or the better government of
Ireland--Lord Selborne's estimate of Lord John's public
career--Frank admissions--As his private secretaries saw him.

LORD JOHN never relinquished that high sense of responsibility which was
conspicuous in his attitude as a Minister of the Crown. Although out of
harness from the summer of 1866 to his death, twelve years later, he
retained to the last, undiminished, the sense of public duty. He took,
not merely a keen interest, but an appreciable share in public affairs;
and some of the speeches which he delivered in the House of Lords after
his retirement from office show how vigorous and acute his intellect
remained, and how wide and generous were his sympathies. The leisured
years which came to Lord John after the fall of the second Russell
Administration enabled him to renew old friendships, and gave him the
opportunity for making the acquaintance of distinguished men of a
younger generation. His own historical studies--the literary passion of
a lifetime--made him keenly appreciative of the work of others in that
direction, and kindred tastes drew him into intimate relations with Mr.
W. E. H. Lecky. Few of the reminiscences, great or small, which have
been written for these pages, can compare in interest with the following
statement by so philosophic a critic of public affairs and so acute a
judge of men:--

[Sidenote: MR. LECKY'S REMINISCENCES]

'It was, I think, in 1866, and in the house of Dean Milman, that I had
the privilege of being introduced to Lord Russell. He at once received
me with a warmth and kindness I can never forget, and from this time
till near the end of his life I saw him very frequently. His Ministerial
career had just terminated, but I could trace no failure in his powers,
and, whatever difference of opinion there might be about his public
career, no one, I believe, who ever came in contact with him failed to
recognise his singular charm in private life. His conversation differed
from that of some of the more illustrious of his contemporaries. It was
not a copious and brilliant stream of words, dazzling, astonishing, or
overpowering. It had no tendency to monologue, and it was not remarkable
for any striking originalities either of language, metaphor, or thought.
Few men steered more clear of paradox, and the charm of his talk lay
mainly in his admirable terseness and clearness of expression, in the
skill with which, by a few happy words, he could te