first being taken upon it....
In an evil hour for my own peace and quietness I took upon myself--I
believe it was never taken upon himself by any chancellor of the exchequer
before--the duty of protecting the revenue, instead of leaving it to be
done by an inferior official." After reciting his figures, he wound up
with a resounding paean: "So far as I am aware, up to the present time
there is no one who can challenge comparison with what has been done
during these years. Sir R. Peel and Mr. Gladstone routed out protection in
your trade, a measure that conferred immortal honour on them, but so far
as relieving you from taxation is concerned, I believe you would seek in
vain in British history for anything like what has been done during these
last four years." This strange vein was more than a little distasteful to
the prime minister, as a letter to Lord Granville upon it shows (Sept. 9,
1873):--

Lowe's speech at Sheffield is really too bad, and free as it is
from all evil intention, it illustrates the invariable solecisms
of his extraordinary mind.... He says no chancellor of the
exchequer before did treasury business, but left it to a
subordinate official.... Some have done more, some less. No one,
probably, as much as Lowe, but some almost as much. I did less,
perhaps much less. But I hold that the first duties of the
chancellor of the exchequer are outside the treasury. One of them
is to look after and control the great expenditures and estimates.
In this duty I am sorry to say he was wretchedly deficient; yet he
coolly takes to himself the credit of army and navy reductions,
which is due to Cardwell and Childers (who, in his admirable
speech, did not say a word, I think, for himself), and with which
every member of the cabinet had almost as much to do as he had. I
can speak from experience, for I know what it has been to have had
cast upon my shoulders the most important and most offensive duty
of the financial minister.... He has ample merit to stand on, in a
great amount of labour done, and generally well done, and with
good results for the public. Much of the unpopularity is unjust; a
little patience would set all right.

Chapter VIII. Autumn Of 1871. Decline Of Popularity. (1871-1872)

For the present at least the reformation will operate against the
reformers. Nothing is more common than for men to wish, and ca