Agnes Strickland's Queens of England, Vol. 3. (of 3) / Abridged and Fully Illustrated

by Agnes Strickland; Elisabeth Strickland

There were two powerful leaders in the House of Lords who were opposed to Lord Melbourne, though one was a Whig and the other a Tory. They were Lord Brougham and Lord Lyndhurst,—the former a man whose capacity for work seemed almost superhuman, and whose power as a speaker was immense. There never was a man whose knowledge was so universal or who did so much at one time as Lord Brougham, and his extraordinary ability was felt in England for many years. Lord Lyndhurst was one of the most remarkable parliamentary debaters of his day, and resembled Lord Brougham in his ability to labor, though he was not master of so many branches of learning. The two combined were the most formidable opponents the ministry could have had, and they were merciless in their criticisms of Lord Melbourne.

When the new parliament assembled an unusually large number of men, who afterwards became prominent, were gathered together. Among these were Mr. Grote, the historian of Greece, Mr. Edward Lytton Bulwer, Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Gladstone, Lord Carlisle, Lord John Russell, Lord Palmerston, Sir Robert Peel, and Lord Derby. Lord John Russell was leader of the Whig party in the House of Commons, and Sir Robert Peel of the Tory or Conservative party, as they were now called. O'Connell, the great Irish agitator, was very prominent in the House of Commons, and Richard Lalor Sheil was an eloquent orator of the Irish National party. This is a long list of names, some of which may not be mentioned again; but others are so closely connected with the queen's career, because of the positions they fill in the government, that short biographies will be supplied where they seem to be appropriate.

A.D. 1839. The first serious source of trouble in the new reign was Canada. That country had been colonized by both French and English emigrants, and for some time the line of their respective possessions was clearly drawn. But British ways of thinking and acting and British laws began to predominate, which led to jealousy on the part of the French, who feared that their neighbors would get the upper-hand in everything. Members of parliament in England frequently discussed Canadian affairs, and from time to time made laws that were expected to tend towards her welfare, but the colonists were not satisfied. They felt that the home government had little sympathy with their situation, and that they were being left out in the cold, while attention was directed towards affairs that they fancied must be of greater interest to parliament, simply because of being better understood or more nearly affecting individuals.

At last a rebellion broke out, but it was quickly put down by the end of three weeks. Unlike most outbreaks of that sort, its effect was good; for it aroused England to the necessity of at once doing something to ameliorate the condition of her colonists. No time was to be lost, and the friends of good government were alive to the necessity of sending to Canada a man of ability and unexceptionable character. It was Lord John Russell who undertook to select a governor-general, and the person he named was Lord Durham.

Lord Durham accepted the mission with reluctance, because his health was not good, and he knew that energy and labor were required in order to accomplish what was expected of him. It was only after repeated assurances of the support he would receive in England that he consented at last to go.

It is not necessary to enter into the difficulties that beset his path, or to trace out the details of his policy. He was too despotic to please the colonists, but he acted conscientiously, and was warmly upheld by the home government at first. He issued a proclamation that caused dissatisfaction, and seems to have been misunderstood, and he was unmindful of some of the technicalities of English law. Then some of his friends turned against him, and his foes were merciless in their denunciation. Among the latter was the all-powerful Lord Brougham, against whose thundering eloquence no man could hold up his head. Suffice it to say that Lord Durham returned to England a disgraced man. He had saved Canada, but ruined himself. The policy which he recommended on his return was the one upon which the foundation of the prosperity of all the British colonies was established. In so far Lord Durham's mission to Canada was a splendid success; but the anxiety and the hard work it had entailed upon him ruined his already enfeebled health, and he died a short time after his return, at the age of forty-eight.

At the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign there was trouble nearer home to be contended with; and this was "Chartism," which a few words will serve to explain. The reform bill was passed before King William died, as we have seen, but those among the lower classes who had worked for it were not satisfied; they had not yet obtained all they desired, for they had looked for relief from poverty and misery, and no relief had come. They fancied that the new government was unmindful of their wants. They hated the rich, who enjoyed the comforts of which they were deprived, and the rich feared the consequences of their hatred. This separated the two classes as decidedly as though an ocean had rolled between them, in so far as sympathy or assistance was concerned.

The result was grand mass-meetings in every part of the country, which were organized, in many instances, by men of eloquence and ability. One of the leaders was Feargus O'Conner, who headed the processions, and fancied himself the saviour of the workingmen. His rude eloquence had great weight with the masses, who felt that they were thrust out of the political workings of the government, but needed to be told what changes they required. Then Daniel O'Connell stepped forward as leader of the workingmen's party, and wrote an appeal to the government, setting forth the grievances of the people and demanding reform. To this document he gave the popular title of "the People's Charter," and said, as he handed it to the secretary of the association: "Agitate for it, and never be content with anything else." This was the introduction of the movement known as Chartism that agitated England during the following ten years; for charters representing all sorts of grievances, political and social, were made out, and Chartist newspapers were founded. The most influential of these was the "Northern Star," conducted by Feargus O'Conner. Some of the Chartist meetings were preceded by torchlight processions, and many of them terminated in serious riots.

It must not be supposed that complaints were made without cause, or that the grievances were imaginary; for the poor of England really suffered, and there was urgent need of reform. Some of the points in "the People's Charter" were adopted as part of the English Constitution, and as time rolled on Chartism gradually faded out of existence.

There was a great and most beneficial change made in the post-office system at this period; and this is how it came about: Miss Martineau says, that Coleridge, when a young man, was walking through the Lake District one day, when he saw a postman deliver a letter to a young woman at a cottage door. The woman turned it over and examined it, and then returned it, saying that she could not pay the postage, which was a shilling. Hearing that the letter was from her brother, the poet's interest was aroused, and he paid the postage in spite of the woman's protestations. No sooner was the postman out of sight than the woman tore open the sheet, and showed Coleridge that it was blank. She then explained that she and her brother had agreed that as long as everything went well with him he was to send her a blank sheet once every three months, and upon the receipt of it she would know that such was the case without the expense of postage. This incident made such an impression on Coleridge that he repeated it to Mr. Rowland Hill, who was struck with the belief that there must be something wrong in a system which prompted brother and sister to cheat in order to gratify their desire to hear from each other. So he set to work to make inquiries as to the cost of carrying letters, and never rested until he succeeded in establishing the penny-post, which has proved a great blessing to the whole civilized world. Of course, it was not accomplished without a great deal of trouble and opposition; but no sooner were the advantages of cheap postage recognized in England than the system was imitated by nearly all nations.