HIS LAST LETTERS. 455 



he would with his splendid constitution, and with 

 physical powers upon which, until 1846, no severe 

 draught had been made, have sustained for many 

 years the stupendous labour which he imposed 

 upon himself in 1847 and 1848, until the "golden 

 bowl " yielded to the strain and was prematurely 

 broken. When I remember that Lord Winmar- 

 leigh, who has only just died, was born in the 

 same year as Lord George, it reopens the old 

 wounds inflicted upon me long ago by the latter's 

 premature death. 



On Thursday, the 21st of September 1848, Lord 

 George came down to breakfast at Welbeck Abbey 

 at the usual time. Never did he appear to be in 

 better health or spirits than on that day. He oc- 

 cupied himself during the greater part of the morn- 

 ing in writing three letters in his dressing-room, 

 and studying several printed papers. Of these 

 three letters, the first was addressed to the Duke 

 of Richmond, intimating that it was its writer's 

 intention to return to the Turf; the second to 

 Mr Disraeli ; and the third to the then Lord 

 Enfield, who subsequently became the second 

 Earl of Strafford. To the last named of the 

 three it was a matter of no ordinary satis- 

 faction, and so remained until his death, that 

 " the ultimate words traced by his old friend 

 George Bentinck's hand were addressed to him." 

 Of these letters each was of very considerable 

 length, and Mr Disraeli mentions that the one 



