Ml 



BBHTINCK, LORD GEORGE. 



IIVoOLIO, ODIDO. 



r, | 



ncaaasrully to Italy. when 

 take* possession 



In 1814 he conducted mother more 

 ay. when Genoa revolted from the French, and WM 

 of by him, although it WM subsequently given up to 

 of the opposition of 



retire precipitately to Sicily. 

 hen Ge 



lthough i 

 PUdmont, in epito of the opposition of the inhabitant*, who claimed 



(according to the terms of the convention) the establishment of the 

 old republic under the protection of England. Lord WUliam, on thi* 

 result taking place, indignantly threw up hu situation, returned home, 

 and WM returned to Parliament for Nottingham. He next became 

 ambeaeador to Rome, and in 1827, under the miniitry of Canning, be 

 WM named Governor-General of India. He had been instructed to 

 admini.ter the government on principle* of strict economy, and hit fint 

 step WM to reduce the batta, half-batta, Ac. (allowance* made for march- 

 ing in the Indian army), greatly to the dissatisfaction of the soldier*. 

 Hit next stop wma to aboliah flogging among the native troops, ai to the 

 fleet of which there la much discordant opinion. Hu next and moot 

 important reform one ai to which there is no difference of opinion 

 wa* the abolition of the suttee, or the practice of the widow burning 

 h si self on the same pile with her dead husband, which was declared 

 Ukgal December 14, 1829. This of course he could only do in the 

 provisos imtnHi*''- 1 y subject to the British government, and in these 

 th practice had greatly decreased, indeed in some had been discon- 

 tinued under the restrictive regulations of preceding governors. 

 t*nA*r of hi* reforms, carried in opposition to the government and 

 the company, was the permission for Englishmen to settle in India, 

 though belonging neither to the army nor the civil service. He 

 systematically patronised the native population, and promoted the 

 liberty of the press. In 1834, in consequence of the atrocities com- 

 mitted and the disturbance* occasioned to the public peace, he made 

 war on the Rajah of Coorg, and annexed the territory, granting a 

 pension to the deposed rajah, who came in and implored merer. 

 Shortly after, in 1835, his loroUhip, 6ndiug his health failing, resigned 

 his office, and left Calcutta in March. The native population of 

 Calcutta held a public meeting to express their regret at hia departure, 

 and caused an equestrian statue of him to be erected. On hia arrival 

 IB England, the court of directors also lamented " that the state of his 

 health should have deprived the company of his valuable services." 

 After his return to Europe, he was elected in 1836 member of parlia- 

 iament for Glasgow, for which place he sat until a few days before his 

 death, when he resigned. He died at Paris, June 17, 1889. (Oeat. 

 Mag. ; Uacfarlane, Our Indian Empire.) 



liKXTINCK, LORD WILLIAM GEORGE FREDERICK CAVEN- 

 IilSH, commonly known as Lord George Bentiuck, was the third son 

 of William Henry, fourth duke of Portland, by Henrietta, daughter and 

 oo hiiress of Major-General Scott, whose sister was married to the late 

 George Canning. He was born on February 27, 1802, and though 

 only a younger son, inherited a fortune from his mother that placed 

 him above the necessity of adopting a profession. He however entered 

 the anuy, and gradually attained the rank of major; but a period of 

 profound peace was not calculated to open the way to any ambitious 

 aspiration* in that direction. He therefore, when his uncle Canning 

 became secretary for foreign affairs in 1 826, became his private secretary, 

 for which he displayed an extraordinary capacity, was treated with 

 gnat cordiality, had unbounded confidence reposed in him, and it waa 

 thought a brilliant political career wa* opening before him. In 1827, 

 while hi* uncle was first lord of the treasury, he entered parliament 

 M member for the borough of King's Lynn, and for that borough he 

 sat till the close of his life. He however did not distinguish himself 

 in parliament at this time, except by a very sedulous attendance : he 

 poke very seldom, and then not well ; but he voted steadily on the 

 ids) of what were known as moderate Whigs. He voted for Catholic 

 ipation, bat was not vary warm in its favour. On Canning's 

 in 1S87, Lord George gave an independent support (this means 

 opposing them occasionally) to Lord Goderich's cabinet, in which his 

 father was tmaident of the council ; but he declined voting in favour 

 of Lord Kbrington's motion that defeated the Wellington cabinet 

 He however continued to support Lord Grey's government till the 

 aoasason of Lord llipon. Sir James Graham, and Lord Stanley (now 

 atari of Derby), to the Utter of whom be wa* strongly united by the 

 anMBes of political opinions and the similarity of pursuits; both 

 MM strongly attached to the turf. On the accession of Sir Robert 

 Plul in December 1 WM, he formed one of the small party nicknamed 

 by 0-Coon.U as the Darby DiUy, "carrying six insides." He how- 

 vw vehemently denounced the " Litchfi-ld House treaty," by which 

 it was asserted the adhesion of the Irish members WM bargained for 

 by to. Whtaa, and which ultimately led to the resignation of Sir 

 Robert Peal m ISM, and the accession of Viscount Melbourne. From 

 that time anrt 1 841, when Sir Robert Fed again assumed the direction 

 ef the government, Lord IPntiock WM one of hi* warmest supporters. 

 On this oeoMion Sir Bobnt made him an offer of office, which he 

 declined ; bat be WM most unwearied in hi* support It is related 

 thai after a late debate, be would travel by rail to Andover to hunt, 

 aad rettn in time to attend the sitting, of the houw in th evening ; 

 throwing a wrapping overcoat of some kind over bis scarlet hunting- 

 S!!!!/"! ?"!_ **+***' * oOee of 'whipper-in' in the 

 ajo.se, that K bringing op the members to a division. But in 1843 

 he fret-trade msswnrrs began to alienate many of Sir R. Peel's sup- 

 aad when in 1846 be wholly repealed the Corn Laws, Lord 

 - into the most violent and personal opposition. Sir R. 



Peel resigned, but Lord George abated but little of his animosity, 

 although he opposed the Whig free-traders who had succeeded him. 

 The country party, as it WM termed, bad been taken by surprise, and 

 knew not where to look for a leader. At length they selected Lord 

 George, who very unwillingly accepted the post, but having accepted 

 it, he threw himself into the part with his accustomed energy in what- 

 ever he undertook. He commenced studying statistics, he spoke on 

 every possible occasion, he inspired his adherents with boldness, he 

 impeded the administration in their measures. But though clever, 

 ardent, indefatigable, and too often unscrupulous, free-trade continued 

 its march in spite of his efforts, seconded by those of his principal 

 ally, Mr. B. Diiraeli. He had during all these political avocation* 

 continued his attention to racing and race-horses, declaring on one 

 occasion that the winning of the Derby was the ' blue-ribbon' of the 

 turf. On the prorogation of the house in August 1848, he retired to 

 \Velbeck Abbey for relaxation ; he however attended Doncaster races 

 four times in one week, at which a bone of his own breeding won the 

 St. Lger stakes, to bis great gratification. On September 21 he left 

 the bouse on foot soon after four o'clock in the afternoon to visit Lord 

 Hanvers, at Tborosby Park, and sent his servants with a gig to meet 

 him at an appointed place. He appeared not; the servants became 

 alarmed ; search was made for him ; but it was not till eleven at night 

 that he was found quite dead, lying on a footpath in a meadow about 

 a mile from the bouse. At the coroner's inquest it was proved that 

 the cause of death had been spasms of the heart A lengthy life of 

 Lord Oeorga has been written by hia friend and follower, Mr. B. 

 Disraeli, in 8vo, 1851. (GentUman't Magazine ; Miss Martinean, 

 Hiitory of the Thirty Yearf Peace; B. Disraeli, Life of Lord (jeoryc 

 Benlinck.) 



BENTIVO'GLIO, OIOVA'NNI, was son of Annibale Bentivoglio, 

 who, after being for some years at the head of the commonwealth of 

 Bologna, was murdered by a rival faction in 1445. Giovanni was then 

 a boy six years of age. In 1462 he was made 'Principe del Senato' 

 of Bologna, and by degrees engrossed the sole authority of the republic. 

 The Melvezzi family conspired against him in 1488, but were detected, 

 and cruelly proscribed. About twenty individuals of that family, or 

 its adherents, fell by the hand of the executioner, and the rest weru 

 banished. Giovanni showed himself stern and unforgiving, and be 

 hired bravos who executed his mandates in various patU of Italy. 

 At the some time, like his more illustrious contemporary Lorenzo 

 de' Medici, he waa the patron of the arts and of learning ; he adorned 

 Bologna with fine buildings, and made collections of statues and 

 paintings, and manuscripts. Pope Julius II., having determined to 

 reduce Bologna under the direct dominion of the papal see, inarch* ci 

 an army against that city in 1506, and Bentivoglio, after forty-four 

 years' dominion, was obliged to escape with his family into the 

 Milanese territory, where he died two years after, at the age of 70. 

 His two sons were replaced by the French in 1511 at the head of tin- 

 government of Bologna ; but in the next year the French being oblige, i 

 to leave Italy, Bologna surrendered again to the Pope in Juno 1512, 

 and the Bentivoglios emigrated to Fcrrara, where they settled 

 the protection of the Duke d'Este. 



BEXTIVOUUO, EIIUOI.F., grandson of Giovanni, wa born at Bologna 

 in 1506. lie accompanied hia father in his emigration to Ferrari, 

 where Duke Alfonso had married his aunt He was employed by thr 

 house of Este in several important missions, during one of which he 

 died at Venice in 1573. Ercole wrote some 'Satires,' which are con- 

 sidered next in merit to those of Ariosto ; and several ' Coinmedie,' 

 which were much applauded at the time : he was also a lyric poet ol' 

 some celebrity. 



11KNTI V(J'GLIO,GUIUO,born at Ferrara in 1579, WM a descendant 

 of the Bentivoglios, who hod been rulers of Bologna in the preceding 

 century. He studied at Padua, and returned to Ferrara in li'JT. 

 the court of Rome took possession of that duchy, in disregard of tin- 

 claims of Cesore d'Este, the collateral heir of Alfonso II., the hut 

 duke. Ippolito Bentivoglio, Guide's elder brother, had shown himself 

 attached to the Duke Ccsore, to whom he was related, and had thereby 

 incurred the displeasure of Cardinal Aldobraudino, the papal legate. 

 Giiiilu contrived to effect a reconciliation between them, and also 

 between Ceeare himself, who took the title of Duke of Modnno, and 

 Pope Clement VIII. When the pope soon after came to Ferrara l- 

 took particular notice of young Quido, and when Guido in 1601 

 proceeded to Rome he WM made a prelate of the papal court. After 

 the death of Clement in 1605, his successor Paul V. sent Quido a 

 nuncio to Flanders, although he was only twenty-six years of age, t 

 | endeavour to re-establish concord between the various parties in that 

 long-distracted country, and to bring thorn again into submini >n f . 

 the (Nipal spiritual authority. It WM during his residence in Flanders 

 that he wrote his historical work on the insurrection of that country 

 ' against the Spaniards in 156-3, and the subsequent wars between tli,- 

 | Duke of Alba and the other generals of Philip II. and the HulUn.l. 

 (' Delhi Querra di Fiandrn,' in three parts, 3 vols. 4 to, Cologne, 1 > 

 He brings bis narrative down to the year 16u7. The work is written 

 in the spirit of an advocate of the Church of Rome and of the Spanish 

 authority, but as such displays considerable fairness, and the stylo i ; 

 grave and dignified. 



In 1616 Beutivoglio WM sent nuncio to France, where he won the 

 favour of Louis XIII. and his court by the mildness and courtoousness 



