10 EARLY YEARS. 



Duke of Richmond, the late Earls of Derby and 

 Strafford, General Peel, and Colonel Anson stated 

 repeatedly that never yet was there a parliamen- 

 tary speaker who improved so much in two years 

 as Lord George Bentinck did. I think the fol- 

 lowing passage, to which a friend has kindly 

 called my attention, is more just to Lord George's 

 character, foresight, and ability as a statesman, 

 than it was possible for Mr Greville to be. It 

 appeared in ' The Life of the Prince Consort,' by 

 Sir Theodore Martin, and ran as follows : — 



" On February 4, 1847, Lord George Bentinck, 

 who had expressed himself, during the debate on 

 the Queen's Speech, as dissatisfied with the Min- 

 isterial measures for the relief of Ireland, brought 

 forward a very carefully devised and comprehen- 

 sive scheme of permanent relief in the shape of 

 advances to the extent of sixteen millions, to be 

 made by the Government for the construction of 

 railways in Ireland. Powers for construction of 

 these railways had been already granted, and the 

 Government advances were to come in supple- 

 ment of eight millions to be provided by the 

 companies authorised to construct them, but which 

 they were unable to raise in the prostrate condi- 

 tion of the country. The scheme was enforced 

 with all that minute accuracy of statistical detail 

 and careful anticipation of practical difficulties 

 which distinguished its author. Much might 



