104 Life and Times of " The Druid" 



1850, I came up to London and wrote poli- 

 tical verses in Punch and the Examiner 

 for a time. Towards the end of 1852 the 

 late Sir James Graham, who had just been 

 proposed for Carlisle by my father, got hold 

 of an article of mine, which seems to have 

 pleased him. He sent for me to the Ad- 

 miralty, and giving me a kindly welcome, 

 took the article out of his desk and told me 

 he had shown it both to the Duke of New- 

 castle and Mr. Gladstone, that they both 

 agreed with him that it was the only really 

 fair account of the reasons which induced 

 the Peelites to combine with the Whigs to 

 throw out Lord Derby. Sir James told me 

 he was empowered to offer me a post under 

 Government. This I declined, telling him 

 I was young and strong, that I had gone 

 through a bitter disappointment, and wished 

 to go to the Bar and try to retrieve it." 



Here, again, trouble with his eyes, small 

 means, and a rapidly increasing family im- 

 peded his hopes of success. 



Many generations of readers will doubtless 

 rejoice that " The Druid " turned a deaf ear 

 to the overture made to him by Sir James 



