CHAPTER XVII.

THE EARL OF DERBY.

APPOINTMENTS TO THE COUNTY BENCH.

I was brought into such frequent contact with the late Lord Derby, in connection with my duties as chairman of Quarter Sessions, that I should like to add a few words of appreciation of his lordship's great kindness and consideration. I must, however, in order to make my story quite clear, preface my remarks by a reference to the late Earl of Sefton, who was the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire for so many years. Lord Sefton in his appointments to the bench, took an infinite amount of trouble to select good men, and men who when appointed would do their work. He was good enough frequently to consult me, and I certainly did my best to support him in his choice of suitable men for the office of magistrate, which I hold to be a position of importance and responsibility.

It is not generally recognised that magistrates are endowed with very great power over the liberties of the people, and they ought therefore to be selected with great care. Two magistrates sitting at Petty Sessions have in a sense more power than a judge sitting at an Assize. They not only determine the guilt of the prisoner, but can and do impose considerable terms of imprisonment. At the Assizes the jury decide if the prisoner is guilty, the judge only awards the punishment.

Lord Sefton unfortunately made a mistake in some of his appointments to the Salford Division. He was, however, entirely free from blame. Erroneous information was given to him, and he made, quite unawares, some political appointments. He added to the bench the names of several Conservative politicians, which gave great offence to the Liberal Government then in power. Mr. Bryce, then Chancellor of the Duchy, wished to rectify the mistake by insisting upon Lord Sefton appointing a number of active Liberals. This he declined to do, and it led to a deadlock. Lord Sefton threatened to resign, and would have done so had we not been able to build a bridge over which both he and the Chancellor were able to retire without loss of dignity. I was much helped in these negotiations by my friend, the late Mr. Robert D. Holt.

Upon Lord Sefton's death Lord Derby was appointed the Lord Lieutenant. Naturally a timid man, he was very anxious to avoid the mistake made by his predecessor, and for several years he created no new magistrates in some Petty Sessional Divisions, and the administration of justice was rendered most difficult through the lack of justices.

I was at this time frequently at Knowsley, and spent hours in going over lists of names with his lordship, and always came away with a promise that some appointments should be made forthwith, but still he hesitated. It was quite impossible to feel disappointed. Lord Derby was always so courteous and kind, and one could not help feeling that his hesitation arose from his extreme conscientiousness and high sense of duty, and also one could not fail to recognise that his task was delicate and difficult.

When the Liberal Government came into office in 1905, they set about to adjust the inequality between the political parties as represented on the bench, and the Lord Chancellor practically made all the appointments, the Lord Lieutenant merely confirming. Under this arrangement the bench in Lancashire has been greatly increased, but I doubt if its status has been maintained.

Lord and Lady Derby from time to time extended great kindness to us, Lady Derby frequently inviting us to dine and sleep at Knowsley, to meet her distinguished guests. In this way we had the opportunity of meeting the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Lord Chancellor (Lord Halsbury), the Prime Minister (Mr. Balfour), and others. The hospitality of Knowsley is proverbial, Lord and Lady Derby were ideal host and hostess, and we have paid no pleasanter visits than those to Knowsley.

When Lord Derby was elected Lord Mayor of Liverpool I was asked to act as his deputy, as it was not expected that his lordship would do more than the formal and official work. For some time I called at the Town Hall every morning to see if I could be of any service, but I quickly discovered that Lord Derby was not going to discharge his duties in a perfunctory manner, and my services were required very little. I remember on one of my visits his lordship telling me his horse was the favourite for the Oaks, which was to be run on the day following. I begged him to go up to see the race, but he replied his first duty was at the Town Hall.

The race was run, and Lord Derby's horse won. I often narrated this episode as a proof of his lordship's devotion to his duties, and once in his presence, when he intervened and said: "Do not give me too much credit; I must confess the temptation to see my horse win was too strong for me. I went up by the midnight train, and returned by the first train after the race."

Lord Derby proved a most excellent Lord Mayor, and the debates in the Council were never before--and have never since been--conducted with so much decorum and dignity. The hospitality of the Town Hall was maintained on a splendid scale. Lady Derby took a keen personal interest in all the arrangements, and her own charming personality contributed greatly to the popularity and success of his lordship's year of office, which I have also reason to believe he greatly enjoyed.

It may be interesting to narrate how Lord Derby became Lord Mayor. I had heard it stated that his brother and predecessor in the title had often expressed his wish that the old tradition of the family might be revived, and that he might be asked to become Mayor of Liverpool; and bearing this in mind I ventured one day to mention the subject to Lord Stanley. I found it not only interested him greatly, but he said he was sure his father would appreciate the honour, provided it was the unanimous wish of the Council. I mentioned the matter to our leader in the Council, and an early opportunity was availed of to elect Lord Derby as the first Lord Mayor of the extended Liverpool.

By the death of Lord Derby, Liverpool sustained a grievous loss. He had filled many great public positions--Governor-General of Canada, Secretary of State for War--but in no position did he do more useful work than in the management of his own vast estates, and in furthering good work of every description round and about Liverpool. He fully realised that great responsibility attached to his position, and he devoted himself to the discharge of his many duties in the county and in Liverpool with an assiduity and earnestness which won the admiration of all, while all were fascinated by his great courtesy and old-world charm of manner.

Lord Derby took a deep and active interest in the building of the cathedral, always making a point of attending our meetings when in Liverpool, and his encouragement and wise words of advice were most helpful.

PRINCE FUSHIMI OF JAPAN.

In June, 1907, I received a letter from Sir Edward Grey, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, asking me if I could entertain at Bromborough Hall the Prince Fushimi of Japan, a royal prince, who was visiting England on a special mission from the Emperor. I replied that, while I should be delighted to do all I could to extend hospitality to the Prince, I could only place ten bedrooms at his disposal. Sir Edward Grey replied that as the suite comprised twenty-two he had asked Lord Derby to invite the Prince to Knowsley, but would be glad if I would make the necessary arrangements for his visit to Liverpool. This was followed by a letter from Lord Derby asking me to send to his comptroller a list of the guests I thought he ought to invite, intimating that he could put up thirty and dine forty all told. I made out a purely official list, and arranged for the Lord Mayor to give the Prince a luncheon at the Town Hall, and for the Dock Board to take him in their tender for a sail on the river, and afterwards to proceed to Knowsley.

The suite in attendance on the Prince was most distinguished, including the Grand Chamberlain to the Emperor, the Admiral who had been Minister of Marine during the Russo-Japanese war, the General who commanded the cavalry during the war, and many other men of eminence. They mostly spoke English, and were very interesting. They were charmed with the park at Knowsley, and were familiar with the history of many of the great personages whose portraits were displayed upon the walls of the Knowsley dining-room. They asked innumerable questions, and among other things wanted a plan of Knowsley. The only plan Lord Derby could produce was a plan made to show the drainage system. Strange to say, they were delighted with it.

The following morning, shortly before leaving, the Prince came downstairs, preceded by two of his suite, bearing a beautiful cabinet, which he placed at Lady Derby's feet, a present from the Emperor. Lady Derby was much gratified, and said she was more than repaid for all the trouble she had taken in opening the house and bringing all the servants, carriages, and horses from London, adding, "They are such perfect gentlemen."

Knowsley was in the hands of the painters, and, being in the middle of the London season, it was not an easy thing to arrange to entertain the Prince; but as the King had expressed a wish that Lord Derby should be his host, it had to be done. Liverpool had a good friend in the late Lord Derby, and no one will ever know the trouble he took to entertain royal and distinguished visitors to Liverpool, oftentimes at considerable personal inconvenience.

During the war between Russia and Japan, it was for long a question if the fleet of Japan would be strong enough to meet the Russian fleet. At the close of the war it came out for the first time that the most powerful ship in the Japanese fleet had in the early days of the war been blown up by a mine, with the loss of 800 lives. I ventured to ask the Minister of Marine how they managed to keep the secret so well. He simply replied, "Our people are very patriotic." I also asked the general who was in command of the cavalry how it was that their great strategical movements did not leak out. He answered with a twinkle in his eye, "The newspaper gentlemen were very pleasant, and we managed to interest and amuse them elsewhere."