would fling from him such effusions, with an exclamation that he verily believed he should outlive his mother tongue as well as all memory of plain old English sense, unless those writers succeeded in killing him before his time. His critical severity, even as to the language and tone of conversation, was carried to what sometimes appeared an excess. Thus he was wont to say that he had nearly survived the good manly words of assent and denial, the yes and no of our ancestors, and could now hear nothing but "unquestionably," "certainly," "undeniably," or "by no means," and "I rather think not;" forms of speech to which he gave the most odious and contemptuous names, as effeminate and emasculated, and would turn into ridicule by caricaturing the pronunciation of the words. Thus he would drawl out "unquestionably" in a faint, childish tone, and then say, "Gracious God! does he mean yes? Then why not say so at once like a man?" As for the slip-slop of some fluent talkers in society, who exclaim that they are "so delighted," or "so shocked," and speak of things being pleasing or hateful "to a degree," he would bear down upon them without mercy, and roar out, "To what degree? Your word means any thing, and every thing, and nothing."

There needs no addition to this for the purpose of remarking how easily he was tired by prosers (those whom it is the mode to call bores), come they even under coronets and crowns. Once when the Prince of Wales was graciously pleased to pursue at great length a narrative of little importance, Sir P. Francis, wearied out, threw back his head on his chair with a "Well, Sir, well?" The sensitiveness of royalty at once was roused, and the historian proceeded to inflict punishment upon the uncourtly offender by repeating and lengthening his recital, after a connecting sentence, "If Sir Philip will permit me to proceed." A less exalted performer in the same

kind having on another occasion got him into a corner, and innocently mistaking his agitations and gestures for extreme interest in the narrative which he was administering to his patient, was somewhat confounded when the latter, seizing him by the collar, exclaimed with an oath, that "Human nature could endure no more."-In all this there was a consistency and a uniformity that was extremely racy and amusing. He is not now present to cry out, "What does that mean, Sir? What would you be at? No gibberish!" and therefore it may be observed that there was something exceedingly piquant in this character.*

He was in very deed "a character" as it is called. By this is meant, a mind cast in a peculiar mould, and unwilling either to be remodelled and recast, or to be ground down in the mill of fashion, and have its angles and its roughnesses taken off so as to become one of the round and smooth and similar personages of the day, and indeed of all times and almost all nations. Such characters are further remarkable for ever bearing their peculiarities about with them, so as at all seasons and on all subjects to display their deviations from or unlikeness to other men. Such persons are of necessity extremely amusing; they are rare, and they are odd; they are also ever in keeping and consistency with themselves as they are different from others. Hence they acquire, beside entertaining us, a kind of claim to respect, because they are independent and self-possessed. But they are almost always more respected than they at all deserve. Not only are many of their peculiarities the result of indulgence approaching to affectation, so as to make them little more than a respectable kind of buffoons, enjoying the mirth excited at their own expense; but even that substratum of real originality which they have without any affectation, commands far more

"Le rejouissant caractère de ce docteur" says Le Sage.

respect than it is entitled to, because it wears the semblance of much more independence than belongs to it; and while it savours of originality is really only peculiar and strange. Sir Philip Francis had many much higher qualities; but his singularities were probably what chiefly recommended him in society.

The first Lord Holland had been Dr. Francis's patron, and to him his 'Demosthenes' was dedicated. Through him, too, the son obtained his first promotion, a place in the Foreign Office, which afterwards led to one in the War Department. Nor did he ever through life forget this early patronage-neither the present* nor the former Lord, neither his own friend nor his father's friend did he ever forget. On his return from India, which he quitted with a character of unsullied purity far more rare in those days than in our own, he thus became naturally connected with the Whig party, flourishing under the illustrious son of his own and his father's patron. On all Indian questions he was of the greatest use and of the highest authority. But his exertions were not confined to these. His general opinions were liberal and enlightened; he was the enemy of all corruption, all abuse, all oppression. His aid was never wanting to redress grievances or to oppose arbitrary proceedings. When examined as a witness on the High Treason Trials in 1794, Mr. Horne Tooke, being for no conceivable reason dissatisfied with his evidence, used in private and behind his back to represent him as having flinched from bearing testimony to the character of his brother Reformers. The drama of examination which he was wont to rehearse was a pure fiction, and indeed not only never was performed, but, by the rules of procedure, could not have been represented; for it made the party producing Sir P. Francis as a witness subject him to a rigorous cross-examination.

This was written in the late Lord's lifetime.

To go out as Governor-General of India was always the great ambition of his life; and when, on Mr Pitt's death, the Whig party came into office, he believed the prize to be within his grasp. But the new ministers could no more have obtained the East India Company's consent, than they could have transported the Himalaya mountains to Leadenhall Street. This he never could be made to perceive; he ever after this bitter disappointment regarded Mr. Fox as having abandoned him; and always gave vent to his vexation in terms of the most indecent and almost insane invective against that amiable and admirable man. Nay more- as if the same grievance which alienated his reason, had also undermined his integrity-that political virtue which had stood so many rude assaults both in Asia and in Europe, had been found proof against so many seductions of lucre, so many blandishments of rank, and had stood unshaken against all the power both of Oriental satraps and of English dictators, is known to have yielded for a moment to the vain hope of obtaining his favourite object through the influence of the man whom, next to Mr. Pitt, he had most indefatigably and most personally opposed. A proposition made to Lord Wellesley by him, through a common friend, with the view of obtaining his influence with Lord Grenville, supposed erroneously to be the cause of his rejection as Governor-General, was at once and peremptorily rejected by that noble person, at a moment when Sir P. Francis was in the adjoining room, ready to conclude the projected treaty. If this casts some shade over the otherwise honest and consistent course of his political life, it must be remembered that for the very reason of its being a single and a passing shade, the effect on his general estimation is exceedingly slight.

In parliamentary debates Sir P. Francis did not often take a part. The few speeches which he did make were confined to great occasions, unless where

Indian subjects came under discussion, and they were distinguished by the same purity of style and epigrammatic tone which marks his writings. It was chiefly as concerned in the party manifestoes and other publications of the Whigs, that he was a considerable member of their body. In council, except for boldness and spirit, in which he was ever exuberant, there could be but little benefit derived from one so much the slave of personal antipathy and prejudice, so often the sport of caprice, so little gifted with calm, deliberative judgment. But he saw clearly; he felt strongly; he was above mean, paltry, narrow views; and he heartily scorned a low, tricking, timid policy. The Opposition never were so free from tendencies in that bad direction as not to benefit by the manly and worthy correction which he was always ready to administer; and if they had oftener listened to his counsels, or dreaded his resentment, the habit of making war upon the Crown without conciliating the people, of leading on the country to the attack with one eye turned wistfully towards the Court, would never have become so confirmed, or worked such mischief as it has of late years done under the leadership of the aristocratic Whigs.

One peculiarity of Sir P. Francis's character has not been mentioned, and yet were it left out, the sketch would both imperfectly represent his failings, and omit a great enhancement of his merits. His nature was exceedingly penurious, and, like all men of this cast, he stooped to the smallest savings. His little schemes of economy were the subject of amusing observation to his friends; nor did they take much pains to keep from his knowledge an entertainment in which he could not very heartily partake. But if he stooped to petty savings, he never stooped one hair's breadth to undue gains; and he was as sparing of the people's money as of his own. If avarice means a desire of amassing at the either of other men's stores or

expense