reminiscences to give an opinion on the
effects generally of the Tractarian move-
ment. Keble's assize sermon, which New-
man always regarded as the beginning of
the movement, was preached at St Mary's,
Oxford, in July 1833, after I matriculated
but before I came up to residence. The
early ' Tracts for the Times ' appeared in
the autumn, and were noticed to some ex-
tent. The ' Christian Year ' was largely
read, and at that time the movement was
all for good. I am not thinking of the
undergraduates alone.
To return to the friends I made at
Oxford. In November 1834 I noticed
Ward at a window with a man I hadn't
seen before, and Ward beckoned me
up and introduced me to the new-
52 OXFORD. [1833-
comer. It was Arthur Stanley, who had
just come up and won the Balliol Scholar-
ship. The friendship begun thus in Dean
Stanley's first days at Oxford lasted all
through his lifetime. One of my later
recollections of him is his delight when
Lightfoot was made a bishop. " I went
unto the Abbey," he told me, "and read
the lesson : ' Can we find such a one as
this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God
is ? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Foras-
much as God hath showed thee all this,
there is none so discreet and wise as thou
art. . . . And Pharaoh took off his ring
from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's
hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine
linen.'" And he added, "When I came out
I read my ' Times,' and found that Joseph
Barber Lightfoot was Bishop of Durham."
Tait, too, I knew during all his after-
life, and of course when I became Arch-
bishop's Commissioner at the Ecclesiastical
1837.] ARCHBISHOP TAIT. 53
Commission I met him constantly. He
once said to me in a joke that I had
made him a bishop, the foundation of the
joke being this. In the summer of 1854
my wife and I were at the Lakes, and we
spent a Sunday at Carlisle Deanery. Tait
preached twice in the Cathedral ; he at-
tended a Sunday-school, had a third service
for some old people, and had a class of
young men who came to him in the even-
ing at the Deanery. I cannot now recall
the number and particular nature of all
his engagements throughout the day, but
remember that every hour he was apolo-
gising for leaving us for this and for that.
The following year, during a debate in the
House of Commons on the Carlisle Canon-
ries Bill, it was asserted by some one that
the Chapter did nothing for the spiritual
wants of the city. I was able to get up
and tell the House my experience of one
Sunday at the Deanery at any rate, and
54 OXFORD. [1833-
the House received it well. Later in the
night I said to Lord Palmerston's stepson,
" Tait ought to be made a bishop." He
was made one in 1856.
[My father congratulated him on his ap-
pointment to the see of London, and re-
ceived in reply the following letter : ā
Hallsteads, nr. Penrith, 2Zrd Sept. 1856.
My dear Mowbray, ā It was very pleasant to
receive your kind letter. There are few who
have shown me more friendship than yourself,
and I cannot doubt that your good opinion ex-
pressed has materially contributed to my being-
removed from Carlisle. The particular post as-
signed me is almost overwhelming, but the events
of the last six months, with the depth of sorrow
in which they plunged us, have made me feel
that we are indeed in God's hands. You will
believe how deeply I feel that I need the prayers
of all who love the Church of Christ. Mrs Tait
joins in kind regards to Mrs Mowbray. I hope,
please God, we shall meet in the winter. ā Yrs.
sincerely, A. C. Tait.]
1837.] UNDERGRADUATE LIFE. 55
I need say no more of the transcendent
merits of Tait. The fine presence, the noble
character, the personal goodness, the states-
manlike capacity of the great Archbishop,
live in our memories and are enshrined in
the history of the Church of England.
The social life of the undergraduates has
changed greatly since then. In my day
there were no railways, and consequently
few visits to town ā none at all, in fact.
We dined at five o'clock. After dinner we
probably adjourned to some man's rooms for
wine. These wine-parties were quiet gather-
ing's ā there was no excess at them. These
are not to be confounded with the noisier
" supper-parties." We left early and went
to our own rooms to read. There was little
or no smoking. Smoking after dinner was
not the custom then, as it is now. But
this must have been the transition period
in the habit, for I remember that when on
leaving Oxford I went to London to study
56 OXFORD. [1833-
for the Bar, there were always cigars after
dinner.
The most interesting scene in my first
year at Oxford was the installation of the
Duke of Wellington as Chancellor of Ox-
ford, in the Sheldonian Theatre, in June
1834. To the undergraduate of that da)^
the crowning victory of Waterloo was the
great landmark in English history, and the
conqueror of the great Napoleon was the
national hero, the greatest Englishman that
ever lived. Moreover, the Tory party, just
beginning to rally after the disasters of
1832, had gathered in great force around
their illustrious leader. The Duke of Cum-
berland was there and the Earl of Eldon.
The Archbishop of Canterbury and many
bishops, and the Duke s old companions in
arms, Lord Hill and Lord Fitzroy Somer-
set, Lord Londonderry, and many whose
names are household words to that genera-
tion, were there welcomed and honoured
From a drawing by a lady.
"THE DUKE.
1837.] WELLINGTON CHANCELLOR. 57
by the university. Three days were occu-
pied in conferring degrees and listening
to prize essays and poems. I was in
the gallery on "Wednesday, June 11. Mr
Arnould, scholar of Wadham, recited his
poem, "The Hospice of St Bernard," which
had won the Newdi^ate. After describing;
Napoleon crossing St Bernard, he proceeded
with these lines : ā
" Till on that field where last the eagle soared,
War's mightier master wielded Britain's sword,
And the dark soul the world could not subdue
Bowed to thy genius. Prince of "Waterloo."
Then followed such a scene as I never
witnessed before or since. I have heard
many rousing speeches in both Houses of
Parliament, and many harangues, which
have called forth the enthusiastic applause
of great gatherings elsewhere. I recollect
well the electrical effect which Lord Derby,
as Chancellor, produced in the same theatre
in 1863, on the visit of the Prince and
58 OXFORD. [1833-
Princess of Wales, when the simple words
" Ipsa adest " charmed and delighted the
loyal multitude, but I never saw any-
thing comparable to the effect produced
by those lines in that Newdigate in
1834. We, the undergraduates, rose in
the galleries, shouted until we were
hoarse, sat down and rested, shouted
again and again until our vocal powers
were quite exhausted. The great men in
the semicircle, statesmen, bishops, soldiers,
divines, Heads of Houses, were stirred be-
yond belief; the very floor of the theatre,
crowded with university dons, solemn dig-
nitaries, staid country parsons, cynical law-
yers, seemed almost moved with the commo-
tion of its occupants, and the proceedings
were actually interrupted and impeded for a
time, until we could all recover our compo-
sure. The bursts of applause which greeted
many of the recipients of degrees, presented
as they were in most admirable speeches by
1837.] WELLINGTON CHANCELLOR 59
Dr Joseph Phillimore, Regius Professor of
Civil Law, were very remarkable. One very
striking scene was when Viscount Encombe,
grandson of old Eldon, was described simply
and concisely as " Comitis de Eldon unicum
nepotem." Lord Encombe, after receiving
his degree and shaking hands with the Duke,
proceeded in affectionate and reverential at-
titude to receive the welcome of his grand-
father, the High Steward of the University ;
and that brought the house down. Another
happy phrase was when the Regius Professor,
after describing the merits of Lord Fitzroy
Somerset, brought them to a climax by the
words, " et quod maximum est commilitonem
tuum." In the evening the Duke of Wellins;-
ton dined in Christ Church Hall. We gave
him a most hearty welcome.
III.
THE BAR, 1837-1853
1837-1853.] THE BAR. 63
III.
THE BAR,' : ,1837-1853.
THE WESTERN CIRCUIT ā SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE ā A VISIT TO THE
CONTINENT ā ST PETER'S DAY IN ROME ā A VISIT TO THE DUKE
OF WELLINGTON ā THE DUKE's FUNERAL ā A VISIT TO VIENNA
ā REVIEW IN WINDSOR PARK ā CZAR NICHOLAS OF RUSSIA ā SIR
ROBERT PEEL.
I was called to the Bar, and joined the Devon
Sessions and the Western Circuit in 1842.
Sir Stafford Northcote contemplated doing
the same thing, and we had arranged to
have chambers together in the Temple.
He, however, relinquished his intention of
following the Bar as a profession when
he became private secretary to Mr Glad-
stone in 1842. Extracts from two letters
of his of this year will show what our
64 THE BAR. [1837-
anticipations as to the future were at that
period : ā
Letter from Mr {afterwards Sir) Stafford H.
Northcote.
United University Club, July 1, 1842.
My dear Cornish, ā I called yesterday at your
chambers. I was very sorry to miss you, for I had
to communicate news which is highly interesting
to me, and will not be quite indifferent to you, as
it is of a nature which destroys the pleasant pros-
pect which you had held out to me of our living
together like Siamese twins with a connecting clerk.
In short, I have given up the law, and have accepted
the post of private secretary to the Eight Honour-
able Wm. Ewart Gladstone, Vice-President of the
Board of Trade, Master of the Mint, and future
Prime Minister of England. I think upon the
whole I have done rightly. I have attached my-
self to the man of all others whom I respect and
agree with ; 1 have entered upon a line which I
think will suit me better than the law, at all events
which will lead me to more agreeable studies. I
think I have every fair prospect of success, and I
am in a position that justifies my running some
slight risks.
1853.] SIB STAFFORD NORTHCOTE. 65
Gladstone having to look out for a new private
secretary, applied to my tutor (E. Coleridge) to
recommend him a person for the office. My tutor
recommended me. I received the offer on Tuesday
evening, and am going to begin work in something
less than half an hour. My duties are not to be
very onerous, though there will be a good deal to
do ; but a good proportion of my time may be spent
in very interesting studies and occupations. And
there are all the chances of war, for I link my fate
to Gladstone's, and a more zealous friend I could
not have.
If you are to be at Exeter in August I shall hope
to see you and talk over matters. I need not say
that if there is any little post, not excluding a
judgeship, which you would like in the interim,
you have only to name it to me. ā Yours very
sincerely, Stafford H. Northcote.
Letter from Mr {afterwards Sir) Stafford H.
Northcote.
U. U. C, July 14, 1842.
My dear Cornish, ā I think I ought to send a
line to thank you for your kind letter the other
day, and to congratulate you on your success at
Sessions. I hope when the Ministry of principle,
E
66 THE BAR. [1837-
which we used to anticipate, is formed, with Glad-
stone at the head, you will occupy the post of
Attorney-General, and that we shall sit side by
side on the Treasury benches. I am in full work
learning the subordinate part of a Minister's busi-
ness. My blissful independence is gone, and I am
unable to shirk my master for a day. Gladstone
is, as I expected, everything that is delightful,
and I have no doubt we shall get on very well
together. You will find Whitehall conveniently
near to Westminster, and I shall hope to have
the honour of an interview next term. ā Yours
sincerely, S. H. N.
I abandoned Circuit after I entered Parlia-
ment in 1853. I had no reason to complain
of want of employment such as a junior can
find at Sessions. And life on the Western
Circuit passed pleasantly enough, associated
as one was with leaders like Sir William
Erie, afterwards Lord Chief- Justice of the
Common Pleas, then M.P. for Oxford City ;
Sir Alexander Cockburn, afterwards Lord
Chief- Justice of England, then M.P. for
1853.] THE WESTERN CIRCUIT. 67
Southampton ; and Crowcler, M.P. for Lis-
keard, and Montague Smith, M.P. for Truro,
who afterwards adorned the judicial Bench.
But success at the Bar had never been the
dominating object of my ambition, and a
House of Commons life had always offered
greater attractions than anything else. More-
over, I had three men, all my juniors, tread-
ing on my heels, and certain to pass me.
Each of them in his turn became Attorney-
General : Robert Collier, afterwards Lord
Monks well ; John Duke Coleridge, after-
wards Lord Coleridge, Lord Chief-Justice of
England, a constant friend through life ;
and John Karslake, whose premature loss
when the highest honour was within his
grasp all alike deplored. In 1847 an auspi-
cious event occurred, which was the com-
mencement to me of prolonged domestic
happiness. I parted with my west-country
patronymic of Cornish, and I assumed by
royal licence the name by which I have been
68 THE BAR. [1837-
known in Parliament, that of Mowbray. I
formed connections in the North, and par-
ticularly in the county of Durham, and in
1853 I was enabled to realise the object
of my ambition and to enter the House
of Commons as member for the city of
Durham.
There are, however, one or two incidents
in the period between my leaving Oxford
and entering Parliament to which I may
refer here. In 1837 I spent five months on
the Continent, visiting France, Italy, and
Switzerland. I was in Paris when King
Louis Philippe brought the Duke and Duchess
of Orleans a bride and bridegroom from
Neuilly to the Tuileries. The King used
to appear in the evening at the windows of
the palace facing the gardens, surrounded by
the Queen and his children. I was present
at the ceremonial in St Peter's, Rome, on St
Peter's day. The following account, written
at the time, may be of some interest, because
1853.] ST PETER'S DAY IN ROME. 69
the clay is no longer kept with its ancient
honours : ā
June 28, 1837. ā In the evening we went to St
Peter's to hear vespers. It was the eve of the
festival, and the Pope and cardinals were to be
present. The figure of St Peter (metamorphosed
from Jupiter Capitolinus) was clothed in a crimson
silk dress covered with gold lace ; on his head he
wore a white satin tiara studded with jewels, on
one finger a ring. Before him blazed four enor-
mous wax lights, and multitudes of the faithful
crowded to kiss his black toe. The church was
lined with the Civic Guard. Beneath the dome
and around the altar were the Swiss Guard. In
an inner line about the high altar were a smaller
body of fine-looking men, forming the Pope's noble
guard. In splendour it exceeded everything I have
seen except the Coronation of William IV. There
were thirty cardinals, dressed in magnificent robes
of crimson and gold and wearing mitres of white
satin figured ā many with all the dignity and car-
riage of patricians of old Konie. After them were
ecclesiastics of various grades, all in splendid robes.
Nearly at the end came Gregory XVI., the vener-
able successor of St Peter, wearing a splendid tiara,
70 THE BAR. [1837-
borne by four men on a chair of state. The cere-
mony took place in the spot between the high altar
and the end of the church. The Pope sat on a
chair covered with cloth of gold, with a canopy, on
a raised dais. The dignified churchmen paid hom-
age. The cardinals kissed his hand, the next grade
his knee, the last his toe. Then vespers commenced.
At their conclusion we quitted the church and took
seats in the piazza. Then, it being past sunset, the
first illumination had begun. Lamps were hung
around the windows, cornices, columns, on the dome,
and along the colonnade, exhibiting the architec-
ture of the whole building. Then came the grand
blaze of the second illumination. As the clock
struck one after sunset, a signal was given from
the top of the dome, and on a sudden the lights
burst forth one after another with greater speed
and brilliancy than those which bore the tidings
of the capture of Troy from the heights of Ida
to the home of Agamemnon. In three minutes
the whole building was in a blaze of light, and a
grander sight can scarcely be conceived. We re-
mained some time longer in the piazza, and then
repaired to Monte Tincio. The view from that
spot was more remarkable still. The dome ap-
peared like a fabric of glass illuminated, and you
1853.] ST PETER'S DAY IN ROME. 71
could take in the whole extent of St Peter's and
the Vatican.
June 29. ā This was the grand festival in honour
of Eome's patron saint, the chief of the Apostles.
At nine o'clock we went to St Peter's. The ar-
rangements the same as on the eve. The Pope
came with a gorgeous canopy of crimson velvet
over his head. Part of the chanting was gone
through ; then they changed his dress, and a pro-
cession having been formed, his Holiness proceeded
to the high altar and celebrated mass. Passages
from the Gospel were read appropriate to the day,
ā " Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build
my Church," &c, &c. Also a favourite hymn ā
" O Roma felix quse duorum Principum
Es consecrata glorioso sanguine
Horum cruore purpurata civitas
Excellis orbis una pulchritudinem."
There were golden statues of St Peter and St Paul,
and several golden candlesticks of enormous size
and value. Altogether it was a very imposing
ceremony. On the Pope's leaving the church the
procession halted, and the Pope read from about
the middle of the nave a denunciation against the
King of Naples claiming the Kingdom as part of
72 THE BAR. [1837-
the patrimony of St Peter. This I am told is done
annually.
In February 1841 I had the good fortune
to dine and sleep at Strathfieldsaye, and to
see the Duke of Wellington in his own
home. His Grace was in the habit of
entertaining, as Lord Lieutenant of Hamp-
shire, the judges of assize who went the
Western Circuit. I w r as there in the capac-
ity of Marshal to Mr Justice Erskine.
A letter to my mother relates these par-
ticulars : ā
On being shown into the drawing - room, the
Duke advanced, called me by my name, and shook
hands. At dinner he sat in the centre of the table,
with Erskine J. on his right, and Wightman J. on
his left. Lord Douro sat also in the centre, oppo-
site to his father. Lord Charles, the younger son,
at the head of the table, and Mr Gerald Wellesley,
his nephew, the Rector of Strathfieldsaye, at the
bottom. We were a party of thirty-five, compris-
ing the M.P.'s for Hants and Winchester, the Eight
Hon. Sturges Bourne, Sir John Cope, and sundry
1853.] AT STRATHFIELDSAYE. 73
magistrates of Hants and Berks. Everything about
one was full of historical associations ā the place,
the gift of the nation ; the silver plate off which
we ate at dinner, presented to Sir A. Wellesley in
1803 for his services in India, and bearing on them
the name of Assaye, the beginning of his career of
victory ; silver epergnes in the centre of the table,
the gift of George IV. ; a beautiful dessert service,
each plate with a separate view of some scene or
view in Egypt from Denon's sketches, made for
Napoleon and presented by Louis XVIII. to the
hero of Waterloo. The house is not at all com-
parable to Blenheim ; but the sight of all was to
see the master of the house exhibiting the vigour
and animation of his earlier days, looking a little
paler than he did a fortnight ago, but still far
better, I think, than he has done for nearly two
years. He is feeble when he walks, but seeing
him seated, you would never believe that you saw
before you the hero of a hundred battles. He
was dressed in tights, with the Garter round the
left leg, and its broad blue ribbons across his white
waistcoat, with a Waterloo medal hanging from a
red collar, and a star on his breast.
We spent some time before breakfast with the
Duke in the conservatory. He talked about the
74 THE BAR. [1837-
battle of Vittoria, of which there was a picture
in one of the rooms. One of the judges asked him
what he thought of Siborn's model of the battle of
Waterloo. He said : " That is a question which I
have often been asked, to which I don't stive an
answer, because I don't want to injure the man.
But if you want to know my opinion, it's all farce,
fudge ! They went to one gentleman and said,
'What did you do?' 'I did so and so.' To
another, ' What did you do ? ' 'I did such and
such a thing.' One did it at ten and another
at twelve, and they have mixed up the whole.
The fact is, a battle is like a ball ; they keep
footing it all the day through." At breakfast each
guest had before him two brown Kockingham tea-
pots, the upper one containing tea forming a cover
to the lower one, which held water. The Duke
asked each guest separately whether he would have
black tea or green, and the teapot was brought ac-
cordingly. After breakfast there was a meet of
Sir John Cope's hounds. They threw off, leaving
the judges and marshals to go to Winchester and
his Grace to return to town.
Of course, people adored the Duke : to
me, I remember, he seemed more than a
1853.] THE DUKE'S FUNERAL. 75
mortal. We just worshipped him. The last
time I saw him was at the Baroness Burdett-
Coutts' in 1852. The Princess Mary was
there, and, I remember, went forward when
he entered the room and in the highest
spirits congratulated him on his birthday,
which fell that day. It was his last
birthday.
[I think I may insert here the description
of the Duke's funeral, which my father sent
to his mother in 1852 : ā
London has been in a state of whirl such as
I never recollect. Last night I got a ticket for
S. Paul's, a ticket for the same gallery, so that
settled the question of our going. We were at
the lying in state, which we witnessed with the
greatest ease ; indeed, from the time we left Cam-
bridge Square to our exit from Chelsea Hospital
was only f of an hour. It was a splendid sight.
We are back again after a most successful day.
We left home at 6|-, and were in our places by
8Ā£. There was so much incident to while away
76 THE BAR. [1837-
the time that we did not lack interest until the
arrival of the 83 Chelsea Pensioners, who led
the procession at 11.10. It took just two hours
before all were in place. The service was over
at 2.45. "We walked a little about the Cathedral,
and were out by 3.15, walked to Hatton Garden,
took a 'bus, and were home by 3.50. Nothing
could have been better managed. We had admir-
able places just behind the Peers, and saw and
heard everything. The service was very magnifi-
cent, and the religious character of it wonderfully
maintained. Opposite to us were the Foreign
Ambassadors, and I was not a little interested
to watch the Frenchman, Count Walewski : he is
a son of Napoleon I. I had never seen him
before, but he is unmistakably like his father. I
thought he cast a saturnine look many a time on
the fair-haired young Princes of Belgium, the sons
of Leopold, who were seated close by his side.]
I may here quote, too, from a letter to
my mother, from Vienna, dated September
24, 1843, giving an account of another
group of historic characters connected with
the Napoleonic wars : ā
1853.] A REVIEW AT VIENNA. 77
We went to a review on Monday. It was a
splendid affair. The Emperor (Ferdinand), Em-
press, Empress Mother, Archduke Charles, &c.,
were present. There were 17,000 men present.
The day was glorious ; we had a capital position
in our carriage, commanding a view of the
whole field ā of course at some distance, but
w T e could see very well. The troops were princi-
pally infantry. When all was over, we drew up
and saw the old Archduke Charles capitally. The
old veteran carries one back to the last century,
and although, regarded historically, he appears
older than our duke, he is, in fact, about twelve
months younger. We saw him afterwards at
Schonbrunn with three of his sons, nice-looking
young fellows. I have seen besides another
historical personage, in herself a contemptible
creature, the wife of Napoleon and mother of
the King of Home, the ex-Empress Marie Louise.
She is a plain old woman, and looks older than
she is. Being fifty-four, she looks full sixty. I
was not close enough to see the Kaiser personally
ā the poor man is so imbecile there is not much