On Tuesday Lord Lansdowne unveiled the statue to the late
Duke of Devonshire in Whitehall, and in a speech after- wards paid an eloquent tribute to his memory. Three characteristics, Lord Lansdowne said, were conspicuous in him :—
"In the first place, he was a man possessing a sense of duty stronger, I think, than that of any public man with whom I have ever come into contact—a sense of duty to himself, a sense of duty to his party, a sense of duty, above all, to his country. That sense of duty made him never shirk a hard task, however hard, however uncongenial. If work lay ready to his hand he was there to do it, both thoroughly and fearlessly. The second characteristic, upon which I venture to dwell was the absolute independence of his nature. He was a party man, a strong party man, but he would not go all lengths with his party. He would sacrifice his own interests, his own convenience, but not the principles and the convictions which he held. The third characteristic I will mention was the transparent sincerity of his nature. He was a man who sought the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
Another of the Duke's qualities was admirably summed up by Robert Lowe, who declared that what he liked about Hartington was his " you-be-clamnedness." The Duke, though in essentials genial and kindly, never used humbug, or " smooth- ing-over," or any other of the placating tricks of the professional politician.
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