490 POLITICAL CORRESPONDENCE. [1827: 



I must take my chance for the present, and take care 

 of it myself for the future. I have no right to expect 

 that it should be the concern of others. Yours truly, 



" LANSDOWNE." 



Lansdowne had entirely concurred in the policy of 

 the Junction, and testified his approval by holding 

 office for a few months under that Government. 



There never was a more amiable and virtuous man 

 in any party, or any political station, than Lord Lans- 

 downe ; and I believe no man ever went through a long 

 course of party strife with so little detriment to his 

 principles and his feelings. He possessed great pru- 

 dence and calmness of judgment, ample information, 

 not at all confined to the topics of the day, and was 

 as thoroughly honest and humble as a man can be. 

 His talents for business, though he never was long in 

 a department of much labour, were very great ; his 

 powers of debating equally distinguished; and he 

 showed the greatest of all qualities in rising with the 

 occasion ; for no man ever led any assembly more ad- 

 mirably in all respects both of temper, judgment, 

 readiness, resources in debate, and excellent speaking 

 than he did, when the place of leader devolved 

 upon him in 1846, especially during the difficulties 

 of the very laborious session which followed. His 

 fault (proceeding from extreme good-nature) was a 

 tendency to be sometimes less firm to his own opinion 

 than its great value would justify. But his modesty 

 was one of his great and amiable qualities. He was 

 Chancellor of the Exchequer, with universal applause, 

 at the age of five-and-twenty ; and when he again 

 took office under the Junction Government of 1827, 



