32 TJie PytcJiley Htcnt^ Past and Pj^esent. [chap. h. 



oratory, without which it is usually impossible to gain 

 the ear of the House ; his words, loosely strung together 

 aud destitute of polish or arrangement, were listened to 

 with the deepest attention from their being the expres- 

 sion of a thoroughly honest man. So completely did the 

 country, at critical times, look to him for guidance, that 

 he was the ^^ Atlas ^' who upheld the Goverument of 

 Lord Grey, and his main support in passing the Reform 

 Bill of 1832. Although Chancellor of the Exchequer, 

 and the most important member of the Cabinet next to 

 the Prime Minister, he never was so happy as when away 

 from the turmoil of political life. A thorough country- 

 man, when in London his song' might have been at any 

 time: ^^My heart's in the Midlands, my heart is not 

 here ;" and long after he had given up huuting he used 

 to say that " he never should forget the beautiful music 

 of Sywell Wood.''^ After resigning the chase, agricul- 

 ture and the breeding of shorthorns became the great 

 passion of Lord Althorp's life. An interesting letter to 

 his father, dated Wiseton, October 3rd, 1818, shows how 

 thoroughly he had entered upon this new and fascinating 

 pursuit. He writes : *^ My expedition to the county of 

 Durham answered. I did not spend quite so much 

 money as I told you I was prepared to do, and I got 

 what I wanted, viz. three cows and a bull. When I saw 

 ' Lancaster,' the bull for which Champion and I were to 

 enter into a confederacy, I did not like him or his pro- 

 duce sufficiently well to hazard a large sum of money on 

 him ; but Simpson and Smith, who live at BakewelPs 

 farm at Dishley, bought him for 621 guineas. I got the 

 two best cows, and had to pay for them handsomely, 

 giving 370 for one, and 300 for the other. I bought 



