THE RING, THE TURF, AND PARLIAMENT 



being defeated. In 1837 Gully declined nomina- 

 tion, but again (and for the last time) contesting 

 the borough in 1841, when Sir Robert Peel swept 

 the country, was beaten by the two Tory candidates. 

 Lord Pollington, his former colleague, and Mr. 

 Monckton Milnes. A battle of words between 

 Gully and Monckton Milnes must have been a 

 most humorous feature of this electoral contest. 

 The character of Monckton Milnes, satirically 

 drawn by Disraeli six years later in the pages of 

 Tancred under the name of Vavasour, is immortal. 

 " Vavasour," writes Disraeli, " liked to know 

 everybody who was known, and to see everything 

 which ought to be seen. He also was of opinion 

 that everybody who was known ought to know 

 him. . . . He had gone down in a diving-bell 

 and gone up in a balloon." An exchange of 

 political compliments with Gully must have added 

 largely to Vavasour's experiences ! 



In reference to Gully's election to the House of 

 Commons in 1832 the following sketch appears in 

 the memoirs of that jaundiced diarist, Charles 

 Greville. " In person Gully is tall and finely made, 

 full of strength and grace, with delicate hands and 

 feet, his head well set on his shoulders, and remark- 

 ably graceful and even dignified in his actions and 

 manners. He has strong sense, discretion, and 

 reserve, and a species of good taste which has pre- 

 vented, in the height of his fortunes, his behaviour 

 from ever transgressing the bounds of modesty 

 and respect." The concluding reference in the 

 diary has a strange ring about it. Greville, in 

 the arrogant vein of the courtier that he was, 

 writes : " Gully's position is now more anomalous 



97 G 



