arty
politician. He had been well known as a member of parliament, had
conciliated general esteem, and won extensive respect, as a private
gentleman, from both sides of the house; but as a politician he had
scarcely been noticed, nor had he taken any pains to make himself
felt in debate: his irruption, so to speak, upon the ranks of the
ministerialists, was sudden and effective. Mr. Disraeli has written an
elaborate memoir of the noble lord, which exaggerates his capabilities
and achievements, and in a style less eloquent than showy, holds up his
policy to the admiration of his country. Mr. Disraeli, however, pays in
many respects a tribute that is no more than just to the memory of Lord
George, and his book affords material for an impartial judgment. At
that period the noble lord was a distinguished patron of the turf: all
England knew him as a sporting gentleman, a first-rate judge of horses,
and an extensive winner on the course. In allusion to his habits
in these respects, it became a popular sneer that the Conservatives
required "a stable mind," after the versatile performances of Sir Robert
Peel, and they had at last found such in Lord George. But although his
whole mind had apparently been given up to the turf, it was not actually
so. He had been a member of parliament for eighteen years, and was a
shrewd observer of party, as he was of men and things in general life.
Before entering parliament he had for three years served as private
secretary to Mr. Canning, whose sagacity was seldom at fault in the
selection of persons of indisputable ability. The great statesman was
connected with Lord George, for he married the sister of the Duke of
Portland. The young nobleman's powers of observation were such, that he
was not likely to be in constant and intimate communication with such
a man as Canning, without gleaning some political intelligence and
experience. After Lord George entered parliament he remained for some
time in the army, but gradually abandoned his military tastes for those
of the turf, and his speculations in that direction were carried out
on a scale of unprecedented magnitude. Politically, his sympathies and
opinions appear to have been what might be designated Conservative-Whig.
When the partisans of Mr. Canning left the Duke of Wellington's
administration, Lord George Bentinck ranged himself in opposition. Under
Earl Grey's administration, he sat on the ministerial side of the
house. The Mends of Mr.