Page:The Complete Peerage Ed 1 Vol 2.djvu/37

36 BROUGHAM. Princess of Wales, lie was, on 22 April 1S2Q (when she had become Queen), appointed her Attorney Gcn.C) Me defended her in her trial before the House of Lords in the autumn of that year. King's Council, 1S27. He had, previously, 13 Feb. 1S10, sue. his Father in the small family property. For many years he took a prominent part as a "Reformer," being M.P. for Camelford, 1810-12; for Winehilsea 1815-30; for Knaresborough and subsequently for the co. of York, 1S30. In that same year, on the formation of Earl Grey's ministry, he was (almost per sultuni) made (Nov. 1830), from his political rather than his forensic merits, Loud ChaNcki.lok and cr. a Peer as above. He held office for 1 years, resigning it in Nov. 1S34, on the change of Ministry, on the restoration of which (within 6 months) he was not re-instated^) the Great Seal, which was for a short while iu commission, being conferred on Pepys, Master of the Rolls. He w:is Lord Rector of the Univ. of Glasgow (1825) : Chancellor of the Univ. of Edinburgh (I860) ; D.C.L., Oxford (I860) ; LL.D., Cambridge (1SG2); President of the Uoir. Coll., London ; Kli.S. ; Member of tho Nat. Institute of France, Ssc From 1834 to 1S00 he was probably the most active and best-known member of the House of Lorda,(<-') both in " Appeal " cases and otherwise. Having no issue to inherit his title, he was "in consideration of eminent public services,;' 1 ) especially in the diffusion of knowledge, the spread of education, ( L 'l and the abolition of the Slave-trade and Slavery," on 22 March I860, er. BARON BROUGHAM AND VAUX OF BROUGHAM, co. Westmorland, AND OF HIGH HEAD CASTLE, co. Cuml>erland, with spec, rein., failing heirs male of his body, to his In-. " William (") "A few days before, he [had] received a proposal from Lord Liverpool offering the Queen £50,000 a year on the same conditions [that he himself had] named the year before [for a life annuity of only £35,000, i.e.], that she should reside permanently abroad, should consent to a separation and not use her husband's title. This proposal he did not make known to the Queen, nor did Lord Liverpool become aware that bis pro- posal had been withheld from her until 1 0 June. Had Brougham delivered the message with which he was entrusted, the whole scandal of the Queen's trial would probably have been avoided. In that case, however, he would have lost the opportunity of playing the most conspicuous part in a famous scene. He never gave any satisfactory explanation of his conduct." See Stephen's "Nat. Biogr." ( b ) They "were determined not to have Brougham among them again after the follies of which he had been guilty." See Stephen's " Nat. Biogr." («) In 1S4S, however, he desired to become a deputy in the National Assembly of the French, but understanding that if he became a French citizen he must give up his English rank, offices and emoluments, he wisely withdrew his request. — "Punch "had a good cartoon of him as " The Citizen of the World," depicting him in a vast variety of characters. The "Annual Register" of 1S08 says truly of him that he was " A man so many .sided in his aspects ; so multifarious in his tastes anil studies ; so super- human in his energy and industry, he was almost cccrgthing in turn — a Mathematician, an Historian, a Biographer, an Essayist and Reviewer, a Physical Philosopher, a Moral and Political Philosopher, an Educator of the People ; a Lawyer [';], an Orator, a Statesman [and] a Philanthropist." This list, however, might be considerably extended. He was emphatically wdiat Dryden wrote of the. Duke of Buckingham — " A man so various that he seoin'd to be Not one, but all mankind's epitome." ( d ) These services were, however, more especially as to his law reforms, much marred by his haste and self reliance. " His mind ranged over so wide an area that he never acquired a thorough, knowledge of any particular division of learning. It has been said of him that if he had known a Utile law he would have known a little of everything." See Stephen's "Nat. Biogr." Mr. William Carpenter, in his " Peerage for the People " (no unfriendly critic for a radical Peer), says of him, " Whenever the reforming lawyer tried his hand at any practical measure he miserably failed. Oh .' my Lord, you must be satisfied with the empty honour of talking about what should be done, to accomplish what you have desiderated, and had the power of realising, must be reserved for others !" And, again, " What Lord Brougham lacked in learning he was desirous to make up for in haste." ( c ) i.e. Both by his numerous writings, and as one of the earliest Promoters of " The Society for the diffusion of Useful Knowledge " (1827), and o£ " The Loudon