LORD BEACONSFIELD. 6i 



deloes, who wrote to the same effect, and even rode 

 over to Hughenden to persuade the Prime Minister to 

 attend. The Earl then intimated that he would be 

 present and dine with us. I was one of the Dinner 

 Committee, and in forming the list of toasts his name 

 was put down to respond to the " House of Lords." 

 The Committee deputed me on his arrival to wait on 

 him and inform him of the arrangement. His lordship 

 did not appear till late in the afternoon, and, on his 

 arrival at the George, together with the late Sir Robert 

 Harvey, his brother representative in the county, we 

 waited on him, and informed him on what he had to 

 speak, and I shall not furget the annoyance he expressed 

 at it. "What !" he said, "how can they expect me to do 

 this, when I have not taken the oaths nor my seat in 

 the House of Lords yet ? Lord Cottesloe should do it — 

 I can't, I can't " ; and he hinted that he should go back 

 to Hughenden. 



The late Sir Philip Rose^, who Avas present, calling 

 me aside, said, seeing how much vexed his lordship was, 

 that there should be a special toast of " The Prime 

 Minister," and that I must go back to the Committee 

 .and arrange it with them. The alteration being cordially 

 accepted by them, I returned and informed Lord 

 Beaconsfield of it, and he was satisfied. 



The crowd in and about the George Hotel was 

 very great. The people assembled in the streets to 

 -cheer their late Member, and the Corn Exchange, where 

 the dinner was held under the chairmanship of the 

 president of the Society, Mr. Nathaniel Grace Lambert, 

 the Liberal Member of the county, was already crowded, 



