bought for him by his father. His first speech was a
success, and although he never gave promise of becoming a brilliant
orator, he grew in favour with the house by the practicability of his
views, and his faculty of perceiving the tone of feeling prevailing in
the assembly at the time. In March, 1811, he made a very able speech
in favour of the Duke of Wellington, then fighting the battles of the
Peninsula, and against whom a public outcry had been raised. Percival,
then in power, was so pleased with the speech that he invited Mr. Peel
to take office, and he commenced his career, before he was twenty-three
years of age, as under-secretary of the colonies. Upon the death
of Percival he was appointed chief secretary for Ireland, under the
administration of Lord Liverpool. During his Irish secretaryship he
opposed Catholic emancipation with great zeal and some bitterness.
Afterwards he held office in various other situations. During the
free-trade agitation of 1819, he was its warm opponent, and when the
great Lancashire meeting took place at Peterloo, afterwards the site of
the free-trade hall in Manchester, and the Peterloo massacre occurred,
Mr. Peel defended that act, which left for so many years a deep
discontent in the hearts of the operatives of Lancashire. When in 1821
Lord John Russell first brought forward his motion for a reform in
parliament, he met from Mr. Peel a determined opposition, such as the
honourable baronet continued to offer against all increase in the power
of the people, until Lord John had the pleasure of carrying his view
triumphantly through parliament in the shape of the reform bill. Even
after that measure passed, Sir Robert devoted his talent to advise and
lead his party in every practical attempt to defeat it. In 1822, while
preparation was making to invade Spain, at the instigation of "the
Holy Alliance," Mr. Brougham called the attention of the house to the
circumstance, and eloquently denounced that despotic confederacy.
Mr. Peel, with his usual caution, defended "the Holy Alliance;" but
notwithstanding his guarded language, he left no doubt of his sympathy
with foreign as well as domestic tyranny. The defender of the Peterloo
massacre and the Holy Alliance gave no promise of ever being popular
with the people of England. The other leading facts and features of his
political career will be found in the pages of this history, where his
part in public affairs has been noticed.

Sir Robert