CORRESPONDENCE.

SIR MOUNTSTUART ELPHINSTONE GRANT DUFF.

[To TER EDITOR Of THE "SPECTATOR:1

Sur,—January 12th will always be a sad day to many of us, for on it we lost a delightful companion, a wise adviser, and a true friend. For those who enjoyed the privilege of his friendship the death of Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff will leave

a void which can never be filled. Some of us have known him ever since 1857, when he was elected Member for the

Elgin Burghs, a constituency which, to its honour, always remained faithful to him. He represented the borough for twenty-four years, till he resigned in order to go out as Governor of Madras ; and he now lies in the nave of the Cathedral, a beautiful and most appropriate resting-place. - No one certainly could in 1857 have foreseen the high, and in some respects unique, position which Sir Mountstuart won, and long held, in the world of politics, science, and litera- ture. He entered life with considerable drawbacks. His constitution was never strong; he was for years a martyr to headaches; his eyes were weak, and he could do but a limited amount of reading for himself; his voice was not powerful, so that he bad some difficulty in making himself heard in the House of Commons ; and last, not least, he had the reputa- tion of thinking for himself. In these circumstances, it is wonderful bow much he accomplished. On the other band, he had certain advantages,—great ability, indefatigable industry, a keen sense of humour, warm friends, the power of saying " Yes " or " No " in the right place, a wonderful memory—" wax to receive and marble to retain"—and last, not least, in Lady Grant Duff he had a wife who watched over his health, who shared his views and aspirations, and whose loving sympathy, wide reading, and sound judgment were of the greatest possible assistance to him.

Sir Mountstuart was successively Under-Secretary of State for India, for the Colonies, and Governor of Madras. No one was ever surprised at the various posts to

which he was appointed, and which he filled with signal ability. Many wondered, on the other hand, why he was not

included in the Cabinet, and have thought that if he had been

so, it would have been better for the Liberal Party and the country. Few men had a wider circle of friends. When he

accepted the Governorship of Madras they gave him a parting dinner; and in returning thanks he truly and gracefully observed that among the objects he set before himself on entering life, one was to make the ablest and best possible friends, and on looking round the room he felt that, however much he might have failed in other respects, in that at least he had been eminently successful. Moreover, if few men had more eminent or more appreciative friends in this country, no one certainly had so wide an acquaintance with the statesmen, philosophers, and men of science in other parts of the world. His "Elgin Speeches" were mainly devoted to European politics. On his return from Madras he devoted himself principally to literature and science, becoming

President of the Geographical and Historical Societies and a Trustee of the British Museum. He was also treasurer

of "The Club," besides being a member of the Literary.

Society and of Grillons's, where he was always welcome, for lie was both interesting and entertaining. He was indeed a man of the widest culture. Besides politics, geography, and history; be had a considerable knowledge of numismatics, of precious stones, and of botany.

Although he would have disclaimed any pretensions to authority as a theologian, the bent of Sir Mouutstuart's mind was eminently religious. Perhaps his favourite book was the " Welt d'une Sceur." He took a warm interest in the Church- men's Union, which was formed to support the broad and liberal views of Stanley, Jewett, and Matthew Arnold. His religion, however, was one of feeling and action, not of dogma. He agreed with Matthew Arnold that it "was not by insisting

on the adhesion of the faithful to a series of wild guesses in the realm of the unknown, dignified by the name of dogmas, that the Catholic or any other Church would retain its hold over mankind" ; and trusted that the feuds which have so long distracted, and, as far as they could do so, discredited, Christianity might be healed, "and the Unity of Christendom at last be definitely established, not on the basis of guesses into the infinite, but of co-operation in all things lovely and of good report." Not that he undervalued theology. Theo- logical speculation, he says, "has been and continues to be of the greatest importance in the development of the race ; for the higher the prevailing religion becomes—the more it draws into itself all that is best in our nature, the more it calls to its assistance all that is sublime or tender in art, all that is most exquisite in poetry, all that is most elevating in the contempla- tion of the material universe and the human microcosm—the better will be its effect upon conduct. To ask, however, from

theological speculation the same sort of certainties which we get amidst the lower order of facts with which our limited intelligence is amply sufficient to deal, is to ask from it what, in this world, it cannot give " ; and he quotes with admiration the beautiful remark of Stanley, that "Faith founded the Church : Hope has sustained it : I cannot help thinking that it is reserved for Love to reform it."

Sir Mountstuart will probably be beat remembered here- after as the author of his celebrated "Diary." The "Elgin Speeches" and other volumes on questions of the day were all wise and valuable contributions, but their interest will neces- sarily fade as they recede in the past. The "Diary," on the contrary, will become more and more interesting as time goes on. What would we not now give for such a picture of life in the time of Thothmes or Nebuchadnezzar? The sale, indeed, would - no doubt have been even larger if it had contained a sprinkling of malicious remarks or ill-natured stories. Such would, however, have been thoroughly out of place: they would have poisoned a work which is now inspired by the spirit'of purity and charity, of goodwill and good feeling. Moreover, if it is not degraded by references to crimes or scandals, it is very entertaining, and full of amusing stories. Another great charm of the " Diary " is its variety. We have a succession of poetical allusions, notes of travel, glimpses of great statesmen, philosophers, men of science--in our own and other countries—botanical remarks, curious details con- nected-with ancient coins or precious stones, and fragments of conversation at "The Club," the Literary Society, or Grillons. In addition to the rest of what he has done for us, if in future ages we of the Victorian period are judged as to our habits and occupations, our interests and characters, by the picture in the "Diary," we shall owe another great debt of gratitude to Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff.—I am, Sir, &c.,

AVEIIIIRY.