We regret to record that Lord Peel died on last
Thursday. That he was one of the ablest and most successful of Speakers of modern times is admitted on all hands. Besides possessing the gift of impartiality, mixed with firmness, good sense, and tact, he was the master of a measured and lofty eloquence which, though not often exerted, delighted all hearers—a faculty hereditary in his family. As far as we know, there is hardly another example of so many of the sons of a great man showing exceptional ability as did the sons of the great Sir Robert Peel. Those who remember the eldest son tell us that his speeches, when at his best, were astonishingly brilliant. The sailor son, Captain Peel, was one of the most magnetic of commanders, and inspired an extraordinary feeling of love, devotion, and confidence in those under him. It is, indeed, not too much to say that had he lived, and had there been a great war, he would have become a national hero. The other sons, though they did not occupy any great public positions, were men of remarkable mental capacity. Lord Peel is succeeded by his son, Mr. William Peel, the Member for Taunton. A by-election will there- fore take place, unless the Liberals think it would be unwise to contest the seat.
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