Lord Derby is undoubtedly the most skillful Parliamentary tactician and the most accomplished speaker in the House of Lords.  In 1834, (when he was a member of the House of Commons,) Macaulay said of him, that “his knowledge of the science of parliamentary defence resembled an instinct.”  He is the acknowledged leader of the Tories or Conservatives in England, and dictates the policy of his party with absolute despotism.  Belonging to one of the oldest peerages in the kingdom, having already filled some of the most important offices in Her Majesty’s Government, occupying the highly honorable position of Chancellor of the University of Oxford, (as successor of the first Duke of Wellington,) an exact and finished scholar, enjoying an immense income, and the proprietor of vast landed estates, he may be justly considered one of the best types of England’s aristocracy.  He has that unmistakable air of authority without the least alloy of arrogance, that “pride in his port,” which quietly asserts the dignity of long descent.  As a speaker, his manner is impressive and forcible, with a rare command of choice language, an accurate and comprehensive knowledge of all subjects connected with the administration of public affairs, and that entire self-control which comes from life-long contact on terms of equality with the best society in Europe and a thorough confidence in his own mental resources.  Lord Derby is preeminently a Parliamentary orator, and furnishes one of the unusual instances where a reputation for eloquence earned in the House of Commons has been fully sustained by a successful trial in the House of Lords.

Another debater of marked ability in this body is Dr. Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford.  He is the third son of William Wilberforce, the celebrated philanthropist, but by no means inherits the simplicity of character and singular absence of all personal ambition which made his father so widely beloved and respected.  He is known as the leading exponent of High-Church views, and has been heard in the House of Lords on every question directly or indirectly affecting the interests of the Establishment.  It was long ago said of him, that, had he been in political life, he would surely and easily have risen to the position of Premier.  He has for years been charged with a marked proclivity to the doctrines of the Puseyites; and his adroitness in baffling all attempted investigation into the manner in which he has conducted the discipline of his diocese has perhaps contributed more than any other cause to fasten upon him the significant sobriquet to which I have already alluded.