46 ECHOES OF OLD COUNTY LIFE. 



It will be seen that Smith only increased his poll the 

 second day by eight votes and Grey by but four votes, 

 whereas Mr. Disraeli had polled twelve votes more than 

 the first day. I have not been able to find out how 

 many voters remained unpolled, but so small a majority 

 over Disraeli shows how fully justified he was in fighting 

 his battle. 



I now come to the serious charge, reiterated over and 

 over again, that he commenced his political career as a 

 Radical, backed up by the strong recommendations of 

 the leaders of the extreme party, and that he distinctly 

 advocated their opinions. I find that he did support 

 the vote by ballot, and an enlargement of the franchise, 

 which was not to be wondered at when he was rejected 

 so decisively by the close Corporation o[ High 

 Wycombe, and that even when the borough was said 

 to be thrown open, the whole place was merely an 

 appanage of the House of Smith, for each attempt to 

 wrest the borough from the Carrington family proved 

 it to be as rotten a family borough as any in the king- 

 dom. But the facts of the case were told me a (qw 

 years since by a clergyman, a man of the highest 

 character, who, I know from his position, was able to 

 corroborate every particular, and they were so singular 

 and cogent, that I unhesitatingly place in this account 

 my sincere belief 



He told me that at that time, December, 1832, he 

 was an undergraduate at Oxford ; that he was most 

 intimately acquainted with Benjamin Disraeli as young 

 men together ; and that he was fired with the political 

 enthusiasm of the young, and came up from Oxford to 



