ardly done justice to the great
sacrifice which he made on this occasion to a high sense of duty. He not
only parted with the finest racing stud in England, but he parted with
it at a moment when its prospects were never so brilliant; and he knew
this well. We may have hereafter to notice on this head an interesting
passage in his life.

He could scarcely have quitted the turf that day without a pang. He had
become the lord paramount of that strange world, so difficult to sway,
and which requires for its government both a stern resolve and a courtly
breeding. He had them both; and though the blackleg might quail before
the awful scrutiny of his piercing eye, there never was a man so
scrupulously polite to his inferiors as Lord George Bentinck. The
turf, too, was not merely the scene of the triumphs of his stud and
his betting-book. He had purified its practice and had elevated its
character, and he was prouder of this achievement than of any other
connected with his sporting life. Notwithstanding his mighty stakes and
the keenness with which he backed his opinion, no one perhaps ever cared
less for money. His habits were severely simple, and he was the most
generous of men. He valued the acquisition of money on the turf, because
there it was the test of success. He counted his thousands after a great
race as a victorious general counts his cannon and his prisoners.

CHAPTER VIII.

_The Versatility of Lord George Bentinck_

THOSE who throw their eye over the debates of the session of '47,
cannot fail to be struck by the variety of important questions in the
discussion of which Lord George Bentinck took a leading or prominent
part. And it must be borne in mind that he never offered his opinion on
any subject which he had not diligently investigated and attempted
to comprehend in all its bearings. His opponents might object to his
principles or challenge his conclusions, but no one could deny that
his conclusions were drawn from extensive information and that his
principles were clear and distinct. He spared no pains to acquire by
reading, correspondence, and personal research, the most authentic
intelligence on every subject in debate. He never chattered. He never
uttered a sentence in the House of Commons which did not convey a
conviction or a fact. He was too profuse indeed with his facts: he had
not the art of condensation. But those who have occasion to refer to his
speeches and calmly to examine them,