ance.

This ministry was not popular. In the cabinet the lord-chancellor was not
an accession of strength. Although a very high Tory, he was not liked by
the aristocracy; and although a very good lawyer, he was believed by
the country to be narrow-minded and prejudiced. Lord John Manners
was extremely unpopular, in consequence of his well-known couplet,
expressive of the desire that learning and commerce should perish rather
than that the power of the aristocracy should be diminished. The Duke
of Northumberland was considered utterly unfit for the important duties
imposed on him, and it was supposed that he would patronise "jobbing,"
and promotion by unfair means.

Out of the cabinet, the English appointments were generally severely
criticised, except those of the household and the law officers. These
latter were considered able men, but bigoted partizans--clever enough
for attorneygeneral and solicitor-general, but very unsuitable for
judges, to which honours the offices notoriously led.

All the Irish appointments were popular in Ireland, although the
gentlemen who filled them belonged to a party of so small a minority.
Lord Eglinton was a gentleman personally liberal and generally esteemed,
generous, and off-hand, fond of Ireland, and adapted to intercourse
with the Irish. Mr. Blackburn, the lord-chancellor, was considered the
greatest equity lawyer in Ireland, and an impartial judge. Lord Naas,
the chief secretary, was an Irishman who knew the country well, and was
connected with many popular families. Joseph Napier was held to be
a first-rate lawyer and scholar, a polished gentleman, and a sincere
Christian. Whiteside was regarded as having too much of the clever,
eloquent, fiery Irish agitator in his own constitution, not to have some
complaisant sympathy with such qualities in his countrymen. Accordingly,
the government worked well in Ireland for its own ascendancy, but every
step it took in England rendered the hope of ministerial longevity
impossible. Lord Derby and Mr. Disraeli were personally liked; both were
believed to be more liberal than their relation to their party allowed,
and their brilliant eloquence made the country proud of them in or out
of office.

The time soon arrived for testing the House of Commons as to the amount
of toleration it was likely to show to the new ministry. On the 27th
of February, Lord Derby offered the lords an exposition of his views,
which, even while he was yet speaking