ever spoke
except upon topics with which he was perfectly familiar, he was
listened to with the respect and attention which are always, in the
House of Commons, accorded to those who have "something to say." Upon
financial topics he soon was looked upon as an authority, and there
were many who looked upon him as a possible future Chancellor of the
Exchequer.

Soon after his return to Parliament he became the host of the
illustrious Hungarian patriot, Louis Kossuth. It was in Mr. Geach's
carriage that the great exile rode triumphantly through the crowded
streets of Birmingham, amid the plaudits of the entire population. Few
who saw it can forget how Geach's face was lighted up with smiles of
delight, as he sat beside Kossuth in his progress, with George Dawson
on the box. Kossuth, albeit not unused to the applause and ovations
of his grateful countrymen, said that he had never before received
himself, or seen in the case of others, so magnificent and
enthusiastic a reception.

In person, Mr. Geach was tall, and stoutly built. His height was,
probably, two or three inches beyond six feet. He had a bright,
clear, fair complexion, and an ample brow. His face would have been
strikingly handsome but for an undue preponderance of the under jaw,
which gave the lower part of the face too massive an appearance. He
had singularly agreeable manners. His grasp of the hand was firm and
cordial. He was entirely free from the "airs" which some self-made men
put on. In his appearance there was evidence of power and influence
that rendered any assumption superfluous. He was always ready to
listen, and to give his friends the benefit of his large knowledge and
experience. He was very generous, even to those who had in early
life crossed his path. Only the other day I was told that one of his
greatest opponents having died in straitened circumstances, Geach took
charge of his sons, and placed them in positions to raise themselves
to opulence. In private life he was greatly beloved. A lady, who had
ample opportunities of forming a correct judgment, tells me that "as
a husband and father his excellence could not be exceeded; and
altogether he was the _very best_ man I have ever known."

Soon after his retirement from the management of the Midland Bank, the
shareholders and directors, to mark their sense of his services, and
their esteem for him as a man, voted him a magnificent service of
plate. A fine full-length portrait was about the