DEEBY.
835
DERBY (Earl of), Th» Eight Hox. Edwabd Hbnet Skith- Staki-bt, eldest son of the four- teenth earl of Derby, born at Knows- lej, July 21, 1826, was educated at Rugby axkd at Trinity Ck»ll^e, C^nbridge, where he took a First Class in Classics in 1848. His lordship, who was an unsuccessful candidate for Lancaster in March, 1S48, was daring his absence in America elected Lord G. Bentinck's succeesor for Lynn Begis, which he continued to represent as Lord Stanley until he succeeded to the peerage ; and having, after a tour in thS West Indies, returned to Enghmd, he delivered in the House (^ Commons, during the summer of IS50, a very able speech on the subject of the sugar colonies. He paid a visit to the East, and when in India was nominated, in March, 1852, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in Lord Derby's first {^ministration. In the spring of 1853 he submitted to the House of Commons a motion, which had fear its object a more complete re- form of Indian affairs than that contemplated by the Coalition Cabinet. The death of Sir W. Molesworth, in 1855, having created a vacancy in the ColoniaJ Office, Lord Palinerston, sensible of Lord Stanley's talents and popularity, offered him the seals of that de- partment ; but the latter, although understood to be ambitious of serv- ing his country as a minister of the Crown, remained true to his party, and declined the tempting proposal. He became Secretary of State for India, with a seat in the Cabinet, imder Lord Derby's second admin- istration, in 1858-9, and it was under his superintendence that the man^^ment of our Indian empire was transferred from the Board of Directors of the East India Com- pany to the responsible advisers of her Majesty. His lordship was ap- pointed Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in Lord Derby's tilird administration, in July, 1866,
and the tact with which he con- ducted the negotiations for the settlement of the Luxemburg diffi- culty rendered him exceedingly popular. He held the seals of the Foreign Office until the accession of Mr. Gladstone to power in Dec. 1868. His lordship was installed Lord Bector of the University of Glasgow, April 1, 1869. The death of his father on Oct. 23, 1869, trans- ferred him to the House of Peers, and he has since taken a prominent part in the discussions of that assembly. In Feb. 1874, when Mr. Disraeli formed his cabinet. Lord Derby was again entrusted with the seals of the Foreign Office. In consequence of the decision taken at the Cabinet Council of Jan. 23, 1878, to send up the British fleet to Constantinople, Lord Derby and Lord Carnarvon tendered their re- signations. That of Lord Carnar- von was accepted; but the order respecting the fleet having been countermanded, and explanations having been made with his col- leagues. Lord Derby consented to resume his post. But differences again arose between him and the o&er members of the Cabinet, and on March 28 he announced in the House of Lords that he had re- signed the office of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Lord Beaconsfield stated on the same evening that Lord Derby had not differed from his colleagues with respect to the conditions they had laid down for the Congress, but in reference to the measures they had adopted in view of its probable failure . In the debate in the House of Lords on the Eastern Question, April 8, 1878, Lord Derby took oc- casion to observe: — "I have been referred to .... as having resigned office in consequence of the ca&ing out of the Reserves. Now I feel bound to tell your lordships Uiat whatever I may have thought of that step, it was not the sole, nor indeed tie principal reason for the differences that imf ortunately arose
