64 ECHOES OF OLD COUNTY LIFE. 



minutes ; his political opponents caught the contagion 

 and seemed to vie with his supporters in the ovation. 

 After dinner and the usual preliminary toasts had been 

 disposed of; my old friend, John Treadwell, a typical 

 British farmer, rose and proposed the "Prime Minister," 

 and in a few appropriate and well-chosen words gave 

 the toast and the time for three hearty cheers, which 

 were responded to till the iron ribs of the roof rever- 

 berated. I need not say with what calmness the Prime 

 Minister spoke, with what earnestness he denounced the 

 false and calumnious charges brought against our allies, 

 how he showed up the specious pretences of the 

 Russians, and how he shattered to pieces the arguments 

 of Mr. Gladstone and his Russian friends. The speech 

 electrified his audience, and the result of the election 

 the next day proved my assertion that his presence at 

 the meeting would make 300 votes difference to our side 

 at the poll, for Mr. Fremantle was returned, to the 

 great surprise of the Liberal party, by a majority of 

 187. Lord Carrington very freely laid out his money 

 on the occasion of counting the votes after the poll, by 

 laying the odds of three to one on his brother, and 

 losing £s^ to Squire Drake. 



As a sequel to this political episode, I cannot omit 

 the following incident. About a fortnight after this 

 meeting, an agricultural dinner was held at Princes 

 Risborough, a small town within the district of the 

 Borough of Aylesbury, and one of its polling places, 

 although nine miles from the actual town of Aylesbury. 

 I was walking from the station in company with Sir 

 Nathaniel, now Lord Rothschild, and with him was a 



