able to hold his own in the stormy debates of the day. He treated the Irish party with considerable tact, and did his best to carry out the policy initiated by Thomas Drummond (1797-1840) [q. v.] Morpeth was admitted to the cabinet in February 1839, upon the retirement of Charles Grant, afterwards created Baron Glenelg. At the general election in July 1841 he was defeated in the West Riding, and in September resigned office with the rest of his colleagues. Shortly afterwards Morpeth spent a year in North America and Canada. During his absence he was nominated a candidate for the city of Dublin at a by-election in January 1842, but was defeated by his tory opponent. At by-election in February 1846 he was returned unopposed for the West Riding, and upon the downfall of Sir Robert Peel's second administration in June 1846 was appointed chief commissioner of woods and forests (7 July) with a seat in Lord John Russell's first cabinet. He was sworn in as lord-lieutenant of the East Riding on 22 July 1847, and at the general election in the following month was once more returned for the West Riding, this time with Richard Cobden as a colleague. In February 1848 Morpeth reintroduced his bill for promoting the public health (ib. 3rd ser. xcvi. 385-403), which became law at the close of the session (11 & 12 Vict. c. 63). On the death of his father in October 1848 Morpeth succeeded as the seventh earl of Carlisle, and took his seat in the House of Lords on 1 Feb. 1849 (Journals of the House of Lords, lxxxi. 4). On the appointment of Lord Campbell as lord chief justice of England, Carlisle became chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster (6 March 1850). On the accession of Lord Derby to power in February 1852 Carlisle resigned office. He was installed rector of the university of Aberdeen on 31 March 1853, and in the following summer began a twelve-month's continental trip.
On 7 Feb. 1855 Carlisle was invested with the order of the Garter, and in the same month was appointed by Lord Palmerston lord-lieutenant of Ireland. He retained this office until February 1858, and resumed it on Palmerston's return to office in June 1859. Ill-health compelled his final retirement in October 1864. He died at Castle Howard on 5 Dec. 1864, aged 62, and was buried in the family mausoleum. He never married, and was succeeded by his brother, the Hon. and Rev. William George Howard, rector of Londesborough, Yorkshire. Carlisle was able and kind-hearted, with cultivated tastes and great fluency of speech. Without commanding abilities or great strength of will, his gentleness endeared him to all those with whom he came into contact. As lord-lieutenant he devoted his efforts to improve the agriculture and manufactures of Ireland, and was successful and popular there.
At Castle Howard there is a head of the earl in chalk, which has been engraved by F. Holl, also a large miniature by Carrick, and a small full-length water-colour portrait painted when Howard was in Greece. A portrait by John Partridge is in the possession of Lady Taunton. A bronze statue of Carlisle by J. H. Foley was erected by public subscription in Phoenix Park, Dublin, in 1870, and in the same year another statue by the same artist was erected on Brampton Moat, Carlisle. There is a bust of Carlisle by Foley in the town hall at Morpeth; another, when Lord Morpeth, at Castle Howard; and a third, also by Foley, at Castle Howard, executed when Howard was lord lieutenant. A memorial column was erected upon Bulmer Hill, at the edge of the Carlisle estate.
Carlisle presided at the Shakespeare tercentenary at Stratford-on-Avon in April 1864. He took a great interest in mechanics' institutes, and established a reformatory upon his own estate at Castle Howard. He was the author of the following works:
- 'Eleusis; poema Cancellarii præmio donatum, et in Theatro Sheldoniano recitatum die Jul. iv° A.D. 1821' [Oxford, 1821], 8vo.
- 'Pæstum: a Prize Poem recited in the Theatre, Oxford, in the year 1821' [Oxford, 1821], 8vo.
- 'The Last of the Greeks; or the Fall of Constantinople, a Tragedy' [in five acts, and in verse], London, 1828, 8vo.
- 'Sanitary Reform. Speech … in the House of Commons … 30 March 1847, on moving for leave to bring in a Bill for Improving the Health of Towns in England,' London, 1847, 8vo.
- 'Public Health Bill. Speech … in the House of Commons … 10 Feb. 1848, on moving for leave to bring in a Bill for Promoting the Public Health,'London, 1848, 8vo.
- 'Two Lectures on the Poetry of Pope, and on his own Travels in America … delivered to the Leeds Mechanics' Institution and Literary Society, December 5th and 6th, 1850,' London, 1851, 8vo; the lecture on Pope was reviewed by De Quincey.
- 'Diary in Turkish and Greek Waters,' London, 1854, 8vo, edited by C. C. Felton, Boston U.S.], 1855, 8vo.
- 'The Second Vision of Daniel. A Paraphrase in Verse,' London, 1858, 4to.
Carlisle was a frequent contributor in prose and verse to the annuals of the day, and delivered a number of addresses and lectures. His 'Lectures and Addresses in Aid of Popular Education,' &c., form the twenty-fifth volume
