt very special
satisfaction and gratitude that the work was
done by him.

Mr. Creighton came as Vicar to Embleton
in 1875, and his acquaintance with my grand-
father began in that year, a few months after

viii Memoir of Sir George Grey

the death of my father. The way in which
that great calamity was met, and the descrip-
tion of the years of home life which succeeded,
are founded upon a knowledge and friendship
far more intimate than can be gathered from
the words of the Memoir itself. Mr. Creighton
has kept himself entirely in the background ;
but during those years his presence came to be
amongst the best known and most constant
and valued incidents at Fallodon. Embleton
was but two miles distant, and he and Mrs.
Creighton came constantly to Fallodon, and
brought into my grandfather's life a new
friendship, which gave interest and freshness to
all its last years. Those years were spent by
Sir George Grey in retirement at home. He
took no part in public life outside, but read
new books and followed all that happened
with undiminished interest in people and
things, observing everything with that wisdom
which can only be attained by a pure nature
after a long and full experience of life and
of affairs.

Mr. Creighton came to Embleton with the

Preface ix

world still before him, keenly interested in
literary work, but equally so in all matters of
practical life, and especially in people, with a
mind wonderfully alert and vigorous, and with
an earnest desire to make the very utmost of
all new experience, and to do the best work.
Intercourse between two such minds so situated
meant much to each of them ; it could not be
otherwise, and from this there soon came that
personal respect and sympathy which made the
society of each easy and delightful, as well as
interesting to the other. We all felt that there
was something of rare quality in this intimacy.
The keen interest with which my grandfather
talked with Mr. Creighton was apparent to all
of us and impressed us ; we felt how real it
was, and there were many little traits which
told much. I can well remember the quick
expression of pleasure which came upon my
grandfather's face when someone exclaimed,
as often happened when we were all in the
drawing-room together, that Mr. Creighton
had just passed the windows on his way to
the entrance door.

x Memoir of Sir George Grey

We were conscious, too, that on Mr.
Creighton's side there came to be an esteem
and affection for Sir George Grey which made
us sure that he also received great pleasure
from the intimacy ; but of what this was to
him, Mrs. Creighton, who is to write his life,
can tell best. Something of it we felt re-
flected in the sympathy, the advice, the en-
couraging help, and the friendship which he
gave to us all at Fallodon, and continued to
give afterwards. The Bishop had a wonderful
power of bestowing this, and we always felt
that it came to us touched with emotion by
the memory of my grandfather.

It may perhaps strike readers of this
Memoir that it must have been difficult for
Mr. Creighton, without an inside experience of
political affairs, to give a just account of Sir
George Grey as he was in political life and in
full work. It is true that my grandfather
never dwelt at all in conversation upon his
own part in public affairs, and that ' in private
life he talked on political questions as an ordi-
nary well-informed man,' not as one 'who had

Preface xi

been familiar all his life with the questions
under discussion ' ; but to a keen and large
mind, like Mr. Creighton's, the summing-up
of the life's work was apparent in the whole
character and point of view of the conver-
sations ; he knew what Sir George Grey had
done, and he understood how he had done
it, and the influence he had exercised upon
affairs, by seeing him as he was. Insight into
character is a sure guide in understanding the
full meaning of what is related by contem-
poraries or to be found in written or printed
records ; constant intercourse with one whose
faculties are unimpaired, and whose judgment
has been matured and character developed by
a long life of consistent work, throws a clear
light upon the past. Such intercourse Mr.
Creighton enjoyed most constantly in the last
years of Sir George Grey's life ; his own
sympathies and his outlook upon men and
affairs were so full and broad, that by this
light he could not fail to understand, to judge,
and to appreciate the whole life ; and thus the
Memoir was written, the political part as well

xii Memoir of Sir George Grey

as the description of the home life, not only
with knowledge, but with insight.

To us the book has a double value, for the
sake of the subject and for the sake of the
author. My grandfather made for his family
the happiest home that could be, and he left us
an example of character the force of which has
not been weakened by lapse of time, but has
developed and matured as fuller experience of
life has come to us since his death. Bishop
Creighton, too, has left us a personal influence
which will be cherished with gratitude as long
as we live.

EDWARD GREY.

FALLODON : September, 1901.

CONTENTS

PAGE

PREFACE BY SIR EDWARD GREY, BART., M.P. . V

CHAPTER

I. PARENTAGE AND EARLY YEARS, 1799-1832 . . I

I
II. POLITICAL LIFE, 1833-1874 31

III. LATER DAYS, 1874-1882 107

SERMON PREACHED IN EMBLETON CHURCH BY DR.
CREIGHTON IN MEMORY OF THE RIGHT HON.
SIR GEORGE GREY, BART., G.C.B 148

LIST OF PORTRAITS

SIR GEORGE GREY .

(From a drawing by G. Richmond, R.A., 1859.)

SIR GEORGE GREY To face p. IOO

(From a photograph by W. &•= D. Downey taken about 1870.)

SIR GEORGE GREY 139

(From a photograph by W. S° D. Downey taken about 1880.)

One who long time has sojourned over seas,
Until by traffic he has gained good store,
Returns again unto his native shore,

But finds men strange and alien ; till he flees

And seeks his humble birth-place. There he sees
Nought save a desolate garden, and the hoar
Wreck of a crumbling house ; but his heart's core

Fills with new life 'mid wakening memories.

So may these pages serve to overtake

The rush of time, and gathering clouds dispel,

Bidding the fulness of the past awake,

Recalling life beyond the life they tell ;

Themselves unworthy, worthy for the sake
Of one whose faintest image is a spell.

CHAPTER I

PARENTAGE AND EARLY YEARS, 1799-1832

THE family of Grey has been for centuries
connected with the course of English history,
and is especially famous in the annals of the
Border warfare. As times grew more quiet,
the Grey family pursued, with equal zeal, the
occupations of peace. The stock was nume-
rous, and spread on many sides. The Greys
of Ho wick separated, in the sixteenth century,
from the Greys of Chillingham and Warke.
In 1720, Sir Henry Grey, of Howick, married
the daughter of Thomas Wood, of Fallodon,
and that estate passed to their descendants.

2 Memoir of Sir George Grey

The house of Fallodon had no claims to
magnificence. It was a comfortable country
house, well situated amongst undulating coun-
try, which afforded picturesque slopes for
garden ground. The gardens at Fallodon
were famous in 1730, when it was said 'there
are produced here good Peaches, Plumbs, and
Pears in as great variety and perfection as in
most, if not any, Places in the South.' North-
umberland is not renowned for the beauty of
its domestic architecture. In early days it
needed castles and towers of defence, which in
more peaceful days either fell into ruins or were
clumsily incorporated into dwelling-houses.
The country houses of Northumberland are
either of this hybrid kind or are comparatively
modern buildings. Fallodon is amongst the
oldest of the modern houses, and is almost the
only building of any size in North Northum-
berland which is built of red brick. Girt about
by trees, well sheltered from the east winds,
with a pleasant prospect over a wooded park,
it is an agreeable and unpretentious residence.
From the upper windows there is a fine view,

through the trees, over the sea, which lies some
three miles distant.

The neighbourhood of the sea was probably
grateful to the next occupant of Fallodon,
Charles, fourth son of Sir Henry Grey. He
had been a soldier in his youth, and carried
arms at the age of nineteen. After distinguish-
ing himself in the fruitless war against the
American colonies, he returned to Fallodon
and lived happily amongst his children. When
war was declared against France, he was put
in command of the forces which sailed to the
West Indies in Sir John Jervis' fleet. His
services met with due recognition. His elder
brothers died without issue, and he succeeded
to the chief estate of the Grey family at
Ho wick. In 1801 he was created Baron Grey
of Howick; in 1804 he was further raised to
the dignity of Viscount Howick and Earl
Grey.

The name of his eldest son, Charles, the
second Earl Grey, is indissolubly connected
with one of the most memorable periods of
English history. The second son, Henry, who

B 2

4 Memoir of Sir George Grey

succeeded to the Fallodon estate, entered the
army, where he saw much active service, and
rose to the rank of general.

The third surviving son, George, entered
the navy and served with distinction during a
period of constant warfare. He was the
favourite captain of Sir John Jervis, and was
constantly associated with him in his naval
exploits. In June, 1795, Captain Grey mar-
ried a wife who did not shrink from sharing the
perils of his adventurous life. He married a
lady remarkable in many ways — Mary, the
daughter of Samuel Whitbread, of Bedwell
Park, in Hertfordshire.

The Whitbreads were a respectable Bed-
fordshire family which had long been settled
at Cardington. Samuel Whitbread was the
youngest of five sons, and had to make his way
in the world. Raising with difficulty a capital
of ,£2,000, he began trade as a brewer, and
abundant success rapidly crowned his energy.
' Whitbread's Brew-house ' was famous, and
Samuel Whitbread became one of the wealth-
iest men in England. He himself was

Parentage and Early Years 5

surprised at his good fortune, and accepted it
as a trust from on high. ' As it hath pleased
God,' he writes, ' to bless me with good abund-
ance, who went out, as Jacob said, " with my
staff only," I have all along thought it my duty
to show some token of gratitude to Almighty
God, who maketh poor and maketh rich, by
improving the place I was born in and the
parish wherein our family have lived a hundred-
and-fifty years.' Accordingly he bought land
and improved it to the utmost of his power.
He built new houses, made roads, erected
bridges, repaired churches, and instituted public
charities of every kind. He regarded this as
his duty, and set apart a large portion of his
income for such purposes. His daughter
writes of his private life :

He avoided all parade and show, and never could
bear any appearance of wealth beyond what was
requisite for use and comfort. He used to say that a
tenth of every man's income was not his own, and
should be given away ; but in his own bounty he had
no restrictions. He liked to have everything good
but no profuseness. He laid out his money in land
and liked to purchase in his own county, Bedford-

6 Memoir of Sir George Grey

shire. He was a regular member of the Established
Church, but often went to Dissenting meetings at
watering places. He used to lament the want of
good clergymen, often saying it had been his lot, both
in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, to have only bad
ones. Amidst a life of peculiar activity and attention
to business, he always retired for prayer and reading
the Scriptures. I owe more than I can express to
his rigid moral and religious example and character.

The upright and simple piety of Samuel
Whitbread may be still further shown by an
extract from his papers :

I must humbly acknowledge with grateful heart
the goodness of God, showed to me, an unworthy
servant, in blessing my labours abundantly through
a long course of years, with great increase, year
by year, almost beyond example ; and it was not
acquired by the Public Funds, or contracts with
Government, or speculations, or legacies, but by fair
trade only. Lord, what shall I render? 'Thou art
my God and I will praise Thee.' And, indeed, I
may say with David, ' Who am I, Lord, and what is
my house that Thou hast brought me hitherto ? ' And
I pray God to establish and continue to help my
house, and the house of my fathers, that His name
may be magnified among them for ever. Amen.

Samuel Whitbread was twice married. By

Parentage and Early Years 7

his first wife, Harriet Hay ton, he had a son
and two daughters. After her death he mar-
ried, in 1769, Lady Mary Cornwallis, youngest
daughter of Charles, Earl of Cornwallis, and
sister to the Marquis of Cornwallis, famous
as Governor-General of India. Lady Mary
Whitbread is described by her husband as
' a woman of unblemished integrity of heart,
of a fine understanding, of generous and free
disposition, beloved by them that knew her
well beyond example. She was a Christian,
really and truly ; and was good in doing good,
in which she chiefly placed religion. She was
very tender and compassionate to the afflicted
and poor, and was most humble. She had an
excellent judgment of persons and things, and
her advice was scarcely ever wrong placed.'
Her virtues, however, did not long gladden her
husband. She died in childbirth in December,
1770.

Samuel Whitbread has left a touching
description of her sayings and doings during
the few days before her death. She suffered
with Christian resignation, and spent her hours

8 Memoir of Sir George Grey

of respite from pain in thought for others. She
gave directions that her infant daughter should
be called Mary, and arranged her sponsors.
She charged her husband to see that the child
had a good education, and that great care was
taken of her morals, ' but did not wish or
desire her to have a large fortune.' Affluence,
she said, was not necessary. Again she said,
' Make her a good woman, and give all your
children a good education that will avail them.'
She bade farewell to all her relations and
friends, and sent loving messages to those who
were absent. She gave directions about her
funeral, enjoining strict simplicity. She chose
the place of her burial ; ' and a plain remem-
brance to be put up in the church : no stuff on
it, no parade, — none — only plain.' She desired
that her body should be dissected after death,
1 if it was of any service to any other poor
mortals,' — which was done. Then she be-
sought her husband to allow no mournful recol-
lections to cluster round the house in which
she died. ' She feared I should now sell Bed-
well, but wished me to take time, and not to

Parentage and Early Years 9

hurry myself.' Then, as she felt her weakness
increasing, she dismissed her husband, saying,
' You must now take your leave of me. You
must! It is too much for you to see me die."
No wonder her physician said that he never
saw so much fortitude before. Her husband's
simple narrative gives an impression of a
strong yet gentle character, which owed its
charm to the influence of genuine religious
feeling. Husband and wife alike were en-
dowed with strong common-sense and were
possessed of great practical capacity. To both,
religion lent dignity and grace.

The daughter, whose life had been pur-
chased by the sacrifice of her mother's, was
carefully brought up by her father, who was
fifty years old at her birth. She inherited the
decided character of her mother, and was
taught to revere her memory. She imbibed
the religious teaching of her father. It grew
with her growth and became the chief feature
of her life. She impressed it upon her hus-
band, and upon her children in a marked
manner. Seldom can there be traced a group

io Memoir of Sir George Grey

of three generations, all the members of which
display the same entire devotion to the pursuit
of righteousness. The root of the deeply
religious feeling and high moral principle,
which was the centre of Sir George Grey's
character, is to be found in the influences of
his home life.

Captain Grey's sister, Lady Elizabeth,
married in 1788 the only son of Samuel Whit-
bread, and the intercourse thus created led to
the marriage of Captain Grey and Mary Whit-
bread on June 18, 1795. There was scanty
time for their honeymoon, as Captain Grey
had orders to sail from Portsmouth on July 8.
It needed no ordinary fortitude to marry a
naval officer in those stirring times. During
the first years of their married life, Mrs. Grey
saw her husband only at rare intervals. In
1797 was fought the famous battle of St. Vin-
cent, in which Captain Grey greatly distin-
guished himself. In 1798 Mrs. Grey resolved
to share more closely her husband's adven-
turous life, and accompanied him to Gibraltar,
which was the headquarters of the Mediter-

Parentage and Early Years 1 1

ranean fleet. She had a perilous beginning
to her sojourn, as she landed in an open boat,
and was greeted by the fire of the Spanish
gunboats. In this peril she showed great
calmness. The need of wrestling with con-
stant anxiety about her husband had taught
her fortitude and self-restraint. She resolutely
set her face to do her duty, and was a help, and
not a hindrance, to her husband. Her own
experience of the struggle needed to conquer
self and put duty in the foremost place,
strengthened her character and enabled her
to be a useful counsellor to her sons.

It was during her residence at Gibraltar
that Mrs. Grey's elder son, George, the sub-
ject of this memoir, was born, on May n,
1799. At the end of that year, the Earl
St. Vincent, as Sir John Jervis had now
become, returned home, broken in health. He
wrote to the First Lord of the Admiralty —
4 In the state I am in, Captain Grey is essen-
tially necessary to my comfort, and I hope
that your Lordship will approve of his accom-
panying me.' So Captain Grey came back to

1 2 Memoir of Sir George Grey

England to tend his old commander. In the
spring of 1 800 Lord St. Vincent's health was
restored, and Captain Grey again put to sea as
captain of the flagship. At the beginning of
the short peace in March, 1801, he accepted
the command of one of the royal yachts at
Weymouth, and did not again see active ser-
vice. In 1804 he was appointed Commissioner
(or, as it is now called, Superintendent) of the
Dockyard at Sheerness, and in 1806 was re-
moved to the same office at Portsmouth. In
1814 he was made a baronet in recognition of
his services. He remained in his office at
Portsmouth till his death in 1828.

On taking up their residence at Portsmouth,
Commissioner Grey and his wife devoted them-
selves to good works. The strong character
of the wife deepened the seriousness of the
husband, and both of them, in their respective
spheres, pursued a course of Christian philan-
thropy. Experience had shown them the
grievous neglect of religion and morality which
prevailed in the navy, and they set to work to
make things better. The work of missions to

Parentage and Early Years 13

seamen, which has made such advances in the
present day, was practically begun by Com-
missioner and Mrs. Grey. Amongst those
employed in the dockyard, and amongst the
sailors and soldiers who embarked for foreign
service, they were active for good. Stores of
Bibles and other books were sent out on board
the ships ; sick sailors were cared for, and
orphans were befriended. The Commissioner's
house at Portsmouth was a centre of bene-
volent activity.

The religious views of Commissioner and
Mrs. Grey were strongly evangelical, and
they numbered amongst their friends William
Wilberforce, Charles Simeon, and the chiefs of
the evangelical party. They did not think it
wise to expose their sons to the temptations of
a public school. Their elder son, George, was
committed at the early age of eight to the care
of an evangelical clergyman, the Rev. William
Buckle, Vicar of Pyrton, near Tetsworth, who
received a few pupils into his house. Mr. Buckle
was a good scholar, and a man of considerable
attainments. His views of life were somewhat

14 Memoir of Sir George Grey

rigid and severe, and would not have been
acceptable to every boy of high spirits. But
George Grey never seems to have felt his
severity, and between him and his teacher
there was mutual confidence and trust. George
Grey fully understood and entered into the
strong religious opinions of Mr. Buckle. They
were in accordance with the training of his
home life. He submitted himself readily to
discipline, and pursued his studies with dili-
gence. He formed for himself a sincere and
unostentatious piety, to which he held firmly
all his life. A series of letters, written from
school to a younger sister, show that religious
thoughts occupied the chief place in his mind
during his school days. There was no breach
in the harmonious development of George
Grey's character. Devotion to duty, and a
consistent walk with God, marked his character
from his earliest to his latest days.

At the end of his eighteenth year, George
Grey left Mr. Buckle's care and entered at
Oriel College, Oxford, as a commoner. A
memorandum by Provost Copleston is appended

Parentage and Early Years 15

to the application for his admission : ' Excellent
character for abilities, application, temper, and
manners.' His residence at Oxford was in the
palmy days of Oriel, when Whately, Tyler,
Keble, and Hawkins were the tutors. W. Bing-
ham Baring, afterwards Lord Ashburton, and the
late Sir William Heathcote entered Oriel in the
same year as George Grey. T. F. Fremantle,
afterwards Lord Cottesloe, and Yarde Buller,
afterwards Lord Churston, had come to Oriel
in the previous year. In the following year came
Charles Wood, afterwards Viscount Halifax, of
whom Provost Hawkins used to say that he was
' the cleverest person ' he had ever had as pupil.
Besides these may be noticed, among the Oriel
contemporaries of George Grey, J. S. Pakington,
afterwards Lord Hampton, and Edmund Deni-
son, afterwards Bishop of Salisbury.

In this brilliant society George Grey's in-
terests rapidly expanded. He was always
sociable and personally attractive. He had
many friends, and those who have been men-
tioned were his companions during the greater
part of his political career. But neither the

1 6 Memoir of Sir George Grey

delights of society, nor the sense of freedom,
after the somewhat restricted life at Pyrton, led
George Grey to idleness. He enjoyed his
friends, and entered into their amusements, but
he did not neglect his studies. His character
was too strongly moulded to be led astray. The
liberty of college life, the outspokenness of
college society, did not weaken the fervour of
his religious feelings. His parents and his
parents' friends knew that George Grey was
entirely to be trusted. William Wilberforce
wrote to him in 1820, when his son Robert
entered Oriel College :

It has been, I can truly assure you, a real
comfort to my mind to recollect that you were of
the same college as my son Robert, and to indulge
the hope, which I trust will be realized, that you will
act towards him the part of a real Christian friend.
I must congratulate you from my heart for the
manner in which it has pleased God to enable you
to stand the fiery trial of an University education,
and, I trust, to come out of it unsinged.

This was high praise from one whose standard
was high, and who was a keen and cautious
observer of character ; but it was entirely

Parentage and Early Years 17

justified. George Grey gleaned from Oxford
life and Oxford studies all that was best, and
was strong in his own self-restraint.

His tutor at Oriel was the Rev. J. Endell
Tyler, a man of strong sense and practical
capacity : not a man to inspire new ideas into his
pupils, but well qualified to guide their studies.
Under him George Grey obtained a sound clas-
sical training. He was famous at Oxford for
his facility in writing Latin verses. He never
forgot his classics, but read them with delight
to the end of his days. It cannot be said that
he was penetrated by the classical spirit ; but
he felt the charm and felicity of expression of
the classical authors. He loved literature not
so much for itself as for the help which it
gave in practical pursuits. His turn of mind
from early years was towards actual life rather
than towards speculative problems. He re-
garded study as the necessary equipment for
action. For such a mind Mr. Tyler was an
excellent tutor. Sir George Grey always re-
tained a sincere respect for him, and saw a good
deal of him in later life when Tyler was Vicar

c

1 8 Memoir of Sir George Grey

of St. Giles' in London. There he displayed
his practical capacity by several social reforms,
and the name of ' Endell Street ' is an abiding
record of his activity. He was mainly instru-
mental in having that street laid out as a means
of piercing through the worst parts of his
parish, and breaking up the St. Giles' rook-
eries. In 1848 he was of practical usefulness
to his former pupil, who was then Home
Secretary.

Sir George Grey, in later years, looked
back with pleasure on his Oxford days, and
regretted that his own busy life had separated
him from many of his early friends. One of
the last books he read was Mr. Mozeley's
' Reminiscences of Oriel.' The early part of
the book moved him greatly by the recollec-
tions which it renewed, and he spoke with
warm affection of many almost forgotten names
which are there mentioned. The thoughts of
the free intimacy and frankness of intercourse,
which University life encourages, were fresh
in his mind as one of the most precious sources
of knowledge of character. He looked back

Parentage and Early Years 19

with a mixture of pleasure and regret, that was
almost poignant, on the aspirations which had
then floated before himself and his companions.
More valuable than the knowledge of the
thought of the past was the experience of the
enthusiasms of his own time.

A few letters of congratulation on his first
class give an interesting picture of some of
George Grey's friends, of their high principle,
and of the way in which already his character
impressed those around him with a sense of
rectitude and sincerity. They show that a
deeply religious spirit prevailed amongst this
band of associates and formed the tie which
held them together for their mutual good :

Ulcombe, July 12, 1821.

MY DEAR GEORGE, — -I am only just returned,
after a month's absence from home. One of my first
and happiest works shall be to give you the congratu-
lations of one of your most attached friends upon the
honour you have done yourself, and us all, in your
late splendid examination. I am delighted to see
men like yourself at the top of a hill, because I am
quite certain that you will give out not only a light,
but a true and steady light. I like to see the world

c 2

2O Memoir of Sir George Grey

lift a man's head up when I am sure that his own
good sense and piety will keep his heart humble. I
have not time to write you a long letter ; but come
to Ulcombe, and I can tell you better then how
affectionately

I am your friend,

SAMUEL RICKARDS.

Highbury Hill, June 25, 1821.

MY DEAR GEORGE, — Accept my best congratu-
lations on your most triumphant success. In what-
ever light I look at it — whether in reference to your
own dear self, or to your College, or to the principles
you maintained in the University, I know not how to
be most pleased, and the aggregate of delight is great
indeed. Our good Thompson told me of your un-
bounded spirits during his visit to Oxford, and all
your friends are drawing the same from you like an
electric shock.

Very affectionately yours,

HENRY WILSON.

Ashbourn, November 14, 1821.

MY DEAR GREY, — It has indeed given me great
pleasure to think that all your attainments, and all
the honest fame with which they are accompanied,
will be devoted to the services of the best of Masters ;
and my next congratulations will, I hope, be on
your having taken Orders. The little experience I

Parentage and Early Years 21

have had convinces me that there is no employment
which pays so well, in calm and solid happiness, as
the care of a parish. But whatever your destination
may be, I hope you will be enabled to serve God in
it, and I am sure that no one ever served Him in
vain.

Yours very sincerely,

W. AUGUSTUS SHIRLEY.1

The deep strain of genuine and unostenta-
tious piety, which is shown in these letters,
proved that there existed in Oriel a spirit of
sincere religion. The ecclesiastical movement,
which, in a few years' time, made its head-
quarters in the College, was not a mere stirring
of dry bones. Oxford was by no means sunk
in religious apathy. There was a vigorous re-
ligious life, which aimed at personal holiness
and the quiet service of God in any position in
the world. This spirit, it may be admitted,
was net interested in ecclesiastical organisation.
It was personal and individual, and probably
had no answer for the questions which soon

1 Afterwards Fellow of New College and Bishop of Sodor
and Man.

22 Memoir of Sir George Grey

became momentous. Its aim was the edifica-
tion of the individual soul, not the organisation
of the ecclesiastical community. It was satis-
fied with the Church of England because the
Church of England satisfied the religious feel-
ings of the majority of the people of England.

With these opinions George Grey contem-
plated taking Holy Orders, and so entering on
a career in which he might labour for the
highest interests of his fellow-men. For this
purpose he studied theology for two years after
taking his degree. It would seem that more
mature consideration led him to think that his
temperament was unsuited for the strain of
parochial work. In May, 1823, he definitely
abandoned his intention of taking Orders. His
change of opinion seems to have been due to
great conscientiousness and scrupulousness, not
to any decided difficulties which he felt as to
the formularies of the Church of England.
He remained throughout his life a sincere and
loyal member of the Church ; but he always
took a large and liberal view of its spirit. He
was not interested in any ecclesiastical system

Parentage and Early Years 23

as such ; but he was drawn to the genuine
manifestation of religious feeling in whatever
form it was displayed. He came to the con-
clusion that he could be more useful as a lay-
man than as a clergyman.

This change of intention did not bring with
it any diminution of the religious fervour which
was always the basis of George Grey's charac-
ter and actions. His aim was still the same, —
to labour in the service of God : it was only
the exact sphere which was altered. He con-
stantly regarded his character as formed by the
grace of God working within him. His de-
cisions were made after seeking counsel of
God. His high spirits, his geniality and his
vivacity, sprang from a heart which was pur-
suing amidst all things a consistent walk with
God. His friends understood that, when he
laid aside his intention of taking Orders, it was
not because he had become more secular in his
opinions. One of his Oxford friends writes to
him in May, 1823 :

Your views in life, my dear friend, are altered. I

24 Memoir of Sir George Grey

will not send you cold congratulations on the change,
but earnest prayers that you may be enabled by the
good God (who I believe has guided your choice) to
continue doing good to others, as much as you have
done to me. Although your profession is not that of
the Church, you have a wide field before you, in
which example may operate powerfully, and induce
people to accept those precepts which they might
otherwise reject.

The two years thus spent in reflection and
theological reading were of great value in the
formation of George Grey's mind. They gave
him leisure for much reading, and fixed in him
a taste for literature, which is often lost by
those who betake themselves too early to
professional pursuits. To the last Sir George
Grey was a great reader and had a special
interest in theology. He always kept himself
abreast of modern criticism, and at the age of
eighty- two read with interest, and discussed
with acumen, a book so foreign to the tradi-
tions of his early education as Mr. Robertson
Smith's ' The Old Testament in the Jewish
Church.'

These years were also happy years to

Parentage and Early Years 25

George Grey in another way. He spent them
mostly at home with his father and mother, to
whom he was deeply attached. He was also
devoted to his sisters ; and, during this time
of quiet, his domestic affections were still more
strongly developed and became a marked
feature of his character. In his busiest days
Sir George Grey never forgot his home, or
neglected his home duties. He threw off the
pressure of public business in his own domestic
circle. He found time for the scrupulous dis-
charge of the affairs that concerned the well-
being of those around him. Though he
enjoyed society, he never allowed society to
absorb his energies. His ease, his sprightli-
ness, and geniality were even more conspicuous
in his private life than they were in public.
His own family circle enjoyed unreservedly in
daily life those graces of manner which made
him so popular in the House of Commons.

Moreover, at the end of 1822, George
Grey spent some time in foreign travel and
received the stimulus which travel never fails
to give to the cultivated mind. He went

26 Memoir of Sir George Grey

through France and along the Riviera, where
he wintered at Nice. It was shortly after his
return from his travels that he definitely made
up his mind to abandon his plan of taking
Orders. The two years that had elapsed since
he took his degree had been usefully spent.
He pursued a course of study with a high
object before him ; he gained increased know-
ledge of men and affairs, and saw much of the
world ; and he had the background of a happy
family circle, where he was useful in a thousand
ways to his parents, his brother, and sisters.
His knowledge, his sympathy, and his experi-
ence had harmoniously developed.

George Grey now chose a new profession.
In April, 1823, he settled in London to read
law, a pursuit which occupied him for the next
three years. His vacations were spent in
foreign travel in Switzerland and Italy. In
1826 he was called to the Bar, and his ability
rapidly brought him occupation. In August,
1827, he married Anna Sophia, eldest daughter
of the Right Rev. Hon. Henry Ryder, Bishop
of Lichfield, son of the first Lord Harrowby.

Parentage and Early Years 27

With his wife he lived a life of constant
companionship for fifty-five years.

In the spring of 1828 George Grey's
happiness was disturbed by the illness of his
father, who suffered from a serious and painful
affliction, which was pronounced incurable.
During long months of anguish the sufferer
showed unwavering patience. With touching
humility he bewailed his shortcomings and
committed himself to God. His times of
respite from pain were spent in devotion, and
his sole anxiety was for the welfare of those
whom he was to leave behind. A letter of
condolence from Lord Exmouth, who spoke
in high terms of Sir George Grey's services
in the navy, was found after his death with
this endorsement : ' This kind gratifying letter
was received July 21, 1828, but for fear of
reviving earthly vanity was not read a second
time. As, however, it may be some satisfac-
tion to my son to have it hereafter, I leave it
for him.' On October 3, 1828, he passed
peacefully away.

On his father's death, George Grey sue-

28 Memoir of Sir George Grey

ceeded to the baronetcy. He went back to
his work at the Bar, saddened, but sanctified,
by the teaching of the sick chamber. Increased
responsibilities towards his mother, his brother,
and his four sisters were now cast upon him.
The remembrance of his father's life and
character was a precious heritage, to which he
felt bound to contribute what he could.

The times were stirring, and the agitation
for parliamentary reform was moving the
country to its very foundations. Lord Grey
was the champion of the popular cause, and it
was difficult for one who bore the name of
Grey not to be immersed in politics. Sir
George Grey pursued his career at the Bar
with increasing success, though a political life
was more and more pressed upon him. When
Lord Grey's government was formed in 1830,
Lord Brougham, the Lord Chancellor, offered
Sir George the post of private secretary, which
was declined. In January, 1832, Mr. Charles
Grant, the Colonial Secretary, offered Sir
George a lucrative appointment in his own
profession, the Recordership of Singapore.

Parentage and Early Years 29

This also Sir George Grey refused. He still
intended to pursue his legal career in England.
But the contest over the Reform Bill was
agitating the country. Political questions were
everywhere rife, and Sir George Grey felt a
growing interest in the problems of England's
future. When the Reform Bill was passed, in
June, Sir George Grey resolved to enter
political life. He became a candidate for the
newly -enfranchised borough of Devonport,
where he was recommended to the electors by
his relationship to the great Whig statesman,
and by his father's connection with the interests
of a dockyard port. He began his canvass for
Devonport in August. His commanding pre-
sence, his genial manner, and his unaffected
affability made him an excellent candidate.
He was returned in December.

Sir George Grey made a considerable sacri-
fice in entering Parliament. He was by no
means a rich man, and had just entered on
a career in which his prospects were excel-
lent. He was too young to have established
himself at the Bar ; and he was too single-

30 Memoir of Sir George Grey

minded to enter Parliament without a resolve
to devote himself thoroughly to its duties.
Though he did not abandon his profession, he
loosened the ties which bound him to it. He
had learned that he had qualities which might
be useful in Parliament. He was seized with
the fervour which attracts most Englishmen
to public life. He frankly gave himself to his
country's service, that he might do for the
common good the best work that he was
capable of doing.

CHAPTER II

POLITICAL LIFE, 1833-1874

SIR GEORGE GREY entered political life in the
first reformed Parliament — an assembly which
marks a new epoch in the internal history of
England. Many looked upon its meeting with
undisguised alarm, and feared that all the
traditions of parliamentary procedure would
be swept away. There were many new
members — many untried men. The Whig
statesmen, who had conducted the struggle
for reform with conspicuous moderation and
excellent temper, felt that their first duty was
to maintain unbroken the continuity of parlia-
mentary life. Their opponents had prophesied
that a popular basis of representation would
diminish the legislative efficiency of Parlia-

32 Memoir of Sir George Grey

ment, and weaken the administrative strength
of the Government. These prophecies must be
disproved by an epoch of careful and judicious
administration. It was not necessary to seek
for new political ideas, or to develop far-
reaching schemes of policy. There were
arrears of long standing to be overtaken ; and
the details of the political and social organisa-
tion of England must be brought into accord-
ance with the ideas on which the Reform Bill
rested. The progress of legislation had been
checked by the long period of the war with
France, the disorganisation of commerce, and
the absorbing struggle for parliamentary
reform. During this period of comparative
inactivity, many questions had ripened for
solution, and the work of Parliament was
tolerably well defined. There was no need
of constructive statesmanship, but there was
great need of administrative capacity.

This situation of affairs presented itself to
Sir George Grey's mind, and he frankly
accepted it. The original idea with which he
approached politics remained foremost in his

Political Life, 1833-1874 33

mind throughout his life, and moulded his
political character. He was above all things
an administrator, seeking the work that had
to be done and doing it efficiently. He was
willing that the motive power in politics should
come from others : when work was to be done,
he was ready to do it. He entered Parliament
at a time when it was necessary to carry out
wisely and quietly many things that had been
already sufficiently discussed. During his
entire career, he was more interested in the
practical application of principles which he
approved, than in the search for new problems.
It is the great credit of the Whig party that
they set themselves to carry out in every
branch of administration the ideas which
prompted the Reform Bill, and that they did so
with patient sagacity and untiring zeal.

The first question with which Lord Grey's
Government had to deal was the condition of
Ireland. O'Connell had set on foot an agita-
tion for the repeal of the Union : there was
much agrarian discontent, and outrages conse-
quently prevailed. The Government brought

D

34 Memoir of Sir George Grey

in a Bill for the Suppression of Disturbances,
which certainly did not err on the side of weak-
ness. It was justified by the lawlessness of the
country, where nine thousand crimes of
personal violence and destruction of property
had been committed during the previous year.
The Bill empowered the Lord- Lieutenant to
forbid objectionable meetings, and to introduce
martial law into proclaimed districts. Then, as
always, it was abhorrent to the feelings of very
many men in Parliament to pass a Bill which
interfered with personal liberty. It was only
to be defended on the ground of necessity ; and
there was no escape from its recognition. In
the impassioned debate which marked the first
reading of the Bill, Sir George Grey made his
maiden speech on March i. He spoke with
transparent simplicity and the ingenuousness of
deep feeling. He regretted the necessity for
this stringent Bill ; but he felt that the blood-
shed in Ireland would rest on their heads if
they refused to strengthen the hands of the
Government in putting down crime. It was
said that English members were ready to

Political Life, 1833-1874 35

apply to Ireland measures which they would
not dream of applying to England. He could
only say that, if a similar state of things existed
in England, he would support similar remedies.
He deprecated inflammatory speeches on so
serious a matter. ' Ministers undertake a
fearful responsibility ; but I believe that they
are aware of its extent and are prepared to
incur it.' It was not the speech of a great
orator ; but it was the utterance of a mind
actuated by integrity of purpose in the midst
of a conflict of feelings.

Sir George Grey showed no anxiety to
enhance at once the reputation which his first
speech gained for him. He did not speak
again during the Session of 1833, and only
twice addressed the House briefly in 1834.
It is noticeable that the matters which chiefly
interested him were those concerning religious
equality. A measure for allowing Dissenters
to perform marriages in their own chapels with
their own rites, was introduced by Lord John
Russell. Sir George Grey supported this Bill
on the broad ground that it was ' the first step

D 2

36 Memoir of Sir George Grey

towards concession to Dissenters of their just
claims.' He strove throughout his whole
career to allow every form of religious zeal to
work unimpeded by restrictions. He did so,
not from any motives of political expediency,
but because he believed religion to be some-
thing higher than ecclesiastical systems.
Different systems, he held, commended them-
selves to different minds ; and whatever he
himself might think about them, he judged
that the cause of religion was best promoted
by allowing all systems to work unrestrained.

In 1834 Lord Grey resigned the office of
Premier, and was succeeded, on July 18, by
Lord Melbourne. Parliament had but a short
time to sit, and on its prorogation Sir George
Grey went to Paris for a holiday. While there
he was surprised by the offer of the post of
Under-Secretary for the Colonies ; the Secre-
tary of State being Mr. Charles Grant. For
a time he hesitated. He was making a consider-
able income at the Bar, and could ill afford to
sacrifice a career in which success seemed well
assured. By accepting office he would defi-

Political Life, 1833-1874 37

nitely abandon the Bar, and commit himself to
the uncertainties of official life. Though he
had not sat long in Parliament, he had shown
the qualities necessary for an administrative
career. After mature deliberation he chose
the sphere of wider usefulness. He did so
contrary to the advice of his legal friends ; and
he did so with the knowledge that he was
sacrificing his own pecuniary interests. He
knew that he was choosing the more difficult
path, in which the burden of responsibility was
greater, and the worldly gain was less. How
his friends regarded this step may be seen by
an extract from a letter of Lord Grey to his
mother, the Dowager Lady Grey, in December,
1836:

George is establishing a high character, both in
his office and in Parliament ; and you have every
reason to be proud of him. His health, I trust, will
stand the fatigue which a conscientious feeling of
duty will impose upon him more than on others. But
the trade of politics, always a bad one, is now worse
than ever ; and I cannot help regretting that he left
a profession which afforded so much better pro-
spects, and in which he might have looked to the
highest distinction.

38 Memoir of Sir George Grey

Sir George Grey entered upon the work of
his department with such zeal that his health
began to suffer almost immediately. He had
naturally a nervous, sensitive, and impression-
able temperament, and had to learn by experi-
ence how to bear the responsibility and anxiety
of office. He schooled himself in time to
recognise the limits of human forethought and
human industry ; but it required a strong and
decided effort. He was regarded in later life
as a cool and clear-headed official ; but he had
to train himself diligently for this purpose. It
was by no means a natural gift. He was
naturally quick and impulsive, and the qualities
which distinguished him as an administrator
were the result of careful self-discipline. His
first experience of official life brought on a low
fever, from which he was only recovering in
November, 1834, when William IV. suddenly
dismissed Lord Melbourne from office, on the
ground that Lord Althorp's removal to the
House of Lords had irreparably damaged
the position of the Government in the House
of Commons. A new election took place in

Political Life, 1833-1874 39

December, and Sir George Grey was again
returned for Devonport.

In the struggle which rapidly ousted Sir
Robert Peel from power, Sir George Grey
took no part. The only thing that he did in
Opposition was to move, on March n, 1835,
for a Committee to inquire into the means to
stop bribery at elections. In making his
motion he suggested the limitation of polling
to one day instead of two, and expressed his
desire to see intimidation subjected to criminal
penalties. He confessed that he moved for
this Committee in order that everything pos-
sible might be tried before recourse to the
ballot, which Mr. Grote at that period urged
with philosophic earnestness. A few days later
he spoke in favour of entertaining a petition
against the Chatham election, on the ground of
undue interference on the part of Government
officials. He spoke with reluctance, but was
bound to say, from his own experience at
Devonport, 'that the zeal of certain officers
often outran their discretion, and that in
serving the existing Government they did not

4O Memoir of Sir George Grey

stop to consider the freedom of those placed
under them.' Nothing was done at that time
to secure greater purity in election. Parlia-
ment was engaged in party warfare, which left
no time for matters of detail. But Sir George
Grey's Committee was one of the move-
ments which prepared the way for the Act of
1841.

The victory of the Whigs was not long in
coming. On April 6 Sir Robert Peel was
driven to resign, and Lord Melbourne returned
to office. Sir George Grey went back to his
former place of Under-Secretary for the Colo-
nies. But this post had become more import-
ant, as the Secretary of State, Mr. Charles
Grant, was raised to the House of Lords as
Lord Glenelg, and Sir George Grey was left
to represent his department in the House of
Commons.

His first work in a Ministerial capacity was
done in such a manner as to win at once the
respect of the House, and to show Lord Mel-
bourne that he had gained a valuable colleague.
One of the great achievements of the Session

Political Life, 1833-1874 41

of 1833 was tne abolition of slavery in the
British Colonies, for which the nation had been
willing to pay twenty million pounds. It was
a subject which had been long and fiercely
contested. There were prophecies, on the one
hand, that the measure would prove mis-
chievous to the slaves themselves and disas-
trous to the Colonies. There was fear, on the
other hand, that the lukewarmness or negli-
gence of officials might render nugatory the
excellent intentions with which the Bill had
been passed. The ist of August, 1834, had
been fixed as the day on which the negroes
were to pass from a condition of slavery to one
of apprenticeship. This process was watched
in England by jealous eyes ; indeed it was
clear that the West Indian planters needed
watching. The philanthropic party, headed by
Mr. Fowell Buxton, were not content with the
progress of affairs. On June 19 Mr. Fowell
Buxton moved for a Committee ' to inquire
whether the conditions of the grant of
^20,000,000 for the abolition of slavery had
been complied with.'

42 Memoir of Sir George Grey

The proposal was somewhat embarrassing.
It was necessary for the Government to oppose
an inquiry into a state of things that had not
yet lasted ten months, and, at the same time,
to assure their House of their zeal in the
matter. Sir George Grey answered Mr.
Buxton by a clear statement of facts. He
stated the difficulties which had to be faced,
and the ways in which he proposed to meet
them. He gave a careful estimate of the good
results which had already followed from the
abolition, and expressed his own hopes for the
future. His speech entirely took the House
by surprise. Not only was mastery of details
combined with clearness of statement, but a
noble spirit of disciplined enthusiasm breathed
through his words. The House was at once
convinced that the management of West Indian
affairs could not be in fitter hands. Doubts
were dispelled, and the speeches that followed
were almost confined to expressions of satisfac-
tion. Perhaps few compliments have ever
been more unreserved than that now paid to
Sir George Grey by Mr. O'Connell. He

Political Life, 1833-1874 43

declared himself satisfied ' not only by the pro-
priety and accuracy of the materials of which
the speech was composed, but also by the
liberal spirit which pervaded and gave a
character to every passage of it.' Mr. Buxton
remarked that the speech of Sir George Grey
' had made a deep impression in the House,'
and he withdrew his motion. Sir George
Grey had shown his real character to the
House, and earned its confidence.

The following letter of a friend, though a
political opponent, may be taken as expressing
the general feeling at the first display of Sir
George Grey's power. It was addressed to
Lady Grey by her cousin, Lord Sandon, after-
wards second Earl of Harrowby :

Friday Night: June 19, 1835.

I cannot forbear, before I go to bed, writing you
a few lines to say with what delight I, in common
with the whole House of Commons, heard your
husband this evening. He spoke admirably ; with
great self-possession though with perfect modesty ;
with great spirit and animation, though with per-
fect gentleness and playfulness, so as to show
up his opponent without wounding him. He has

44 Memoir of Sir George Grey

i ndeed earned golden opinions, and has given him-
self the first rank on that bench.

While I felt peculiar pleasure in listening to him
and to the general expression of approbation, for
your sake and his own, my pleasure was heightened
by feeling that increased influence was given to an
honourable and religious man, and I derived comfort
on public grounds from the reflection. In these
days, when influence seems so independent of
character, I felt his success to be a public blessing.

It is characteristic of Sir George Grey that
he did not presume upon the good opinion
which he had secured on all sides. He felt
that the duty of an official was to discharge
faithfully the duties of his office. He had no
wish to magnify himself, but devoted himself
to administrative details. There were pressing
questions in the Colonial Office — questions
affecting the basis of the relations between
England and her Colonies. Canada was
divided into two provinces, each possessing
representative institutions. The province of
Lower Canada was dissatisfied with the inter-
ference of the English Government, and
demanded more freedom in the conduct of her

Political Life, 1833-1874 45

own affairs. For four years this demand was
backed by a refusal to vote the necessary sup-
plies. The Government was willing to make
changes in the direction of the demands of the
Colonists. But the grievances of Lower
Canada were not endorsed by the province of
Upper Canada, and it was not judged wise to
grant demands, which were enforced by the
high-handed procedure of stopping the supplies.
The discontented Canadians had friends in
Parliament. Sir William Moles worth, on the
ground of democratic principles, favoured a
complete severance of Canada from England.
Mr. Roebuck, who was the agent of Canada
in England, persistently fought the cause of
his employers. During the Sessions 1836-38
Sir George Grey confined his speeches to
Canadian affairs. He did good service to the
Government by his command of details respect-
ing the Canadian question, and by the resolute,
yet moderate, way in which he enforced the
wisdom of a decided attitude towards mutinous
and unreasonable discontent. In December,
1837, Lower Canada rose in futile revolt, and

46 Memoir of Sir George Grey

on the re-assembling of Parliament in January,
1838, Lord John Russell moved the suspension
of the Canadian Constitution, and announced
that the Government intended to send out
Lord Durham as Commissioner to settle the
disturbance and to redress grievances.

The policy of the Government met with
severe criticism, and in the House of Commons
Sir William Molesworth brought forward a
motion of want of confidence in Lord Glenelg
as Colonial Secretary. On March 6 Sir
George Grey delivered what was probably his
cleverest speech in the House of Commons.
Lord Glenelg's policy had been somewhat
undecided, and his despatches were subjected
to severe and, in some points, unanswerable
criticism. Sir George Grey had not a very
strong case for the defence ; but his chivalry
was enlisted in behalf of his superior, and he
displayed his forensic ability in pleading for the
general integrity of his purpose. He showed
his skill as a debater by answering, point by
point, the arguments which had been advanced
during the debate ; and, contrary to his wont,

Political Life, 1833 1874 47

ended his speech by a vigorous attack upon
Mr. Stanley, who was one of Lord Glenelg's
chief assailants. For its immediate purpose
the speech was admirable, and its effect on the
course of the debate was powerful. It esta-
blished Sir George Grey's influence in the House
of Commons, and raised him to the first rank
of parliamentary debaters. His extreme readi-
ness on an emergency was recognised ; but it
is noticeable that he did not often choose to
display it.

The motion of censure on Lord Glenelg
was defeated, and for the remainder of the
year Sir George Grey was again busied with
the affairs of Canada. The high-handed con-
duct of Lord Durham was violently attacked
by Lord Brougham in the House of Lords,
and the Ministry were compelled to disallow
an ordinance which he had issued. Lord
Durham thereupon resigned his post. The
Ministry were taunted with abandoning the
Commissioner whom they had specially chosen,
and were somewhat discredited. Other Colonial
difficulties were soon felt. Several of the West

48 Memoir of Sir George Grey

Indian Colonies were disaffected, and Lord
Glenelg's policy towards them was severely
criticised. In the beginning of the Session of
1839 Lord Glenelg resigned his post as
Colonial Secretary, and was succeeded by
Lord Normanby. Sir George Grey did not
continue at the Colonial Office under Lord
Normanby; but, on February 14, was ad-
vanced to the post of Judge- Advocate-General,
which made him a member of the Privy
Council. Still Colonial questions chiefly occu-
pied his attention, and in April he advocated,
in the House of Commons, a measure for
suspending the Constitution of Jamaica. The
Bill was ultimately carried only by a majority
of five, and Lord Melbourne felt bound to
resign. Sir Robert Peel, however, declined
to form a Ministry, unless the Queen changed
her Ladies of the Bedchamber. Lord Mel-
bourne was recalled to office, and his Ministry,
as reconstituted, lasted for two years more.

The chief change in the Ministry was the
transference of Lord John Russell to the
Colonial Office, and of Lord Normanby to the

Political Life, 1833-1874 49

Home Office. As this change seemed insuffi-
cient to strengthen a weak Ministry, Lord
Howick and Mr. Wood resigned. Sir George
Grey, though he retained his office, was un-
willing to enter the Cabinet. The Govern-
ment was not strong, and, at the beginning of
the Session of 1840, Sir John Yarde Duller
brought forward a motion of want of confi-
dence. In the course of the debate Sir George
Grey made a vigorous speech in defence of the
policy of the Government. He ended by a
vindication of Whig principles as founded on
' progressive improvement,' and sketched the
lines on which progress was most sure. It is
one of the few speeches in which he travelled
into a consideration of general principles. His
speeches, as a rule; were addressed solely to
the House, and dealt strictly with the matter
in hand. They were characterised by busi-
nesslike capacity rather than rhetorical skill.

Lord Melbourne's Ministry survived the
Session of 1840, but fell in 1841, when Sir
Robert Peel came into power. Sir George
Grey took no prominent part in the debates

E

50 Memoir of Sir George Grey

about the great question which made Peel's
Ministry famous — the repeal of the Corn Laws.
He contented himself with criticising the minor
measures of the Government, and interested
himself in questions of social reform. He
spoke about education, of which he was a
warm advocate, and about the condition of
those employed in factories. He warmly
supported Lord Ashley in his attempt to limit
the hours of labour to ten a day in the case
of women and children. Lord Ashley wrote
and thanked him heartily for his assistance,
saying, ' You have done nobly : thank God
for it.' Studiously fair and moderate, he
always professed his entire confidence in the
good sense of the working classes, at a time
when their demands were often viewed with
apprehension. As a private member he in-
troduced a Bill for the Erection of Public
Baths and Washhouses in Towns. This Bill
afterwards became law, and conferred a great
boon upon the poor.

The other questions in which Sir George
Grey showed a marked interest were eccle-

Political Life, 1833-1874 51

siastical — where he always took a decidedly
liberal view. He was especially energetic in
opposing the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill, and
moved a series of amendments which aimed
at the entire abolition of their jurisdiction.
Similarly he supported Sir Robert Peel's pro-
posal to make a grant to the Roman Catholics
of Maynooth. The Protestant spirit of the
country was deeply moved by this proposal,
and petitions against it showered in from every
side. There was much intemperate talking
and many prophecies of evil. Sir George
Grey's traditions were strongly Protestant ;
but his sense of justice was equally strong.
He had already expressed himself boldly
against the exclusive establishment of the
Protestant Church in Ireland. He had ad-
vocated a larger measure of Catholic emanci-
pation, and avowed his hopelessness of any
remedies which left a crying injustice un-
touched. In his speech in 1845 on tne
Maynooth grant he said :

It is unjust, impolitic, and unwise to disregard
the opinions of the great majority of the people, and

E 2

52 Memoir of Sir George Grey

exclusively to maintain, in a Catholic country, a
Protestant Church. ... I do not think that we are
precluded by our duty to God from contributing to
the support of tenets which we may think erroneous.

Sir George Grey's action in this matter was
not popular with his constituents, who loudly
expressed their dissatisfaction. Some of his
letters, addressed to them on this subject, show
the clearness of his opinions, and the reasonable
turn of his mind. To a dissenter who for-
warded a petition opposing the Maynooth
grant, on the ground of objection to all
endowments, he replied as follows :

I fully admit the distinction between the ground
taken in this and other similar petitions of objections
to all State establishments of religion and that of
mere opposition to Roman Catholics. On the latter
ground I am happy to believe that no real difference
of opinion exists between myself and many who yet
object to the votes which I have given. I am as
strongly attached as they are to the principles of the
Reformation and Protestantism ; and they are, I
believe, as fully opposed as I am to the perpetuation
of the injustice done to the Roman Catholics of
Ireland by the maintenance of an exclusive Church
Establishment in that country, opposed to the feel-
ings and tenets of the great body of the people. I

Political Life, 1833-1874 53

confess, however, that I cannot concur in the opinion
that all State endowments for religion are contrary
to sound Scripture. If I were convinced of this, I
need not say that the question would cease with me
to be one of any doubt But I feel that this, like
many other questions, has been left for the considera-
tion and decision of different countries and govern-
ments, to be determined, not by any inflexible rule
applicable to all cases, but according to the varying
circumstances of each case. In America, for instance,
I should be far from thinking it expedient to endea-
vour to adopt the principle of State endowment
contrary to the habits and practices of that country.
Here I should deprecate an attempt to subvert exist-
ing establishments on the general ground of their
being sinful ; and seeing how deeply the principle of
endowment is mixed up with our institutions, it
appears to me vain to expect that it can be speedily
uprooted. This being my impression, I have to con-
sider how in Ireland the admitted injustice and
inequality of which the Irish people complain can be
remedied. My own remedy would be to treat
Ireland, as it is in point of fact, as a Roman Catholic
country, and to let the people have their own Church
there. On this ground I voted without hesitation in
favour of the proposals that the funds required for
Maynooth should be taken from the Irish Established
Church. This motion was rejected, and if, on this
rejection, I had opposed the further progress of the
Bill, I feel that I should have lent my aid to the

54 Memoir of Sir George Grey

perpetuation of an injustice and inequality in the
mode of treating our Irish fellow-subjects to which I
could not conscientiously make myself a party.

This letter may be taken as a sample of
the qualities which characterise his speeches.
They never rise to fervid eloquence. They
rarely enter upon general principles capable of
large extension in the future. But they are
distinguished by mastery of details and by
sobriety of judgment. Sir George Grey never
expressed an opinion upon general grounds, or
pursued an assumed ideal of human society.
He faced questions as they arose, and did his
utmost to gain a full knowledge of actual facts
before he formed his judgment. Though he
abandoned the Bar at an early age, he carried
into politics a mind that never forgot its legal
training. He took little interest in political
speculation, but regarded politics as concerned
with practical questions of government. He
set himself to discover, not the best possible
solution, but the solution which was most
likely to be attained. Before deciding on his
aim, he considered the means of attaining it,

Political Life, 1833-1874 55

and never asked for more than was practicable.
He spared no pains in mastering a subject, and
never spoke on subjects with which he was
not familiar. The care which he took in
forming his own conclusions made his speeches
forcible, because he always had his arguments
under his command, and could reproduce before
others the steps by which he had himself
travelled. He clearly marshalled his facts,
and never overstated his case. His conclu-
sion was always a practical conclusion ; and
the arguments by which it was enforced were
practical arguments. His sincerity, fairness,
and openness of mind at once struck his
listeners, and robbed them of all suspicion.

On the principle involved in the grant to
the College of Maynooth — the recognition of
the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland — Sir
George Grey entertained the strongest and
most advanced opinions. While he was in
favour of upholding order in Ireland by strong
measures, when strong measures were required,
he was keenly alive to the justice of the Irish
complaints. He regarded the existence of the

56 Memoir of Sir George Grey

Established Church in Ireland as an outrage
on the convictions of the Irish people. He
put aside all minor and technical considera-
tions, and urged that the State had no right
to maintain a system which the majority of
the people did not accept. In a speech in
Parliament, in 1845, ^e used the following
forcible language :

By an act of arbitrary and unjustifiable force,
England had deprived the Roman Catholic clergy ot
Ireland of their revenues, and had transferred them
to others. By a strange misnomer they called that
iniquitous proceeding the Protestant Reformation in
Ireland, a country where the people still remained
attached to their ancient faith. By an equally
strange misnomer, by a strange contradiction in
terms, they called the clergy of the reformed faith, to
whom the ecclesiastical revenues of the country were
transferred — they called them the Church of Ireland.

Such a statement of facts was far in advance of
the historical conceptions of the time.

These years in which Sir George Grey was
in Opposition were amongst the happiest of his
private life. He spent much time in foreign
travel, which always afforded him infinite

Political Life, i833_i874 57

delight. His interests were manifold, but what
pleased him most were the beauties of nature ;
and his chief study was the social condition
of the people amongst whom he went. His
artistic sensibility was never strongly developed.
He admired pictures and architecture, when
they came in his way, but he did not deeply
feel their power. He rejoiced in natural
scenery and felt its charm as he felt the sun-
shine. But he did not linger over any one
place, nor lend himself to any one deep im-
pression. He was content with a sudden sense
of exhilaration, and turned rapidly to a new
scene and a fresh impulse. He was always
accompanied in his journeys by his wife, who
shared his keen enjoyment of foreign travel.
It is characteristic of his attachment to his
family life that, in the summer of 1844, he
took, as his travelling companion, his only son,
George Henry, a boy of nine years old. He
was always an affectionate and devoted father,
entering into all his son's pursuits, making him
his companion whenever possible, treating him
with a joyous frankness, and winning warm

58 Memoir of Sir George Grey

admiration in return. Throughout his life
nothing gave him keener pleasure than the
companionship of the young. His ready sym-
pathy and his unfailing good humour made him
beloved by them, and his entire simplicity of
character made it no effort for him to interest
both himself and them by his conversation.
His readiness to feel and to express his feelings
about the little incidents of private life con-
trasted with the caution and reserve of his
public career. He had a boundless sense of
fun, quick observation, and untiring interest.
He would take as much pains to answer a
boy's question as he would to study a political
problem. There was no sense of unbending in
his intercourse with those younger than him-
self. All was entire frankness, and he was as
ready as they were to be amused or interested.
' One of my earliest recollections,' writes a lady
who knew him in her girlhood, ' is the delight
with which the announcement that Sir George
was coming was ever hailed, and the devotion—-
for I can call it nothing else — which his bright
and joyous presence excited in all our hearts —

Political Life, 1833-1874 59

a delight only equalled by his goodness and
kindness to us all in the midst of all his work.'

The year 1845 brought about a change in
Sir George Grey's domestic life. By the death
of his uncle, General Sir Henry Grey, he
became possessor of the Fallodon estate, and
entered upon the pleasures and responsibilities
of a country life. Fallodon became to him a
happy home, and his usefulness was for many
years to be felt in its neighbourhood. But at
first he scarcely had time to settle down before
political questions absorbed his energies. In
December, 1845, England heard with astonish-
ment that Sir Robert Peel intended to summon
Parliament early in January, to propose the
repeal of the Corn Laws. Soon the news
spread that there were dissensions in the
Cabinet, and Lord John Russell was sent for
to form a new Ministry. Sir George Grey
was summoned to London to take part in the
deliberations. They were long and serious,
but ended in Lord John Russell declining the
task. Sir Robert Peel succeeded in passing
the repeal of the Corn Laws ; but his Govern-

60 Memoir of Sir George Grey

ment was so weakened that in June, 1846, he
resigned. Lord John Russell succeeded him,
and Sir George Grey was chosen for the
onerous office of Home Secretary, a post which
he held with slight interruption for nearly twenty
years, and which he made his own as few
Ministers have ever done.

It is almost needless to point out that the
Home Office entails a more constant responsi-
bility than any other post — a responsibility,
moreover, which affords few opportunities for
any great display. The pressure of the work
of other departments of Government may
be greater on emergencies ; but it is not so
continuous. The proceedings of other Ministers
are only subjected in their details to critics with
special knowledge, and only attract general
attention on occasions. The business of the
Home Office is concerned with matters of
which every one supposes himself to be a com-
petent judge. Its affairs are conducted in full
publicity, and the voice of discontent, even
about the most trivial matter, makes itself
heard at once in the House of Commons.

Political Life, 1833-1874 61

In the Home Office Sir George Grey found
a sphere which eminently suited his peculiar
gifts. Careful in action and moderate in ex-
pression, he had the qualities which are espe-
cially needed for an administrator under a
constitutional Government. He inspired general
confidence, both in the country at large and in
the House of Commons, which he thoroughly
understood. During his tenure of office it may
be said that the internal administration of
England was so conducted as to be a strength
to the Cabinets in which he served. He never
invited opposition, or exposed himself readily
to attack. When questions were asked in the
House of Commons, he answered them, cau-
tiously and briefly, but always directly. He
never attempted to be smart ; he never tried
to put down a troublesome questioner. He
gave, in a pleasant way, a short, businesslike
answer, which was generally sufficient. There
is no word of bitterness to be found in any of
his speeches, nothing which could wound an
opponent or leave a sting behind.

The following sketch of Sir George Grey,

62 Memoir of Sir George Grey

by the pen of a political opponent, written in
1841, shows how his character disarmed all
personal bitterness towards himself : 1

He is a very superior man, whose usefulness,
ability, and gentlemanly urbanity contrast favourably
with the qualities of other members of his party. I
speak of him in his personal capacity, with reference
to his demeanour in the House, and his rank and
estimation as a talking member ; and I do not
extend my approbation to his politics. This I can
safely say, that every action and external symptom,
if such inferential proofs are to be relied on, shows
him to be an honest man, and to be sincere in the
opinions — such as they may be — which he has taken
up. I am by no means sure that I am right in
attributing to him that he entertains sentiments tend-
ing towards the theory of democracy, as he is usually
apt to confine himself to practical views of the ques-
tions that come before him ; yet, every now and
then, I have thought that I could detect such opinions
oozing out unawares.

Sir George Grey is a very good debater ; nay, one
might almost say a powerful speaker, were it not for
the extreme rapidity of his utterance, which prevents
him from being sufficiently emphatic, and from duly
enforcing his points upon the House. In fact, it
requires a mind somewhat above the ordinary medium
of House of Commons intelligence to follow his

1 From the Observer newspaper.

Political Life, 1833-1874 63

arguments without extreme attention. For his
rapidity does not proceed from a mere superabund-
ance of words, as is the case with many speakers on
either side, but from the extreme copiousness of his
ideas, which force themselves into utterance with a
fluency that defies all attempts at chaining them
down by the ordinary expedients of orators. His
views and language are always original ; evidently
the coinage of his own intellect ; not merely borrowed
for the nonce, as those of many noted debaters are,
from the political text-book of his party. They also
are evidently quite spontaneous — the result of the
thought of the moment. He never prepares his
speeches, and they, therefore, have an air of freshness
and sincerity that renders them more effective.
However well chosen may be the language, or how-
ever happy the illustration, they all seem to be the off-
spring of the occasion ; and, there being no appearance
of a desire to dazzle or entrap his audience, they are
more disposed to listen and more likely to be pleased.
In this respect he is a superior speaker to Mr. Macau-
lay ; for although his speeches, when read, will not
compare with that gentleman's for polish and
brilliancy, yet, when delivered, they are far more
powerful, because they seem to come direct from the
feelings, and are freed from the monotony which
comes from laborious recollection. I consider Sir
George Grey the most rapid speaker in the House,
although Mr. Shiel generally enjoys that enviable
distinction. Mr. Shiel appears to speak more

64 Memoir of Sir George Grey

rapidly ; but after he has shot out two or three
sentences, as boys shoot peas from a tube, he pauses
to take breath and so loses time. Sir George Grey's
style, on the contrary, is continuous ; and I think he
speaks more ideas than Mr. Shiel. The material of
his speeches is very different from that of either
Mr. Macaulay or Mr. Shiel. It consists chiefly of
sound, practicable argument on the question at issue,
whether it be the principles of measures or the con-
duct of men. He aims at none of the polished and
brilliant sentence-making of the one, or the barbed-
dart forging of the other ; yet, without any pretension
to eloquence, his language is elevated, and his style
grammatical and correct, sometimes even eloquent.

His person and manners decidedly prepossess one
in his favour. There is a peculiar and unusual air of
good breeding and amiability about him, combined
with considerable dignity. At the first glance you
perceive that he is a gentleman, in mind and feeling,
as well as in birth and station. He is tall — full six
feet, if not more — and well, though not symmetrically,
made. His face is decidedly handsome, though more
in its general expression of mild manliness than in
particular beauty or regularity of beauty. The com-
plexion is somewhat of a pale olive, slightly em-
browned, the hair dark, and the teeth brilliant.
The forehead is high and intellectual, and the mouth
very well formed, and expressive of general amiability
of character, and a disposition to appreciate humour,
if not to originate it. But the chief characteristic of

Political Life, 1833-1874 65

the face lies in the brilliancy and intelligence of the
eyes, which are dark and very capable of meaning.

In the foregoing remarks I have spoken very
favourably of the personal qualities of Sir George
Grey ; but not more so than is justifiable, for he is a
very great favourite in the House on the qualities
which I have ascribed to him.

These impressions of a contemporary are
borne out by reference to the pages of
' Hansard.' Sir George Grey's speeches were
all of them addressed exclusively to the House
of Commons, and were directed solely to the
immediate question. The opinions which they
express were carefully formed, and the general
outline of the speech was clearly before the
speaker ; but the expression was left to the
moment. The sentences are long, as was
natural to a rapid speaker. The speeches
have evidently suffered at the reporters' hands.
The speaker's aim was to be clear and definite :
to be convincing by an appeal to the logic of
facts. The rhetorical effect lay not so much in
the language as in the earnestness and vivacity
of the speaker's manner. His listeners felt
that he had mastered the subject, that he had

66 Memoir of Sir George Grey

thought out his opinion, that he was strongly
convinced on moral as well as intellectual
grounds. They lent themselves readily to
hear the straightforward explanation of a pro-
cess which they already knew to be sincere.
Sir George Grey was a debater, and not an
orator. He appealed to the House of Commons
on practical questions, and always with effect.

Sir George Grey had an onerous task at
the Home Office. The famine in Ireland
required exceptional measures to meet the
distress. Many questions concerning the Irish
Poor Law needed consideration. The state of
prisons and of secondary punishment required
amendment. Sir George Grey was busily
engaged in all these matters. The Convict
Discipline Bill, which substituted for transpor-
tation abroad a method of employing prisoners
at public works at home, was under his charge,
though the principles upon which the measure
was founded were chiefly due to his cousin,
Lord Grey. In these measures Sir George
Grey's energies were employed till the disso-
lution of Parliament in July, 1847.

Political Life, 1833-1874 67

The dissolution brought a great change
to Sir George Grey's parliamentary plans.
Hitherto he had enjoyed a peaceful seat at
Devonport. But his change of abode from
London to Northumberland, pointed him out as
an excellent candidate to the Liberals of North
Northumberland. The electioneering contest,
over a large and scattered constituency, in a
somewhat inaccessible district, was an arduous
undertaking. But Sir George Grey entered
into it with thorough zest, and showed himself
an excellent candidate for an uphill fight. His
real geniality made the work of canvassing a
pleasure to him. He enjoyed long rides over
the beautiful county of Northumberland, in the
companionship of his son, and used to say that
he was thankful for a motive which led him to
visit places, which otherwise he would never
have seen. He was genuinely glad to make
the acquaintance of the farmers, and learn their
opinions. He could talk pleasantly with all
manner of men, and gleaned much from his
intercourse with them. He was moved by the
warm expressions of friendliness which greeted

F 2

68 Memoir of Sir George Grey

him. He was glad of an opportunity which
made him familiar with the actual facts of his
own neighbourhood. His pleasant manner, his
readiness of speech, his fine appearance, made
him a universal favourite, and he thoroughly
entered into the spirit of a contested election.
He would say, laughingly, in his later years
that personally he regretted the abolition of the
hustings, and had always enjoyed the proceed-
ings of his nomination days. His unfailing
good humour, his sense of fun, his quickness at
seeing the temper of the crowd, fitted him
admirably to address an unruly audience ; and
he felt a keen pleasure in passing joyously
through an ordeal before which many men
quailed.

Sir George Grey had given up a secure
seat at Devonport to fight an electioneering
battle in North Northumberland. His success
was due to his personal qualities, and he re-
turned to the House of Commons with the
lustre of having won a great victory for his
party. The new Parliament was quickly sum-
moned for business in November, 1847. There

Political Life, 1833-1874 69

were many questions of pressing importance.
A commercial crisis paralysed the industries of
the country. In Ireland a new party had been
organised, which advocated recourse to stronger
measures than the ' moral force ' whereby
O'Connell strove to redress Irish grievances.
European politics showed signs of a coming
disturbance. Soon after Parliament met, Sir
George Grey had to discharge the unpleasant
duty of bringing in a Bill for the Prevention of
Crimes and Outrages in Ireland. He did this
in a speech which occupied two hours and a
half, and the moderation and fairness with
which he stated the facts, were recognised by
the Irish members in the House. This studious
moderation produced excellent fruits in the
debate which followed, which was characterised
by good temper and courtesy on the part of all
speakers.

The year 1 848 was one which severely tried
the strength of the Administration. The revo-
lution in Paris in February, and the formation
of a French Republic, set an example which
was largely followed on the Continent. The

yo Memoir of Sir George Grey

leaders of the Irish party planned an armed
rising, and Mr. Smith O'Brien went to Paris to
seek for French help. Seditious speeches were
loudly heard in Ireland, and in England many
elements of social discontent gathered together
and threatened to become formidable. Monster
meetings were held in many large towns to
express sympathy with the French, and news
of riots poured daily into the Home Office.

The discontented classes in England took
as their cry ' The People's Charter,' which had
been set on foot as the expression of social
distress in 1838. The ' People's Charter ' de-
manded universal suffrage, vote by ballot,
annual Parliaments, the payment of members
and the abolition of their property qualification.
The movement in 1839 lost itself in riots, till
it gradually died away before the adverse
public opinion aroused by disorderly conduct.
But the general excitement of 1848 gave it
new vigour, and the leaders of the movement
calculated upon striking terror into Parliament
by an overwhelming display of numbers. A
meeting was summoned to assemble on Ken-

Political Life, 1833-1874 71

nington Common on April 10, and carry to the
doors of the House of Commons a petition
signed by five millions of the people. Great
alarm was felt in London at this announcement.
News came daily of revolutions in Austria,
Prussia, Lombardy, and other States. Chartist
meetings were held in many parts of England.
There were great apprehensions of a serious
outbreak in Ireland. A false step on the part
of the Government, any appearance of weak-
ness or alarm, would have proved fatal to the
peace of the country.

In this emergency Sir George Grey showed
his strongest qualities — a clear, cool head, great
capacity for organisation, a firm and dignified
bearing, and an admirable perception of the
temper of the people. In concert with the
Duke of Wellington, who was Commander-in -
Chief, he took measures for the preservation of
public order. He aimed at making his measures
effectual, with the least possible display. He
trusted not so much to military force as to
enlist, on the side of order, the sympathies of
all classes. London was mapped out into

72 Memoir of Sir George Grey

districts, and the peaceable citizens were sworn
in as special constables. On April 6 a notice
was issued, declaring the proposed meeting to
be illegal, as tending to cause terror and alarm,
and calling upon all well-disposed persons not to
attend it. The intention of presenting a petition
to Parliament in excessive numbers was de-
clared illegal, though the constitutional right to
meet and petition was respected. A deputation
from the National Convention, as the Chartist
committee called itself, waited upon Sir George
Grey at the Home Office. They were received
by an under-secretary, to whom they stated
that they would not break the peace, but that
they must persevere in their intentions of
meeting to petition. They were dismissed
with cold civility.

Meanwhile the Government proceeded to
show vigorous action in the House of Commons.
On April 7 Sir George Grey introduced the
Crown and Government Security Bill, which
extended to Ireland the Treason Act of
George III., defined sedition as 'open and
advised speaking ' with seditious intent, and

Political Life, 1833-1874 73

ranked sedition as felony, not as treason, and
therefore subject only to the penalty of trans-
portation. In introducing this Bill, Sir George
Grey quoted the language used by Mitchell at
public meetings, and the writings of Mr. Duffy
in the Nation newspaper — both of whom
quoted Mr. Smith O'Brien's account of his
reception in Paris, and of his hopes of help
from France in case of a rising in Ireland.

Saturday and Sunday,1 April 8 and 9, were
spent by Sir George Grey in active preparation
for the Chartist meeting on the loth. Troops
were brought up to London, and arrangements
were made for quietly posting them so as to
command the approaches to the House of
Commons. Multitudes of special constables
were sworn in. Their entire number reached
one hundred and seventy thousand. The
Chartists were reminded that they were not
the English people. The forces of order were
marshalled against those of disorder. The

1 On this and on one other occasion only did he transact
public business on a Sunday. Unless prevented by illness, he
regularly attended church, morning and evening, usually at
St. Michael's in Chester Square.

74 Memoir of Sir George Grey

Government appealed to the people to maintain
quietness, and the people readily answered the
call, When April 10 dawned, the soldiers
were at their appointed stations, ready for
action, but carefully hidden from sight. They
were there merely as a precautionary measure.
The Government trusted the care of the streets
to the special constables, who had been en-
listed by Sir George Grey's orders, and had
received their instructions from his mouth. It
is truly said by Sir Erskine May that ' the
assembling of this force of a hundred and
seventy thousand men was the noblest example
of the strength of a constitutional government
to be found in history.'

The Chartist leaders felt themselves entirely
defeated. They had threatened to march to the
House of Commons with two hundred thousand
men, and exert overwhelming pressure on the
Government. They found themselves resisted,
not openly by military precautions, but by the
display of the national will. The Government
did not in terror resort to any repressive
measures. The Chartists were free to meet and

Political Life, 1833-1874 75

to petition as they chose ; but they were warned
not to attempt to coerce Parliament, and their
attempt at intimidation was rendered impossible.
Barely twenty thousand men, instead of the
threatened two hundred thousand, met on Ken-
nington Common. When the meeting had
begun, the Chartist leader, Mr. Feargus
O'Connor, member for Nottingham, was quietly
informed by the Commissioner of Police, that
the procession to Westminster would not be
allowed to pass the bridge. The effect of the
announcement was calming. The Chartists
were on the wrong side of the river, and could
not hope to force the bridge. Feargus O'Connor
invited them to disperse peacefully, and drove
off, assuring them that he would hasten to the
Home Secretary to lay their wishes before
him. The disappointed crowd broke up, and
the constables scattered them into small bodies
at the bridges to prevent them from reuniting.
O'Connor went to Sir George Grey, who
answered that the petition would be received
by the House in the ordinary way. It was
carried thither in five cabs, and rigorous investi-

76 Memoir of Sir George Grey

gation presently proved that, instead of five
million signatures, it had not two millions, and
many of them bore signs of being fictitious.
The movement, which had threatened to be
serious, ended in ridicule.

In the House of Commons that same
evening Sir George Grey moved the second
reading of the Security Bill. Mr. Smith
O'Brien, who had returned from Ireland, and
hoped to take advantage of the Chartist
demonstration, rose to oppose it. In a long
and rambling speech he defended himself and
denounced the Government. ' I have been
called a traitor,' he said. ' I do not profess
disloyalty to the Queen of England. But if it
is disloyalty to profess treason to this House,
and to the Government of Ireland by the
Parliament of Great Britain, then I avow the
treason.' He went on to denounce Lord John
Russell : ' If, as regards his fellow-countrymen,
he crushes all the efforts of the democracy to
obtain those rights which the people of other
countries have obtained, and if, as regards my
country, he refuses the demand for self-

Political Life, 1833-1874 77

government ; if he plays towards the Govern-
ment the part of Guizot and Metternich in
their respective countries — then I tell him it is
not I, but he and his colleagues, who are
traitors to their country, their Queen, and the
Constitution.' Pale with suppressed emotion,
Sir George Grey rose to answer this audacious
speech. With hope he had seen Mr. O'Brien
rise — hope that he had some explanation to
offer for his conduct, some disavowal of the
charge of disloyalty. ' What, then, must now
be the pain and regret with which I find him
professing a lip-service allegiance to his
Sovereign, while glorying in the charges
levelled against himself, and accusing even the
Premier of high treason ? ' He complained of
having been called a traitor : nothing more
was done than quote his own words. Sir
George read the quotations once more, and
proceeded with crushing irony : ' He says I
called him traitor because I read those state-
ments.' He challenged him again to disavow
them. He asserted that the Government had
no other wish than to see Ireland rich, happy,

78 Memoir of Sir George Grey

prosperous, and free : but he refused to accept
Mr. O'Brien and such as he as the spokesmen
of Ireland's wishes. The speech was short ;
but it was most effective. It was a fine
example of the moral qualities which Sir
George Grey so eminently possessed. He
interpreted and expressed the indignation
which Mr. O'Brien's utterances had created in
the House. His answer was full of passionate
earnestness, which was all the more forcible
because it was held in due restraint. There
was no display of personal feeling, no note of
triumph which the events of the day might
well have caused. The rebuke was dignified
and courteous ; the words were reasonable and
moderate. There was nothing said in the heat
of the moment which could impart fresh bitter-
ness into the conflict, nothing which raised a
new issue, or gave any pretence for protracting
the debate. The House felt itself vindicated
and recovered its balance. ' I well remember,'
writes Lord Eversley in 1882, 'Sir George
Grey's tall dignified figure standing on the
floor of the House, and the firm and dignified

Political Life, 1833-1874 79

manner of his denunciation. The House was
electrified by his speech and manner, and he
sat down in the midst of the applause which
greeted him from all parts of the House, and
which I never remember equalled on any other
occasion.'

This was the highest point of Sir George
Grey's administrative career. He was the
most popular man in the House of Commons,
and the most popular man in England. Letters
of congratulation poured in from every side,
and every loyal Englishman was proud of the
manner in which the Government had met the
rising of the revolutionary spirit. England
had much to do in the future ; but it had
declared its preference for the way of gradual
reform rather than sudden change. It was
satisfied with the general character of its
institutions, and believed in its capacity to
amend them, after reasonable consideration, by
constitutional means. The danger of an insur-
rection was over.

It is natural that an abortive attempt at
insurrection should occupy but a small place in

8o Memoir of Sir George Grey

history, and that after-generations should pass
it by with a smile of contempt. Preventive
measures never receive so much recognition as
remedial measures. The heroes of history
are those who used the strong hand, not those
who laboured that the strong hand should not
be needed. The Chartist demonstration of
1 848 is now little thought of ; but it created
the most profound alarm at the time ; and the
example of England produced a deep impres-
sion on the Continent. The insurrectionary
movement was not suppressed by force ; it was
allowed to smoulder away before the extin-
guishing influence of public opinion which the
Government skilfully directed against it. That
this process was so securely accomplished was
due to the cool head, administrative capacity,
and quick intelligence of Sir George Grey.
This was well understood at the time, and was
never forgotten by those who lived through
he crisis and felt its alarm. An old politician
writes on April 10, 1883, to Lady Grey :

This day brings your dear husband very closely
to my recollection. April 10, 1848, was a most

Political Life, 1833-1874 81

anxious day, and I can never forget his cheerful,
calm bearing all through it ; how prepared he seemed
to be against any contingency ; how unmoved when
all London was in terror ; not shrinking from any
painful duty that might fall on him — quite prepared
for the worst ; and then, at two o'clock, how he
walked amidst the crowds at Charing Cross, while
the safety of London had been assured, under the
blessing of God, by his wisdom and precaution.

His old tutor, the Rev. J. Endell Tyler,
writing to Sir George later, in 1848, expresses
the general view which subsequent reflection
took of the facts of the case :

Never since the time of Demosthenes were his
words more accurately descriptive of a well-timed,
wise, and firm resolution of a Government than they
are of your measure on the glorious roth of April,
when your prudence and firmness changed our
general feeling of alarm and sad forebodings into
confidence, security and thankfulness. I must only
take the licence of translating ^^ta-fjua by ' the order
of the Home Secretary ; '

TOVTO TO Tlnj(j>icrfAa TOV TOTS rrj TTO\SI TrspiGTavra
tcivSvvov 7raps\0siv siroii)<r£v &<nr£p ve<j>os.1

How complete an answer to those who, after the
result was known, found fault with your preparations,

1 ' This decree caused the danger which then surrounded the
city to pass away like a cloud.'

G

82 Memoir of Sir George Grey

is given by the words of Captain Cooke, ' Preventive
measures are always invidious, because when most
successful their necessity is least apparent.'

Sir George Grey was well satisfied that his
measures should be criticised and then speedily
forgotten. He acted with a deep sense of
responsibility, and thought only of doing his
duty without obtrusion of self. How entirely
he was animated by the highest motives may
be seen by the following extract from a letter
to his mother, written on April n, 1849, in
answer to a letter from her on the anniversary
of the day of his triumph :

I trust I do feel really thankful for the merciful
Providence which directed and upheld me during
that anxious time, and the peace and quiet which we
now enjoy. I have much cause for gratitude amidst
the worries and vexations which I am afraid annoy
me more than they ought. But it is my earnest
desire and prayer that all my ways may be guided
aright, and that I may have a ' right judgment in all
things ' — the need of which I deeply feel — and may
have grace and strength faithfully to discharge all
the duties which devolve on me.

Sir George Grey was willing that his ser-

Political Life, 1833-1874 83

vices should be forgotten ; but there were many
who wished to leave a memorial of their strong
feeling of the debt which the country owed to
his wisdom. A large number of both parties
in the House of Commons asked him to sit for
his portrait, which they proposed to present to
Lady Grey. The committee comprised repre-
sentative men of all kinds, such as the Earls of
Harrowby and Effingham, Lord Robert Gros-
venor, Sir William Heathcote, Sir Harry
Verney, Mr. Carr-Glyn, Mr. W. Hall, Mr.
J. Wilson- Patten, and Mr. Sotheran. The
portrait was presented to Lady Grey in May,
1850, with a wish that it might be ' the means
of preserving to his family, to his friends, and
to his country, the recollections of his eminent
services, as well as of that high moral character
and kindly demeanour which have justly en-
deared him to so large a circle of parliamentary
contemporaries of various political opinions .
The portrait in full length, which was painted
by Mr. (afterwards Sir Francis) Grant, repre-
sents Sir George Grey in a standing posi-
tion, and happily expresses the characteristic

G 2

84 Memoir of Sir George Grey

animation of his handsome and dignified
appearance.

During the remainder of the Session other
measures were required for the maintenance of
public order. Sir George Grey conducted
through the House an Alien Act, which gave
the Executive authority to remove any foreigners
who might be dangerous to the peace of the
country. It is noticeable that this Act was
not on any occasion put in force. In July the
Habeas Corpus Act was suspended in Ireland ;
and Mr. Smith O'Brien's ill-judged attempt at
an insurrection ended in ignominious failure.
When the Session came to an end, Englishmen
could, with pardonable pride, echo the senti-
ments of the Queen's Speech, which, after
speaking of the disturbances on the Continent,
went on to say :

Amid these convulsions I have had the satisfac-
tion of being able to preserve peace for my own
dominions, and to maintain our domestic tranquillity.
The strength of our institutions has been tried, and
has not been found wanting. I have studied to pre-
serve the people committed to my charge in the
enjoyment of that temperate freedom which they so

Political Life, 1833-1874 85

justly value. My people, on their side, feel too
sensibly the advantages of order and security to allow
the promoters of pillage and confusion any chance of
success in their wicked designs.

In the next Session Ireland was still the
chief subject of the Home Secretary's care.
In February Sir George Grey had to move the
continuance for six months of the suspension of
the Habeas Corpus Act, for the purpose of
suppressing the secret disaffection which still
lurked in some parts. He was, as usual,
studiously moderate in his statements, and the
Bill was speedily passed. He was further
occupied with a measure for the amendment of
poor relief in Ireland, and another for the
better organisation of the Metropolitan Police.
These complicated measures of administrative
reform he carried through the House.

A trivial matter, which occurred in February,
1850, is extremely characteristic of Sir George
Grey's political attitude. The Bill concerning
the Ecclesiastical Commission was the object
of much controversy. In the course of debate
Lord John Russell accepted some amendments,

86 Memoir of Sir George Grey

which were handed in by Sir George Grey to
the Speaker, were read and were accepted by
the House. Mr. Horsman, in a letter to his
constituents at Cockermouth, which appeared
in the newspapers, declared that the amend-
ments handed in by Sir George Grey were
different from those which Lord John Russell
had accepted, and were smuggled through the
House at the end of a debate. In a subsequent
speech upon the Bill, Sir George Grey referred
to this accusation and said, ' If I abstain from
replying to the charge, it is because I do not
feel myself justified in entering into charges
published only in the pages of a newspaper.'
His decided opinion always was, that the
business of Parliament ought to be conducted
within the walls of the House. He objected
to extra-parliamentary utterances, and neither
indulged in them nor noticed them. He con-
sidered them as unfair, and as a fertile cause
of embarrassment and dispute. He desired a
full expression of opinion face to face, and was
content to say all he had to say in his place in
Parliament. He thought that every man

Political Life, 1833-1874 87

should bear the full responsibility for his
opinions, and should state them with the
moderation, which is produced by the know-
ledge that an answer will be immediately made
to exaggerated expressions. He considered
the object of Parliament to be a practical
object — the transaction of the business of the
country with all possible despatch. He was
most jealous of the dignity of Parliament, and
careful of its efficiency. He set himself by
precept and example, to maintain a high standard
of diligence and good feeling in parliamentary
procedure. He regretted, in his later years,
the increasing frequency of extra-parliamentary
utterances, of pamphlets and magazine articles
by responsible statesmen. He thought that
the proceedings of Parliament were sufficient,
both for the transaction of public business and
for the political education of the people. He
did not think that either process was rendered
easier by being carried on independently of the
other. The statesmen of the present day have
agreed to decide otherwise. But we must
estimate the statesmen of the last generation

88 Memoir of Sir George Grey

by reference to their own conception of their
position and of their duty.

In March, 1850, Mr. H. Berkeley, member
for Bristol, introduced a motion in favour of the
ballot. In doing so he said 'he found he had
fresh opponents in the field. He found that he
had to contend with the Home Secretary, who
was formerly a supporter of the measure. The
brilliant eloquence, the acute logical powers of
the right honourable Baronet, his character,
and the important position which he held in
Her Majesty's councils, made his example
most dangerous.' The expressions are worth
quoting, as showing the impression which Sir
George Grey produced upon the House. His
answer was characteristic of his sincerity and of
his conception of the duties of a representative
towards his constituents. He said that he had
never regarded the ballot as a matter of primary
importance. As member for Devonport, he
found that his constituents desired it, and he
accordingly acceded to their wishes and voted
for it. Subsequent reflection had changed his
opinion of its probable usefulness. At present

Political Life, 1833-1874 89

there was no demand for it, and he followed
his own belief that the protection of the few
against intimidation, would be more than
counterbalanced by the general loss of the
feeling of responsibility which attached to the
public performance of a public duty.

The other administrative measures which
Sir George Grey carried through Parliament
were a Factories Act and an Interments Act.
In 1851 he supported Lord John Russell in
his attempt to stop papal aggression by the
Ecclesiastical Titles Act. This measure was
not a fortunate one, and weakened the Govern-
ment ; while a condition of agricultural depres-
sion created much discontent. In March Lord
John Russell resigned ; but, as Lord Stanley
was unable to form a Ministry, he resumed
office. In December occurred the coup dttat
in Paris, and Lord Palmerston, as Foreign
Secretary, used language in recognition of the
Government of Napoleon III. which had not
received the assent of his colleagues. Lord
John Russell required his resignation. In
February, 1852, the Government was defeated

QO Memoir of Sir George Grey

by Lord Palmerston's help on a Local Militia
Bill, and Lord John Russell resigned.

A dissolution took place in July, and in the
general election which followed Sir George
Grey lost his seat for North Northumberland.
The contest was severe, but was conducted
with excellent feeling. Sir George Grey bore
his defeat with unfailing good humour, and
took a friendly farewell of his former con-
stituents. The general opinion on the contest
was expressed in the Times newspaper :

Sir George Grey, after having been defeated by a
combination of territorial influence which it appeared
from the first next to impossible to counteract, takes
leave of his friends and enemies, supporters and
opponents, with dignity, urbanity, and good temper.
So little does he appear cast down by his defeat, that
he is hardly conscious it is a defeat at all, and, while
dwelling on the kind and warm-hearted support of
the minority, forgets the existence of a majority.
He is the very Harold Skimpole of electioneering.
His mind is fixed on all that is bright, lively, and
agreeable, and the more repulsive features of the
contest are either quite forgotten or sedulously con-
cealed. So well does defeat become him that one is
almost consoled for his not obtaining the victory.

This equanimity under defeat was quite

Political Life, 1833-1874 91

natural to Sir George Grey. It was not in his
nature to feel any personal bitterness, or to lose
his self-restraint in the excitement of a political
contest. The contest in itself awakened the
most lively interest, not only amongst the con-
stituency, but amongst the masses of the work-
ing men in Northumberland. Sir George Grey
was unsuccessful in his election ; but during his
canvass he had aroused the enthusiasm and
won the regard of a great body of non-electors,
who grieved over his failure. They desired to
record their sense of his services, and a
spontaneous movement was made amongst the
working men to present Sir George Grey with
a memorial of their esteem. A subscription
was set on foot, and .£400 was rapidly con-
tributed, mostly in pence, by more than thirteen
thousand working men. The testimonial took
the shape of a silver salver and candelabrum.
The candelabrum was made in a form which
commemorated the origin of the gift. The
stem of the tree which held the lights was
supported by figures representing the indus-
tries of Northumberland — a husbandman, an

92 Memoir of Sir George Grey

ironworker, and a miner. It bore the in-
scription :

To the Right Honourable Sir George Grey, Bart.,
M.P., K.C.B. ; from more than thirteen thousand of
the working men of Northumberland, in testimony
of their gratitude for his support of the just, wise,
and beneficial measure of Free Trade, their respect
for his private worth, and for the eminent integrity
and ability which have distinguished his public
career.

The presentation was made at Alnwick
before an immense concourse, on March 28,
1853. In making the presentation, Mr. Young,
a working man, said :

The working classes, Sir George, can appreciate
worth. Consistency of character, singleness of pur-
pose, and distinguished abilities will always command
their homage and respect. The working classes of
Northumberland have confidence in you that all
measures calculated to promote their happiness and
welfare will receive your best consideration, your
impartial verdict. Your past career is your pledge
and guarantee to them for this. If any difference of
opinion has existed, be assured of this, that the work-
ing classes of Northumberland are fully convinced
that your votes on all occasions have been given
honestly and conscientiously.

Political Life, 1833-1874 93

Any man might well feel proud of such
testimony of the esteem of the working
classes.

It was natural that a statesman of Sir
George Grey's eminence should not long
remain without a seat in Parliament. Durham
and Peterborough both invited him to become
a candidate for vacant seats ; but Sir George
declined the requisitions. He was not sorry
to have a little rest from parliamentary labours,
and he did not wish to sever his political con-
nection with Northumberland, where he had
been warmly received.

Sir George Grey consequently was outside
Parliament during the debates on Mr. D' Israeli's
financial resolutions, which ended in the over-
throw of Lord Derby's Ministry in December,

1852. In the negotiations which led to the
formation of the Coalition Ministry, under
Lord Aberdeen, Sir George Grey was con-
sulted, but declined to take office. In January,

1853, a vacancy occurred in the representation
of Morpeth, and Sir George Grey was unani-
mously chosen to fill it. He held his seat at

94 Memoir of Sir George Grey

Morpeth uncontested to the end of his parlia-
mentary career.

In the Session of 1853 Sir George Grey
did not come prominently forward, but he did
much to facilitate the business of the House,
of which he had great experience. In June,
1854, there were changes in the Ministry, and
Sir George Grey, at the earnest request of
Lord John Russell, consented to take office,
and became Colonial Secretary. Nothing
except a sense of duty led him to accept office.
He felt that the times were critical, and that
no man ought to refuse to render to the
Government such services as he could. War
had been declared against Russia, and the
Ministry was by no means as firmly united as
a Government ought to be which has to face a
severe emergency. Sir George Grey's presence
in the Cabinet supplied an adviser of strong
practical sense and moderating temper.

In the heated debates on the conduct of the
war in the Crimea, Sir George Grey took no
part. But he warmly opposed Mr. Roebuck's
motion for a Committee of Inquiry into the

Political Life, 1833-1874 95

condition of the army. He regarded it as
being without precedent, and as tending to
weaken the hands of the Executive at a time
when energy was most requisite. The motion
was, however, carried by a large majority,
and Lord Aberdeen resigned in January, 1855.
Lord Derby in vain tried to form a Ministry,
and Lord John Russell met with no better
success. Lord Palmerston accepted the office
of Premier, and in his Cabinet most of the old
Ministers were included. Sir George Grey
resumed office as Home Secretary. In a
speech in the House of Commons, on Feb-
ruary 23, he frankly stated his own view of the
political situation :

In tendering my resignation I had not the re-
motest idea that it was not final and conclusive. I
should most gladly have declined to form part of the
new Ministry, not from any want of confidence in
Lord Palmerston, or from any difference of policy,
but because under the circumstances of the case I
thought it was deeply to be regretted that a totally
new Government was not formed. But the times
were critical. It was not a moment when the
country could be left without any Government I

g6 Memoir of Sir George Grey

had no right to withhold my assistance, though I
might think that undue importance was attached
to it.

Sir George Grey had a personal reason for
following, with the deepest interest, the course
of the Crimean war, and longing for its end.
His only son, while still a boy, had declared
his liking for a soldier's life. Sir George Grey
did his utmost to dissuade him from this
career ; and the boy, though not convinced by
his arguments, yielded to his father's wishes
and prepared for a University life. But when
it seemed that England needed soldiers, Sir
George Grey felt that he could not conscien-
tiously keep back from the service of his
country, one who wished to devote himself to
it. Finding his son's inclination still unchanged,
he withdrew his opposition, and with a heavy
heart saw his only child embark for the Crimea
with the Rifle Brigade, in January 1855.
During the war the despatches were read with
the tremulous interest of a father before they
were weighed with the care of a statesman.
Few men in England were more sincerely

Political Life, 1833-1874 97

thankful for the peace ; few men had a greater
horror of war in itself than Sir George Grey.

At the Home Office Sir George Grey had
considerable trouble in July, 1855, in conse-
quence of riots in Hyde Park, which arose
about Lord Richard Grosvenor's Sunday
Trading Bill. The Bill was withdrawn, but
not until the pressure from outside had been
felt in the House of Commons, and the Home
Secretary had much trouble in keeping the
peace. Next year the work of police organisa-
tion was carried further by a Counties and
Borough Police Bill. Sir George Grey also
spoke strongly in favour of the Divorce Bill,
which he assisted in carrying through the pro-
tracted debates in Committee. In 1857 ne
introduced a Bill dealing with secondary punish-
ments and modifying the ticket-of-leave system.
Again, the Government, of which he formed a
part, had a serious responsibility laid on its
shoulders by the outbreak of the Indian
Mutiny. Again he saw his son depart to
dangerous service in the field.

The beginning of 1858 saw Lord Palmer-

H

98 Memoir of Sir George Grey

ston's Government defeated on the Conspiracy
Bill. Sir George Grey was a warm advocate
of this measure, and twice spoke strongly in
its favour. But the popular temper was
against it, and Lord Palmerston was driven
from office. Under Lord Derby's Ministry
Sir George Grey enjoyed a brief respite from
responsibility. In May his mother died at the
advanced age of eighty-seven, and he keenly
felt her loss. She had always been to him a
friend and counsellor ; her character had been
marked by a simple and fervent piety to which
he owed much, and which had found a ready
echo in his own breast. She was to him a
source of strength and comfort to the last. In
the end of the year he welcomed back from
India his son, who was soon afterwards made
Equerry to the Prince of Wales and accom-
panied him next year in his travels.

In Parliament Sir George Grey did not
take any very prominent part. On one occa-
sion a speech of Mr. D' Israeli, the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, addressed to his constituents
at Slough, was brought before the House on

Political Life, 1833-1874 99

account of the bitterness of its attack on the
late Government. Some words of Sir George
Grey's deserve quotation, as illustrating his
strong feeling of the responsibility attaching to
a statesman, and of the need of caution and
reserve. He said of Mr. D'Israeli :

He has been so long in Opposition that he has
acquired the habit of spreading broadcast charges in
high-sounding language, which he either shirks from
proving or is unable to sustain. But I trust that
what has occurred will give him a lesson, and teach
him to act with more dignity and more caution than he
has yet displayed in the high office which he holds.
I trust that he will learn to think not so much of
catching the transient popularity of the hour or of
hurling a sarcasm at a political opponent, but that
he will think, act, and speak as a statesman.

Mr. D'Israeli did not at that time have much
longer training in the responsibilities of office.
Lord Derby's Government was defeated on
the Reform Bill in April, 1859, and, after
appealing to the country, resigned in May.
Lord Palmerston again became Prime Minister,
and Sir George Grey resumed office as Chan-
cellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He was free

H 2

ioo Memoir of Sir George Grey

from the duties of an onerous office for a
while. But in 1862 a vacancy occurred at the
War Office, and that post was pressed upon
Sir George Grey. On his refusal Sir George
Lewis went to the War Office, and Sir George
Grey succeeded him as Home Secretary — the
post most congenial to him.

At the Home Office Sir George Grey
quietly pursued his administrative career.
Measures that issue from the Home Office
are important at the time, but are quickly
superseded. They generally consist in amend-
ments of the law in points of detail, and in the
remedy of grievances which, when redressed,
are speedily forgotten, A Highways Bill and
a Corrupt Practices Bill were introduced by
Sir George Grey in 1862 ; and in 1863 the
Prison Ministers Bill allowed prisoners to be
attended by ministers of their own religious
persuasion. Some very exceptional cases of
murder occurred which created great popular
excitement, and the duty of the Home Secre-
tary in advising the Queen in the exercise of
her prerogative of mercy was beset with

SIR GEORGE GREY
From a photograph by IV. &> D. Downey taken about 1870.

Political Life, 1833-1874 101

difficulty. It was impossible for Sir George
Grey to escape criticism, however he acted ;
but his legal training stood him in good stead.
He neglected no pains to make up his mind,
and he arrived at his conclusion under a deep
sense of responsibility. But when he had done
his best he adhered resolutely to his opinion,
while those who dissented from him had no
ground to complain of want of attention to
their opinions.

The year 1865 brought a heavy responsi-
bility on the Home Secretary, in consequence
of the outbreak of the cattle plague. In 1866
Sir George Grey brought forward the Cattle
Plague Bill, which was found to be effective in
stamping out the disease. Moreover, Ireland
was again disturbed, and the Fenian con-
spiracy required measures of repression. Sir
George Grey had again to discharge the
ungrateful task of moving the suspension of
the Habeas Corpus Act, which he did with
his customary moderation. Again, he care-
fully marshalled his facts and showed the
necessity of the measure, which was quickly

IO2 Memoir of Sir George Grey

passed. In the same Session Sir George
Grey carried through the House a Parliamen-
tary Oaths Bill, which reduced to one simple
form, declaring true allegiance to the Queen,
the oaths required from members of Parlia-
ment.

This was Sir George Grey's last legislative
achievement. In June the Government was
defeated on the Reform Bill, and resigned.
When the Liberal party returned to power
under Mr. Gladstone, in 1868, Sir George
Grey did not take office ; nor did he take a
prominent part in the affairs of that Parliament.
He contented himself with helping the business
of the House, a task for which his large
experience of Parliament rendered him pecu-
liarly fitted. He spoke chiefly on questions of
order and points concerning the procedure of
the House. In other matters he made way
for younger men.

With the dissolution of 1874 Sir George
Grey's parliamentary career came to an end.
The Reform Bill of 1868 had modified the
constituency of the borough of Morpeth by

Political Life, 1833-1874 103

throwing into it a considerable district which
was chiefly inhabited by miners. The miners
of Northumberland were amongst the foremost
in forming a powerful organisation, and in
pressing for legislative measures on the ques-
tions which deeply interested the working
classes. In this they had Sir George Grey's
full sympathy and support, which they grate-
fully recognised. In a letter dated April 24,
1871, the Secretary of the Northumberland
Miners' Mutual Confidence Association wrote :

We held a committee meeting on Saturday, and
a resolution was unanimously agreed to, thanking
you for your many acts of kindness to the miners. I
have very great pleasure in thus being the medium
of conveying to you the hearty gratitude of the hard-
working miners of this part of the country. In doing
so, allow me to express the hope — shared in, I am
sure, by thousands of hard toilers — that your life and
health may long be spared to serve your country in
the high and honourable position which you so
worthily occupy.

But though the miners of the Morpeth dis-
trict had full confidence in Sir George Grey,
the position of the borough was somewhat

IO4 Memoir of Sir George Grey

exceptional. After some struggles on technical
points, the miners in a body succeeded in plac-
ing their names on the register of voters. The
result was that the constituency was increased
from 2,000 to 5,000 voters, the addition being
purely from the miners. It was but natural
that, in one of the very few constituencies in
England in which the miners were in a ma-
jority, they should wish to use the opportunity
of having a representative of their own class.
In Mr. Burt they could boast one of the ablest
and most prominent advocates of their cause.
Though the miners of the Morpeth district
regarded Sir George Grey with sincere respect,
they felt that it was a duty which they owed to
their own class throughout the country, to use
the exceptional opportunity which they pos-
sessed of returning a miners' representative to
Parliament.

Sir George Grey had already proposed
retiring from parliamentary life. Increasing
years brought infirmities, and he was no longer
able to attend the House of Commons with the
regularity which he could have wished. When

Political Life, 1833-1874 105

he heard that a requisition was being signed to
Mr. Burt, and that a public meeting was to be
held in his favour, he at once determined to
withdraw. In October, 1873, he announced to
the electors of Morpeth that he did not intend
again to offer himself as a candidate. Great
regret was felt by many of his friends at this
determination, and there was a desire, which
was echoed far beyond the limits of the borough
of Morpeth, to present him with a testimonial
on his retirement. The movement had taken
shape before Sir George Grey heard of it. As
soon as it came to his ears he resolutely set
his face against it, and it was dropped at his
express request. He was most solicitous that
nothing should be said or done which could in
the least degree seem to challenge the action of
the miners. His retirement was without any
bitterness on his part. He fully appreciated
the motives of those who brought forward
another candidate, and he would not be a party
to any expression of adverse opinion. He
severed his connection with the borough of
Morpeth amid the respect and good will of all

io6 Memoir of Sir George Grey

classes. The last act of his public life was to
refuse a recognition of his public services that
it might not be the means of calling forth any
unguarded expressions which might, ever so
little, tend to create hostility between classes.

ioy

CHAPTER III

LATER DAYS, 1874-1882

THE records of a political life are not in them-
selves more interesting than those of any other
career. As events pass on before the eyes of
contemporaries, they seem to be of urgent im-
portance ; but when the crisis is past, the
qualities which were needed to deal with it
successfully receive scanty recognition from
posterity. As we turn over the pages of
' Hansard,' and follow the debates of Parlia-
ment from day to day, we see how periods,
which we look back upon as times of unbroken
tranquillity, presented momentous issues to
those who lived through them. There were
angry recriminations ; there were prophecies of
coming disaster ; there were threatening move-

io8 Memoir of Sir George Grey

ments ; there were endless possibilities of
political blunders. The business of the country,
we feel, has to be conducted like the business
of a great trading firm. Each day brings its
problems to be solved ; each day requires a
clear head and a directing hand. If the busi-
ness goes on smoothly, it is because the clear
head and the directing hand are always ready.
The firm steadily prospers, till men think it is
almost a law of nature that it should continue
to do so.

In some such manner Sir George Grey re-
garded the office of a statesman. He did not
deny the necessity of the political education of
the people by means of popular movements.
He did not disregard the need of boldly ad-
vancing to face new problems, of discovering
new principles which should be fruitful in the
future. But at an early period of his parlia-
mentary career he was called to take office, and
he made up his mind to discharge the duties
of an official. He viewed this responsibility
seriously, and undertook it thoroughly. It
may be said that he devoted himself to the

Later Days, 1874-1882 109

duty of being a capable official, to the exclusion
of all other considerations. He left to others
the political education of the people, because
he thought that utterances outside Parliament
weakened the position of a Minister in the
House of Commons. He did not seek for
new principles in politics, because he thought
that the duty of a Minister was to apply to the
best of his ability those principles on which the
majority of the House of Commons was agreed,
and to apply them in a manner which should
be as little offensive as possible to the minority.
When he entered Parliament in 1833, he found
that the Reform Bill had practically enunciated
principles, which required the reconstruction
of much of the political fabric. He made it
the business of his life to carry out these prin-
ciples in their details.

We have now passed beyond the ideas of
1832 into a new region of political activity, the
guiding principles of which have not yet been
exactly determined. Towards the formation
of these new principles Sir George Grey made
no direct contribution. His name nowadays

no Memoir of Sir George Grey

is connected with no political cry, and awakens
no enthusiasm among those whose eyes are
directed to the future. His career, his course
of action, the spirit which guided him, belong
to the history of the past. He may be
considered without embarking in controversy,
and his name rouses no angry feeling in
the heart of any man. He is to be ap-
praised, not for the brilliancy of his public
services, but for their intrinsic and sterling
worth.

The tendency of modern political criticism
is to characterise a statesman of Sir George
Grey's type as cold in his expressions and
narrow in his views. This is the judgment
which the ardent aspirations of any age tend to
mete out to those who wisely and cautiously
directed the affairs of the age which went
before. As applied to Sir George Grey, such
a criticism is singularly untrue. Few men
have ever possessed a warmer heart and wider
sympathies. He was at home with all classes,
and understood them all. From the dockyard
labourers of Devonport and the miners and

Later Days, 1874-1882 in

farmers of Northumberland to the highest
circles in the land, Sir George Grey won ready
respect and affection. He might have been, if he
had chosen, a great popular orator. Nature had
endowed him with a commanding presence and
a melodious voice. He possessed great fluency
and readiness of speech. He had the instincts
of an orator ; he had deep feelings, and could
gather and express in a moment the sentiments
of his audience. He did not, however, choose
to make himself a popular speaker. He had
undertaken the task of administration, and he
reserved himself entirely for that. He did not
trust the feelings of the moment, but sought
counsel by reflection. He would not commit
himself to principles till he had discovered how
they were applicable in points of detail. He
would not win an oratorical triumph at the cost
of future embarrassment He would not say
anything which might be capable of dubious
interpretation, or which might call for further
explanation. He regarded it to be his prime duty
that he should say and do nothing which might
enable opponents in the House of Commons to

ii2 Memoir of Sir George Grey

call in question his wisdom, his sincerity, or his
moderation.

It is no exaggeration to say that Sir George
Grey was entirely devoid of personal ambition.
He was ambitious only to do his duty to the
best of his power. As Home Secretary he
thought that he was most efficient when he was
least prominent. He copied into his common-
place book the following remarks of Lord
Melbourne on the duties of a Home Secretary,
and they may be taken as expressing his own
conceptions :

The situation is one of great importance to the
Government, and in which more is to be done by
personal influence and being on good terms with the
members of the House, than by ability and eloquence.
It requires prudence, discretion, freedom from all
wild notions, conciliation, and, above all, a disregard
of popularity. Many disagreeable questions are kept
quiet by the fact of the member in whose department
they are being silent and popular, and many would
be raised and brought forward by the contrary
feeling.

Beneath this quotation is written the re-
mark of his own, ' This character was strikingly
possessed by Sir G. C. Lewis,' The remark

Later Days, 1874-1882 113

is singularly characteristic of Sir George Grey's
genuine modesty and humility. During the
two years from 1859 to 1861, when Sir George
Lewis was Home Secretary and Sir George
Grey was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lan-
caster, he heartily admired the way in which
the duties of his favourite office were discharged
by his friend.

There is something of the old Roman type
in the way in which Sir George Grey merged
his own personality in the discharge of his
public duties. He had no thought of self, no
personal vanity, but only strove to serve his
country to the best of his power. His col-
leagues in the Cabinet recognised the fact and
respected him accordingly. His moderating
power was great in composing conflicting
opinions. His strong practical sense, his
knowledge of the House of Commons, and of
the temper of the country, made his advice on
all matters singularly weighty. The influence
which he exercised on the conduct of affairs
during a quarter of a century was known to
few outside the Cabinet. He was content to be

H4 Memoir of Sir George Grey

useful, and needed no public recognition of his
services. The majority of his colleagues during
his long official life have passed away. The testi-
mony of a few who survive may be briefly given :

No colleague ever created in me deeper feelings of
attachment and of admiration than Sir George Grey.

From the time when first I knew him, I have
regarded his public and private character with respect
and admiration, mixed with personal affection, such
as I have felt for few other men. So just, so wise, so
free from all form of self-assertion, so steady and
consistent in the performance of duty, so sound in
judgment.

A man of nobler nature, a man more worthy at
once of love and respect I have never known. I
consider it one of the many undeserved good fortunes
of my life that I commenced my official career under
him. I then learned to appreciate the purity, gene-
rosity, and elevation of his character, his devotion to
his duty and the public good, and his utter disregard
of all selfish considerations.1

These are but samples of the concurrent testi-
mony of all who were brought into close rela-
tions with him in his public life.

1 In addition to the above, the testimony of Lord Granville,
quoted by Lord Northbrook, may be added : ' During my whole
experience of Cabinets, Sir George was the colleague who exer-
cised most influence upon home affairs.' — L. C.

Later Days, 1874-1882 115

Sir George Grey devoted himself to a quiet
and unassuming career of public usefulness.
He aimed at wise and careful administration.
He was content that the affairs of his depart-
ment should move on smoothly and create little
attention. He strove to heal breaches and to
patch up rents. He was guarded in his utter-
ances ; he was always discreet and moderate.
He cultivated official reserve from a sense of
duty, till it became habitual to him. In his
later life he talked freely and frankly about
politics ; but no one, save his old political
friends, ever heard him say a word about his
own doings in the past. He did not think it
right that politics should be degraded into per-
sonal gossip. Gossip of every kind was hate-
ful to him, and he deplored the indiscretions of
modern biographers. For my own part, I can
say that during a long and intimate intercourse
with Sir George Grey, I learnt from him no
facts about the politics of the past which were
not already public. He never spoke about his
former colleagues or his own part in affairs.
He never quoted any words of others ; he

I 2

n6 Memoir of Sir George Grey

never attributed an evil motive to any one.
Sometimes, when speaking about present poli-
tics, he would rapidly sketch his views of the
probabilities of the fate of a measure before
Parliament, and his opinion was almost always
borne out by events. He knew by long expe-
rience the formation of parliamentary combina-
tions and the nature of the opposition which a
measure would create. He had acquired an
almost instinctive knowledge of the working of
the parliamentary machine.

Sir George Grey had, in his day, a unique
knowledge of the House of Commons, and a
unique influence over it. His influence was
founded on the universal respect which his
high character inspired and the affection which
his genuine kindliness created on all sides. He
robbed party politics of their bitterness. No
one who heard him speak suspected that he
had any personal end to serve, or that he was
otherwise than entirely frank in his statements.
He provoked no one to attack him, and none
dissented from him without an apology. When
the business of the House was embarrassed,

Later Days, 1874-1882 117

when there was a difficulty about some point of
procedure, the conspicuous fairness and good
temper of Sir George Grey supplied an un-
failing resource. When formal motions of
some delicacy were to be moved — as, for in-
stance, the address on the assassination of
President Lincoln, or the election of a Speaker,
— Sir George Grey knew how to do it with
admirable tact and dignity. He knew how to
say the most that could be said without enter-
ing into anything that could call forth dissent
or give rise to controversy.

This knowledge of the House of Commons
was not acquired with difficulty, nor was it
the result of any special endeavour. It was
the natural consequence of Sir George Grey's
kindliness and sociability. He knew the
members individually, and was always ready
to hear what any one had to say. His own
mind was always open, and that fact created a
corresponding openness in others. He was
never so immersed in business that he lost his
interest in those around him. He never sup-
posed that the care of weighty matters absolved

n8 Memoir of Sir George Grey

a statesman from the ordinary duties of courtesy
and consideration for others. He was ready to
befriend new members, to explain the procedure
of the House, and to advise them about their
own business. From their experience of him
in little things, members learned to trust him
in great things. Nor was this feeling confined
to his own side of the House of Commons.
Since I became a neighbour of Sir George Grey,
I have never met any one connected with poli-
tical life who did not hasten to talk to me
about him. Men of very different ages and of
very different political opinions showed the
warmest admiration for him. Every one had
some reminiscence of Sir George Grey's past
kindness, of some little service rendered, of
some help or counsel. No man has ever been
more universally respected by those who knew
him.

It was but natural that Sir George Grey's
influence should be greatly exercised upon the
officials of his department. He left behind
him a high standard of political integrity and
capacity. He did much to elevate the tone of

Later Days, 1874-1882 119

parliamentary life, and to train others who
should follow in his steps. Amongst his private
secretaries at different times were Sir Henry
Brand, the Earl of Northbrook, Lord Hobart,
and Sir Henry G. Loch.

When Sir George Grey left the House of
Commons in 1874, amidst the many changes
which the new election brought, his loss was
felt to be one of the greatest. In seconding
the election of the Speaker, Lord George
Cavendish said :

On no former occasion have we lost so many of
those members who took part in discussions regard-
ing the rules of the House, and who were so con-
versant with its proceedings. First I may refer to
the gracious presence we have lost in the person of
Sir George Grey, whom we shall long miss in this
House, and who was always regarded as one of its
greatest authorities.

The phrase ' gracious presence ' was admirably
chosen to express Sir George Grey's appear-
ance in the House of Commons, and the cheer
which it called forth showed that it awakened
the memory of many acts of graceful courtesy
and of many kindly words.

1 20 Memoir of Sir George Grey

In retiring from parliamentary life, Sir
George Grey took with him no bitter recollec-
tions, no feelings of disappointment or of regret.
Retirement from the stage of active political
life is a trial to most men, and is one which few
men can pass through with satisfaction. There
are few retired statesmen who do not cast
lingering looks behind, and many fall before
the natural temptation of thinking that affairs
are worse conducted when they have ceased to
have a hand in their management. Even if
they escape this natural tendency, they adopt a
purely critical attitude, and use their experience
to point out faults of detail in the conduct of
their successors — an easy matter when they
are freed from the consideration of practical
difficulties. None of these temptations over-
came Sir George Grey. His retirement from
political life was absolute and complete. He
neither wrote nor spoke in criticism of his
successors. Once only did he write a letter to
the Times to correct some misstatements on
matters of fact, about the relations between
Lord Clarendon and his colleagues, touching

Later Days, 1874-1882 121

Irish affairs in 1847. Then he apologised
for doing so, on the ground that he was the
sole surviving member of Lord John Russell's
Cabinet who knew the actual facts. In private
life he talked on political questions as an
ordinary well-informed man. He listened
patiently to the opinions of others, however
young or inexperienced they might be. He
gave his own views simply for what they were
worth. No one listening to him would have
guessed that he was a veteran statesman who
had been familiar all his life with the questions
under discussion.

On retiring from Parliament, Sir George
Grey settled down to live in his country house
at Fallodon. There he rejoiced in the company
of his wife, his son, and his son's wife and
children. Though now in his seventy-fifth
year he was still vigorous enough to enjoy the
simple pleasures of an active life in the country.
Moreover he was still full of interests and could
enjoy foreign travel. In May, 1874, he visited
Holland and the Engadine, which he much
enjoyed. But in October he was laid up by a

122 Memoir of Sir George Grey

severe attack of gout, from which he had
scarcely recovered when he was prostrated by
typhoid fever. He was so ill that his life was
despaired of: nor was he the only sufferer.
His son left Fallodon in the end of November
— before Sir George Grey's illness had declared
itself — to fulfil his duties as equerry to the
Prince of Wales. Scarcely had he arrived at
Sandringham before he was attacked by con-
gestion of the lungs. His illness was rapid,
and on December 1 1 he died. Sir George mean-
while was too seriously ill to be informed of this
terrible misfortune.1 When he gradually recov-
ered, it was only to realise the heavy blow which
had fallen upon him. Though crushed and
overwhelmed for a time, he bowed his head
with Christian submission and fortitude. He
notes briefly in his journal : ' A dreadful blank
when I began to get about again. " I was
dumb, and opened not my mouth, for it was
Thy doing." '

1 The heroism shown by Lady Grey at this time is worthy
of record. Though herself crushed with sorrow, she read aloud
to Sir George during his illness letters received from her son
before his death, without betraying by her words or manner
what had happened. — L. C.

Later Days, 1874-1882 123

In many things does the life of Sir George
Grey afford a bright example ; but in nothing
was the solid strength of his character more
conspicuously displayed than in the resoluteness
with which he faced this sudden and unex-
pected misfortune. His nature was far from
being stoical. He was a man of the warmest
affections and of the keenest sensibility. He
shrank from suffering, as he did from inflicting,
pain. He was deeply attached to his son, and
had followed his career with profound interest
and sympathy. He had pictured to himself an
old age cheered by his son's companionship.
His son's loss was to him a terrible blow, and
left him with an inevitable sense of over-
powering desolation. At his advanced age it
was a grievous task to remake his life and
adjust himself to a future so sadly different
from that of which he had dreamed.

Sir George Grey communed with God in his
own heart, and was still. He was strengthened
to resist the selfish luxury of woe. He was led
to see that his duty was to conquer his own
sorrow, to live for others, and to devote the
remainder of his life still more steadfastly to the

124 Memoir of Sir George Grey

service of those who remained. None who
witnessed even the distant signs of his struggle
against his own grief can ever forget its splendid
pathos. His extremely nervous and sensitive
nature was very susceptible to depression,
which nothing but his will, guided by God's
good Spirit, enabled him to overcome. He
strove against his natural self and triumphed ;
but the struggle was hard. He did not ask
for sympathy ; but he strove to give it. He
did not seek consolation from man ; but he
sought it from God. He did not desire soli-
tude that he might brood over his loss. He
did not keep others away from him ; but he
welcomed their presence. Nor did he struggle
alone in proud self-reliance, and hide his
struggles from the eyes of others. He might
be found seated mournfully alone in his room,
and would rise with a look of agony upon his
face. He would raise himself by a mighty
effort of self-mastery, and gently begin to talk
on what would interest his visitor. In a few
moments his listlessness was gone, and he
grew animated and cheerful. The sound of a

Later Days, 1874-1882 125

child's voice in the distance strengthened and
refreshed him. He lost himself and his own
sorrow in his genuine interest for others. He
lost himself that he might find a higher self;
and those who saw him bowed their heads in
reverence before the presence of a power that
was not of this world.

The results of the steadfast piety of a life-
time were seen in this final victory over self.
During the busiest years of his life Sir George
Grey always set apart a time for devotion,
reading the Scriptures, and quiet meditation.
He now arose from his affliction chastened,
sanctified, and purified. No one saw him in
his later years without wishing that he might
so live as to deserve such an old age. He
was in all points a model of

The last of life for which the first was made.

The cultivation, the experience, the piety, the
kindliness, the sympathy of a long life were
summed up and mellowed in his character, and
were expressed in his most trivial words and
deeds. Nothing was too simple for him,

1 26 Memoir of Sir George Grey

nothing was too obscure. His large heart was
ready for all calls upon it. His sympathies
were so wide that the needs and sorrows of
others became matters of real concern to him-
self, and often caused him absolute pain.

First and foremost he devoted himself to
the care of his seven grandchildren, to whom he
was a constant companion and friend. He had
no difficulty in establishing with them entirely
free and open intercourse. The old man of
eighty might be seen leading his granddaughters
in a gallop over the greensward, his laugh
mingling joyously with theirs. He delighted
to watch them in their games, to plan picnics
and expeditions for them, and laughed with
good-humoured resentment at their endeavours
to take care of him, and guard him against
possible colds or rheumatism. He read classics
with his grandsons in their holidays, and keenly
watched their progress in learning. Every
morning he would gather his granddaughters
together, and read with them some English
classic, a play of Shakespeare, or a novel or
poem of Scott. He read with fire arid spirit,

Later Days, 1874-1882 127

which entranced his listeners and made them
sigh when the hour was at an end. Their
youthful sallies amused him ; their interests
were his. They claimed his advice and help
in anything that was near their heart. He was
never impatient of their presence, or irritated
by their solicitude. In his last illness he was
anxious that the children should not discontinue
their sports, or be made to keep quiet on his
account. As he lay in pain upon his bed, he
was cheered by the sound of their voices as
they played lawn tennis under his window,
and, if he did not hear them, would ask that
they should not cease their games through fear
of disturbing him.

Nor was his geniality confined to his family
circle. The visits of his friends and neighbours
were always acceptable to him. The simple
hospitality of Fallodon was always open to all
comers, and there was no sense of constraint.
Moreover, Sir George Grey did not only wel-
come old friends, or those whose acquaintance
he had already made. He enjoyed meeting
strangers and talking to them. In my own

1 28 Memoir of Sir George Grey

case, for instance, there was a sort of tacit
understanding that any one who came to visit
me was welcome to Fallodon at any time.
From my own experience I can say that no
stranger met Sir George Grey without keenly
feeling the charm of his character. There were
few who did not congratulate me on the privi-
lege of enjoying constant intercourse with him.

Sir George Grey's conversation was singu-
larly pleasant. He wished to hear others talk
on their own subjects, and was anxious to
learn about matters with which he was un-
familiar. I do not think that Sir George Grey
knew what it was to feel bored. His interest
was quickly aroused, and his mind worked
rapidly and readily. He saw in a moment
the points which were important to him. He
quickly asked questions which gained for him
the information which he wanted. He had
unfailing tact in leading the conversation in the
way which he wished, without seeming to do
so. Every one felt his sincerity and became
sincere in turn.

There was no need for reticence in talking

Later Days, 1874-1882 129

to him ; for no honest opinions offended him,
however much he might differ from them. His
manner immediately dispelled in others any
thought of showing deference to his age and
experience by concealing or toning down their
own opinions. He was not annoyed by the
unthinking enthusiasm of youth, or by the one-
sided fanaticism of inexperience. He listened
with an amused smile curling round his lips.
Occasionally he would ask a Socratic question ;
if the speaker did not follow him, he would
rapidly divert the conversation to something
about which he was prepared to agree. He
was prompt to see when enough had been said.
He was skilful in turning a discussion into a
new channel, while the talkers were entirely
unconscious that it had been turned. It was
impossible to feel dull in his society. A natural
restlessness of disposition had been curbed into
graceful vivacity. He was never at a loss.
His mind was always at work, and whenever
there was a pause, Sir George Grey was ready
with a new suggestion.

No subject was too trivial for Sir George

K

130 Memoir of Sir George Grey

Grey's interest, provided it had a practical aim.
He would give the fullest consideration to any
suggestion of a possible plan of good in the
smallest way to the most obscure person. He
would discuss it and reflect upon it as thoroughly
as though the most important issues were at
stake. But, unless the conversation had a
practical end, he preferred that it should deal
with general principles. He wished that it
should lead him either to do something, or to
know something more definitely than he had
known before. He did not choose political
topics ; he had no interest in the current mode
of developing political opinions by prejudiced
criticism founded on imperfect information.
But he would discuss with ardour political
problems as a whole, and sought with eager-
ness for any historical experience which might
throw light upon them. Above all things Sir
George Grey did not like to discuss the cha-
racters or motives of others. He always said
what was to be said in the defence of any one
who was impugned. When he had nothing to
say, he would quietly withdraw from the con-
versation, would move away to another group,

Later Days, 1874-1882 131

often to a group of children, or would dex-
terously change the topic.

Sir George Grey had never been so
entirely immerged in politics as to forget other
subjects. His reading was large and varied,
and he had kept up all the studies of his
youth. He was familiar with the chief
English classics. He was fond of poetry, not
so much for its form as for its contents. He
loved the simpler forms that dealt with human
life and character — such as are found in Crabbe,
Burns, and Scott. He read and re-read his
favourite books ; but he was also eager to know
all that was passing in the minds of others.
He read all the best works of History, Bio-
graphy, Travel, or Fiction, as they came out,
and liked to discuss their contents. He was a
rapid, but a singularly observant reader. He
wished to get to the permanent value of a book,
to find what was the writer's contribution to
the truth. He preferred memoirs to novels,
because he could learn more from his own
analysis of a real character than from the
novelist's combination of different traits. He

K 2

132 Memoir of Sir George Grey

liked to gather together such opinions as were
useful to him. He kept a commonplace book
in which he wrote down striking quotations.
How observant he was in his miscellaneous
reading may be shown by one small instance.
I remember that he pointed out to me a
coincidence of critical judgment in unexpected
quarters. Prosper Merimee wrote to Panizzi
about Carlyle's ' French Revolution : '

Je lis cette affreuse histoire de Carlyle et je suis
tente de jeter le livre par la fenetre. II y a pourtant
des recherches et du travail, mais une prevention
insupportable et une outrecuidance achevee.

Caroline Fox records in her ' Memoirs : '

Walter Savage Landor said : ' Carlyle's " French
Revolution " was a wicked book : he had worn out
one volume in tossing it on the floor at startling
passages.'

Sir George Grey's commonplace book shows
his carefulness to garner all that was useful to
him. The nature of the extracts which he
made illustrates the tendency of his thoughts.
In early years they consist chiefly of historical
abstracts of a period or of a subject. After-
wards they deal with political principles or

Later Days, 1874-1882 133

maxims for the conduct of affairs. Finally
they are mainly occupied with moral reflections,
and the last entries made are concerned with
the lessons of old age, and the preparation of
the soul for God's presence. In every case
the quotations are short, pithy, and striking.
They are not selected by one who is easily
caught by a passing fancy, or is attracted by
the graceful turn of a phrase. They are chosen
because they pack into a short space some
thought that is practically helpful. They are
remarkable for strength and profundity of
meaning rather than for elegance. They mark
the character of a man whose great desire was
for truth, who wished above all things to get
to the root of the matter.

Chief amongst the subjects which occupied
his mind was the study of theology. He read
largely devotional books. He was very fond
of hymns, especially those of Kirke- White,
Cowper, and Bonar. His religious attitude was
certainly remarkable. He had laid a firm
grasp on the vital principles of the Christian
faith, and held to them with unswerving tena-

134 Memoir of Sir George Grey

city. His religious belief was firmly incor-
porated into his inmost being, and formed part
of himself. But he drew a clear distinction
between what he felt to be essential and what
a matter of opinion. The central point of his
own religious feeling was the Atonement, which
he did not undertake to explain, but which he
felt to be absolutely necessary. The sense of
sin was ever present with him, and he found in
the Cross of Christ the sense of forgiveness and
reconciliation with God. But on all other points
concerning theology he was exceedingly tolerant
of diversities of opinion. I quote the words of
one who knew him longer than myself:

He had worked his way out of the narrow groove
of certain religious prejudices not without much
struggle and self-sacrifice. But he never for one
moment swerved from the most implicit faith in the
great cardinal doctrines in which he had been brought
up, and which were to the end his very life and suste-
nance. Constant reading of religious and theological
works kept his mind alive to the stirring questions of
his time. These helped him to solve some difficulties
of his own, and to regard with greater consideration
those of others who, perhaps, had not the same
advantages as himself.

Later Days, 1874-1882 135

Two entries in his commonplace book are
eminently characteristic of the practical attitude
of his religious life :

There are few things so helpful to our growth in
grace as concerning ourselves actively for the souls of
others.

A man is not tolerant till he is tolerant of the
intolerance of others.

The simplicity and humility of Sir George
Grey's faith may be seen by the following
extract from a letter to an old friend, written in
1880:

One hymn I have learned as expressing what a
retrospect of life makes one deeply feel :

' And, oh, how all I've been and done

Would drive me to despair,

If to the Cross I could not turn,

And find a Saviour there.'

Sir George Grey's life was not so busied
with politics as to exclude philanthropic ac-
tivity. He was in early life a member of the
committee of the Church Missionary Society,
of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and
of the London and Metropolitan District-
Visiting Society. So long as he was able, he

136 Memoir of Sir George Grey

used to devote his Sunday afternoons, when he
was in London, to visiting the poor in the
district of St. Giles. When he was in the
country, he made himself the personal friend
of all those who dwelt in his neighbourhood.
He would always stop and talk with them.
He spoke to them as an equal and a friend.
He won their confidence, and was their adviser
in all their affairs, and their consoler in their
troubles. He frequently visited the sick, and
spoke words of Christian comfort. He was
ever ready to assist those who were in need,
but he did so wisely and thoroughly. He did
not give way to the luxury of indiscriminate
almsgiving. He reflected upon the wisest
course to adopt ; and, when he undertook a
case, he undertook it thoroughly. He was
greatly interested in education, and was the
chief supporter and manager of an elementary
school in his own neighbourhood, while he also
cheerfully helped others. He visited his own
school regularly and spoke words of encourage-
ment to the children. To the end of his days
he welcomed the school-children annually to

Later Days, 1874-1882 137

his house, joined in their sports, and loaded them
with presents. He was always ready to take
trouble in doing thoughtful acts of kindness for
the good of others. He had a lending library
for the use of his neighbourhood. He kept the
catalogue himself, and used to make up parcels
of books and deliver them at different centres,
where they might be most easily accessible to
a scattered population. He carefully noticed
what books were most popular, and tried to get
others of a like kind. Similarly in the winter
evenings, when it was too dark to go a second
time to the church, which was two miles dis-
tant, he used to hold a service in his hall,
which all were welcome to attend. He was an
impressive reader, and his service was very
popular. He read the Evening Prayer of the
Church Service, and chose a sermon which was
suitable to those who assembled round him.

Thus Sir George Grey's later years were
full of manifold activity. He loved his home
and its surroundings, and bound others to him
in a remarkable way. He was genuinely
attached to those around him and attached

138 Memoir of Sir George Grey

them to himself. He entered with a keen
zest into all the pursuits of country life. He
was fond of sport, especially of hunting in
company with his son, and it had a most
exhilarating effect upon him. His enjoyment
of the beauties of nature was great, and he
was very fond of topographical details. A fine
sunset gave him exquisite delight, and he
constantly quoted the lines :

Those hues that mark the sun's decline,
So grand, so gorgeous, Lord, are Thine.

He was an excellent man of business, careful
and methodical, and took real pleasure in
farming and in the management of his estate.

Few men have had a larger heart, and few
have enjoyed a fuller life. 'In a far greater
degree than most public men,' writes a veteran
statesman, ' Sir George Grey had a beautifully
developed private side to his character. He
had a sweet, attractive grace, which is given
to few, whereby his excellent qualities were
rendered popular and influential.'

Sir George Grey lived for his last years at

Later Days, 1874-1882 139

Fallodon, always busy and always cheerful in
the presence of others. He lived simply, and
never spent money on mere luxuries or on
personal expenses ; but he was liberal for all
public objects and for all good works. In the
spring he used to seek shelter from the east
winds in the South of England, latterly for the
most part at Bournemouth. In his journey
he would visit old friends and make new ones,
and he always returned to Fallodon full of new
interests and engaged in investigating new
problems. The quickness and keenness of his
intellect never failed till the end. His mind
was always young.

As years passed on, Sir George Grey
suffered, with growing frequency, from attacks
of gout. He was extremely sensitive to pain,
and shrank from the anticipation of these
attacks. But he strove against this feeling as
unworthy, and quickly shook it off. He
suffered also keenly from another of the
inevitable sorrows of old age — the loss of
friends. The news of death drove him to a
retrospect, which opened up old sores in a

140 Memoir of Sir George Grey

very sensitive heart. His brief diary, which
he regularly kept, became more and more a
chronicle of the loss of dear relatives and
friends.

On his return to Fallodon from the South
in June, 1882, it was evident that Sir George
Grey was suffering much pain. He had over-
exerted himself in paying a visit to Tenby,
and had been seized by rheumatic gout. The
days passed on and he showed no signs of
improvement. It was clear to those who saw
him that he believed his end to be approaching.
He used his failing strength to put his papers
in order and arrange all his affairs. It was
painful and depressing work, but he did it
from a sense of duty. He made a diligent
review of his past life. All letters which con-
tained anything that his correspondents might
not wish to see the light were carefully
destroyed. All that he thought might be of
service to others, were arranged in order and
committed to the charge of his nephew, the
Earl of Northbrook. His papers concerning
his own private affairs were so arranged that

Later Days, 1874-1882 141

everything might be clear and intelligible
when he was gone. He prepared for every-
thing, even for the simple inscription which
was to commemorate him after his departure.

His malady increased and complications
set in. At the end of July he was confined to
his bed, and the remainder of his days were
spent in discomfort and suffering. Even then
his thoughts were more about others than
about himself. He was keenly sensible of his
own helplessness, and was distressed at the
thought that he absorbed so much of the time
and attention of those around him. ' Every-
thing is done for me,' he said more than once
to me, ' that can be done. I think with shame
of the many poor people who suffer more than
I, and who have none to help them.' He
was disturbed, because the constant pain pre-
vented him from fixing his mind so entirely as
he could wish on thoughts of God. ' I see
now,' he said, ' how little can be done on a
death bed. It would go hard with me if I had
left the work of repentance till now. I only
have strength to trust in God.' He beguiled

142 Memoir of Sir George Grey

his pains at night by repeating to his nurse his
favourite hymns, of which he knew a great
store by heart. He was always solaced and
relieved by having texts of Scripture said to
him. He welcomed prayer, and spoke of him-
self with profound and touching humility.
' The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from
all sin' was the truth which he profoundly
felt, and which always brought him comfort.
He thought much and spoke often of his grand-
children, but refused to speculate on their
future. ' They can do nothing,' he said,
'unless they seek the grace of God.' His
old habits clung to him to the last. Every
day he would dictate to one of his grand-
daughters a brief entry to be made in his
journal. This he continued till the week
before his death.

The days passed slowly in incessant pain.
He longed for death, and was distressed that
he was not more patient. ' Do you think it
wrong,' he asked me, ' to pray for death ? ' If
he seemed to rally a little, and those around
him tried to kindle some hope in his breast, he

Later Days, 1874-1882 143

shook his head sadly. ' I should only be laid
on the sofa for a few weeks,' he said, ' and then
it would all have to come over again.' His
symptoms became more serious, and his
strength failed. He was unable to speak,
and could only press the hand of those who
gathered at his bedside. But his ears were
open to the voice of one who prayed, and the
pressure of the hand was firmer when the
words of God's comfort fell upon his heart.
In the morning of September 9 he passed
quietly away.

Though Sir George Grey died full of years,
and had outlived well-nigh all his contempo-
raries, the news of his death brought a bitter
sense of personal loss to many of every age
and of every rank. He never made an enemy ;
all who saw him respected him, and all who
knew him loved him. Those who were most
dear to him felt that he had left behind the
rich heritage of a bright example and a stain-
less name. If man's consolation could do any-
thing to relieve the sense of bereavement, that
consolation was abundantly given. From all

144 Memoir of Sir George Grey

sides came utterances wrung from the hearts of
men accustomed to weigh their words.

On a grey day in September he was laid
to his rest, by the side of his son, in Embleton
churchyard. ' I never saw so many earnest
faces wear such a serious look,' was the remark
made to me afterwards by a simple but ob-
servant man.

Sir George Grey's reserve and humility are
shown in the inscription which he chose to
commemorate his resting place. Before his
death he carefully revised it, and left nothing
beyond the simple statement :

IN MEMORY OF
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

SIR GEORGE GREY, BART.,
G.C.B.,

BORN MAY IITH, 1799,
DIED SEPTEMBER 9TH, 1882.

1 In Hope of Eternal Life:
His many friends were desirous of placing

Later Days, 1874-1882 145

some memorial to his name. The sum of
^540 was rapidly subscribed. The design and
execution of the memorial were the work of
Mr. C. E. Kempe. The five windows of the
chancel of Embleton Church were filled with
painted glass so as to harmonise in effect and
illustrate a truth at once appropriate to the
position which they occupy in the church, and
to the special purpose for which they were
intended. They are designed to symbolise
* the Holy Catholic Church and the Communion
of Saints.' The east window illustrates the
living Church under the form of the True
Vine, in which our Lord, as a King, is the
central figure, and the branches bear His
disciples and followers in all ages, special
prominence being given to the saints of the
Church in Northumbria. The side windows
within the sanctuary show the four evangelists,
and the four great fathers of the Western
Church — St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St.
Jerome, and St. Gregory. One of the win-
dows in the chancel shows the types of Christ

L

146 Memoir of Sir George Grey

in the Jewish Church — Noah, Melchisedec,
Abraham, and Moses. The other window
contains the prophets who foretold our Lord
as the Branch — Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and
Zechariah. On the wall of the chancel is an
inscription :

' Thanking Almighty God for the example
given by the life and character of Sir George
Grey, Bart., who, during a long life, served his
country in many high offices of State, his
friends and neighbours have filled the windows
of this chancel with painted glass, to his
memory and the glory of God.

MDCCCLXXXIII.'

What I have written is all too slight and
too imperfect to be even a faint representation
of Sir George Grey's activity and goodness.
My words will seem cold, addressed as they
are to those who knew him longer and better
than I did myself. I have but gathered
together scattered facts and stray impressions.
I have been checked at every moment of my

Later Days, 1874-1882 147

endeavour by the recollection of words spoken
to me by him on his death-bed. They are a
summary of his character : ' Let nothing be
said in my praise when I am gone. I would
not have any one think me better than I was.'

L2

148

In Memory of the Right Honourable
Sir George Grey, Bart., G.C.B.

A SERMON PREACHED IN EMBLETON CHURCH BY THE
VICAR, THE REV. CANON CREIGHTON, ON DECEMBER 23,
1883.

' The righteous sJiall be had in everlasting remembrance?
PSALM cxii. 6.

To-day we enter upon the possession of
our church enriched with a new beauty. You
are proud of your church, and you have good
reason to be proud of it. Its massive structure
tells you how, in unquiet times in this disturbed
border-land, your forefathers built a building
that was meant to be strong enough to resist all
lawless attack. The oldest amongst you have
seen that building carefully finished by the
addition of a noble chancel. You may recall
some acts of self-denial on your own part to
contribute towards the work of making this

Memorial Sermon 149

place more worthy to be called the House
of God. To-day you see it rendered one
of the most beautiful churches in Northum-
berland.

To us dwellers in the country this is a
consideration of much importance. Our church
is the one building on which we can look with
pleasure. It is our one common possession.
It is the place round which centre the deepest
memories of our private and domestic life. It
is your one meeting place, which brings you
together. Your homes are scattered ; your
lives are separate, and sometimes solitary.
Here for a few hours each week you may
feel that you are bound together as the
children of a common Father. Here your
united prayers and praises rise up to heaven,
and you know that you are one in the Lord.

You cannot feel this too strongly ; for it is
one of the most powerful means of helping you
in daily life to rise above self and overcome
the narrowing influence of daily toil, constantly
renewed and little varied. Remember that
however trivial the round of daily life may

150 Memorial Sermon

seem to be, yet no man lives to himself. He
is bound up with others. His life and charac-
ter, whether he wishes it or not, are powerful
for good or evil. Human society grows little
by little, as this church has grown. It may be
but a small contribution towards the good of
man that each of us can make in his lifetime.
But if we cling resolutely to a high purpose,
something at all events is done for the future,
and some are made better than if we had not
been. There is no greater consolation to the
weary than the thought of the Communion of
Saints. We are not pursuing a desolate path
which no man's foot has trodden before.
Every step of our life's journey has been made
by countless pilgrims in the past. We have
to face no struggle in which thousands have
not been engaged before, in which thousands
by God's grace have not been conquerors.
We have to encounter no trial nor temptation
which has not been already encountered and
overcome. We are not alone. The vast
multitude of the saints beckon us to follow
their example, to live and conquer in the

Memorial Sermon 151

strength which they found to be sufficient to
arm their natural frailty for the victory.

I trust that these thoughts, this powerful
consolation, may be, by God's help, more
deeply fixed in your minds henceforth. They
are set before your eyes in a visible shape,
which I hope will, Sunday by Sunday, renew
them in your memory. The windows which
you see completed to-day represent the words
of Christ — ' I am the Vine ; ye are the
Branches.' From the Tree of which our
glorified Redeemer is at once the root and
the flower, springs the universal Church,
which is represented by holy men — Apostles,
Martyrs, Rulers, Preachers, Men of Learning,
Founders of Churches, Missionaries — all who
sought to advance the boundaries of Christ's
kingdom. To bring them more home to you
many of them are Northumbrian Saints, men
who lived and laboured in these parts, men to
whose lives and labours we owe the beginnings
of Christian life in Northumberland. They are
but samples of the great band of witnesses for
God, who have entered into their rest Your

152 Memorial Sermon

own hearts, the heart of every one, must fill
up the outline that they suggest. Think, each
of you, of some whom you knew in the flesh,
and who have gone before you within the vail.
Let all that was noble, all that was holy, all
that came from God in their life and character,
rise before you and strengthen you in your
own endeavours.

It was with this object in view that these
windows were planned for your church. It is
with a fervent prayer that this expectation
may be in some way fulfilled that I ask you to
take possession of them to-day. Make them
your own, each one of you, by resolving that
they shall recall these thoughts to your minds.
Set this meaning clearly before yourselves,
and let it be henceforth a background to your
meditations when your eyes fall upon these
figures. Sights may strike your gaze and may
fill you with pleasure ; but the real gain to
your inward self must come from the impres-
sion left, not on your senses, but on your
minds. We can receive no teaching unless we
bring a teachable heart. We can learn no

Memorial Sermon 153

lessons unless we wish to learn them. We
cannot have our feelings of devotion deepened
unless we long to lift up our hearts to God.
You must lend yourselves to the teaching of
these windows, if they are to be more to you
than a mere ornament to your church.

To enable you to do so better let me recall
the reason to which you owe them. They are
a memorial to one whom you all knew in
some degree — one whom those who had most
opportunities of knowing loved and respected
most. They are a gift to you from many of the
best and wisest in this land, a gift to you for
the sake of one whom they held dear. For his
sake many who have never seen this place,
who will never see these windows, have been
glad to help in making your church more
beautiful, more full of meaning, and therefore
more useful to you. You owe it to his memory
that you should not disappoint their hopes,
their expectations, and their prayers.

Your church has been made richer to you.
Why ? Because many of the highest minds in
England felt and said that their lives had been

154 Memorial Sermon

made richer and better to them by the memory
of one who has passed away. These windows
are a thank-offering to Almighty God for the
example given to many by the Christian life,
by the lovely character of Sir George Grey.
Look upon them reverently, and, as you look,
take comfort. They are a testimony to the
living, acting power of the belief in the Com-
munion of Saints.

You may remember that when Sir George
Grey died, now more than a year ago, I tried
to speak to you about him, but failed in my
attempt. My own sense of loss was too
strongly personal, and sorrow was too fresh for
words. Even now I feel it very difficult,
because I remember his own deep humility,
and find it hard to say in simple language what
I know. One of the charges which Sir George
Grey gave me on his death-bed was this : ' I
have chosen the inscription to be put over me
when I am gone— only my name and date of
birth and death. Let there be no praise of me.
I would not have any one think me better than
I was.' There spoke a soul which echoed the

Memorial Sermon 155

words of the Apostle St. Paul — ' With me it is
a very small thing that I should be judged of
you or of man's judgment ; yea, I judge not
mine own self ; but he that judgeth me is the
Lord.' He lived unto God, and unto God he
died, committing himself into the hands of a
faithful Creator, with a profound belief in the
sufficiency of the atoning blood of Christ.

I dare not, if I wished, speak one word in
his praise. He died, as he had lived, seeking
the praise of God, not the praise of men. But
a good man's activity does not cease with his
life : being dead he yet speaketh. The world
was a better place to all who knew him, while
he lived, because they knew him. The world
remains to them a better place, after he is gone,
because it is enriched to them by his memory.
He has made more real to us all the doctrine
of the Communion of Saints. He has made us
more hopeful, more single-minded, more sincere
in our efforts to tread the path where his track
still remains before our eyes. What I say, I
say not in praise of him, but for your example.
Sunday after Sunday you saw that aged form,

156 Memorial Sermon

erect beneath the weight of years, enter this
church. You heard that grave, full voice
mingle with yours in prayer and praise. You
saw the reverent look upon

that beloved aged face
To which each passing year lent a diviner grace.

I would have the recollection of that past
become a memory which may help even the
youngest amongst you, even those who had the
least opportunities of knowing more of the
example of his life.

I will not speak of the public life of Sir
George Grey, nor tell you how for many years
he served his country in high offices of State.
Men looked up to him and trusted him because
they saw that he had no thought of self, but
was anxious only to do his duty. He had that
wisdom which cometh from above, and is the
gift of God to those who seek Him. What he
did in public life was due to integrity of purpose.
He tried to act in all things, great and small,
according to his prayers. He prayed God to
give him a right judgment in all things. He

Memorial Sermon 157

never spoke unadvisedly ; he never was pro-
voked ; he never said a bitter word ; he never
imputed a bad motive to any who differed from
him. He was an example of the charity which
thinketh no evil ; and all men in Parliament
looked upon him with kindliness and respect.
His advice was sought and was followed
because he was always sincere, and had no
purpose of his own to follow, but sought only
to know what was most right. He regarded
his talents as gifts of God. He lived as became
a faithful steward. He was ready to do his
best, honourably and uprightly, as in God's
sight. He did not seek for fame, nor for man's
good opinion. He strove to do what he could
in his day and generation ; and his wise and
moderate counsels did much to secure to this
country the peace and good order which we
have so long enjoyed.

When the infirmities of increasing years
came upon him, he left public life and settled
quietly amongst you. You know how he lived ;
how he went about with a kindly smile upon
his face, and a word of cheerful greeting for all.

158 Memorial Sermon

You know how simple he was, how genial,
how loving. You never thought of him, when
you saw him, as of a great statesman, who had
spent his life in matters far beyond your know-
ledge. He did not speak to you as a great
man, whose mind was above yours, whose
thoughts were busy with great things, whose
life was different from your own. He spoke
to you as a friend. Your interests were his
interests. Your welfare was his constant
thought. Nothing that concerned your well-
being was too small for his careful considera-
tion. He rejoiced when you rejoiced. He
mourned when you were afflicted. You do not
know so well as I do how deeply he sympa-
thised with your sorrows. He felt for others
so keenly that their woes were a source of pain
to him. He could not drive them away from
his mind. He remembered, after the lapse of
years, the losses, the afflictions, the bereave-
ments of those amongst whom he dwelt. He
had knelt by many a bedside, he had prayed
for the consolation of many an afflicted heart.
He too himself had felt the bitter pangs of

Memorial Sermon 159

bereavement. He had known pain and sorrow,
and had known also the source whence all con-
solation springs. His own grief taught him to
strive more resolutely against self, and to live
more entirely for the good of others. He knew
that it was selfish to give way to sorrow. He
knew that cheerfulness was a duty which every
man owes to his fellow men. More and more, as
life went on, he renewed his youth by living in
the life of others. He never failed in sympathy.
He never kept himself aloof from any one who
needed his advice or help. He could put him-
self into the place of another, see with his eyes,
and feel with his heart. His constant source of
happiness was to see others happy and help to
make them so. You never talked with him for
a little while without feeling that he had no
thought of himself, but was lending himself
entirely to you, to your opinions, your interests,
your sorrows, or your joys. You knew that he
was entirely open, truthful, and sincere. He
had nothing to hide. His heart was as simple
and guileless as the heart of a child.

His purpose was clear ; it was simply to do

160 Memorial Sermon

the thing that was right in God's sight. He
had the blessing of the pure in heart, that he
should see God. He knew that God was about
his path, and about his bed, and spied out all
his ways. This was the secret of his kindli-
ness. He saw the world to be God's world
and he knew that God was good. Hence he
saw good in everything. I never heard him
pronounce a harsh judgment or speak an un-
kindly word of any one. You know that he
never did an unkindly or inconsiderate act.
As a friend, a counsellor, a guide, he sought the
welfare of others by acts of thoughtful unobtru-
sive kindliness. Many of you have knelt with
him in prayer in his own house, when the dark
winter evenings made it difficult for you to come
to church. May the remembrance of that fact
abide with you, and bring to your hearts the
lessons which he taught.

The beauty of his character was due to the
fact that his life was one consistent walk with
God. From his early to his later years he
never swerved from his belief. He had no
time of carelessness or forgetfulness. Firmly

Memorial Sermon 161

and steadfastly he advanced with his face always
turned heavenwards. Remember that little
lapses into sin or heedlessness leave scars and
marks behind. You may repent and may obtain
forgiveness ; but you cannot get back your sense
of innocence. You may root out the sin you
once encouraged ; but you cannot do away with
the signs of its presence in your heart. There
is a special beauty, a peculiar grace, a winning
sweetness which attaches to those who have
been constant in their service of God. That
beauty, that sweetness, was his,

You knew him best in his later years ; and
I wish to speak of him as he lives in your
recollection. Did not the sight of him teach
you always one great lesson — the value of old
age ? He showed you the grace that crowned
a consistent life. From a mind that has always
been active, a body that has always been tem-
perate, a heart that has always been filled with the
peace of God, the advance of years has nothing
to take away. Increasing infirmities bring no
listnessness ; the prospect of death has no
terror. Though old in years, Sir George Grey

M

1 62 Memorial Sermon

was always young in heart. He was always
full of interest and of curiosity, always ready to
learn. The old are often subjects of awe to
the young. They seem to have their minds
made up about everything ; to go their own
way ; to take no interest in the thoughts, the
feelings, the difficulties of the generations that
have sprung up since they were young them-
selves. You know that there was no child so
young but that Sir George Grey would cheer-
fully talk to it. There were no opinions so
different from his own that he would not listen to
them with a kindly smile. He never professed
to the simplest or the youngest the superiority
which his talents and his experience justly gave
him. He met every one on the footing of an
equal. When he differed from what they said,
he did so gently ; and only those who con-
sidered afterwards saw the kindly rebuke that
sometimes lay hid beneath his simple words.

No one could see Sir George Grey without
feeling that he had solved the problem of life,
that he had learned both from its joys and from
its sorrows ; that he had laboured much, had

Memorial Sermon 163

suffered much, had rejoiced much ; that all
things had turned to him for good. He was a
rare example of a happy and useful old age. I
think few people ever met him for a few
moments without feeling this, and finding their
view of life widened in consequence of this
feeling. We often say that few people think
seriously of death. Perhaps still fewer think
seriously of old age. But if the thought of
death brings to an issue our relations towards
God, the thought of old age brings to an issue
our relations towards our fellow men. We
know how closely these two relationships are
interwoven. ' If a man love not his brother
whom he hath seen, how can he love God
whom he hath not seen ? ' The Apostle exhorts
us to test our sincerity towards God by our
sincerity towards man.

The awfulness of death lies in the suspicion
of our unreality. ' I shall stand before God,'
we think, ' and what shall I be when the
world, and all the things of the world, all
the surroundings of my daily life, are taken
away from me ? What am I in myself, apart

164 Memorial Sermon

from them ? ' The thought of the coming of
old age ought to help us to answer this momen-
tous question. Let us say to ourselves, 'My
bodily powers will fail ; the quickness of my
mind may leave me. There may come a time
when I shall not be able to do my work. My
activity will be at an end ; my interests will
have to be laid aside. There will no longer be
money to be made, nor business to be managed.
What shall I do then ? What will be left to
interest me, to occupy my thoughts ? ' The
question is a profitable one ; it is worth asking
ourselves betimes.

This question was one which intercourse
with Sir George Grey brought home most
forcibly. He had left the pursuits of a long
lifetime, and he felt no regret. He had lost
his only son, on whose companionship he had
counted in his declining years ; he set himself
to find that companionship in his grandchildren.
His life was full of interests, was rich in happi-
ness, was busied in acts of usefulness to the
end. He was not dependent on outward
things ; he had his resources within himself.

Memorial Sermon 165

All spheres were alike worthy of his best care
and his most earnest attention. He found in
all things an opportunity for fruitful work.
Why was this ? Because he had always lived
not to himself but for the service of God. He
had grown accustomed to act solely from the
sense of duty. He was no more genial, no
more desirous of producing an effect, in the
society of the great world, or on the floor of
the House of Commons, than he was in one of
your cottages. He did not consider it to be
a greater thing to devise some measure for the
better government of England than to discover
some scheme for your greater welfare. He
had learned, always, throughout his whole life,

To have to do with nothing but the true,
The good, the eternal — and these, not alone
In the main current of the general life,
But small experiences of every day
Concerns of the particular hearth and home ;
To learn not only by the comet's rush,
But by the roses' birth.

' He being dead yet speaketh.' Many who
knew him only slightly have said to me, ' No

1 66 Memorial Sermon

one could know him without being better for
it.' Those who knew him best have left a
testimony of the gratitude to Almighty God
for the example of his life and character. That
testimony is now set daily before your eyes.
It is for you to fix its meaning in your hearts
and make it helpful for your souls' progress.
Let it be to you a token of the eternal power
of good. Let it show you that a Christian life
leaves always an abiding mark, and that a
Christian example is fruitful to all times. So
may you see, dimly and imperfectly, how the
store of good in this world is increased, and
how the working of the spiritual power of light
is strengthened by each generation of God's
servants, until the time be come when ' the
kingdoms of this world are become the king-
doms of our Lord and of His Christ.' So may
you enjoy the inspiring thoughts that are carried
into the heart that meditates on ' the Com-
munion of Saints.'

' Their bodies are buried in peace, but their
name liveth for evermore ' — liveth in the hearts
that they have cheered ; liveth in the souls that

Memorial Sermon 167

they have raised by their example ; liveth, and
its life is carried onward by the generations
that are to be, for ' their seed shall remain
for ever, and their glory shall not be blotted
out.'

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