MELBOURNE, WILLIAM LAMB, second Vis count (1779-184S). An English statesman. Ile was educated at Eton and at TrinityCollege.Cam bridge, where he graduated in 1796, and at Glas gow (1799), where he studied jurisprudence and politics under Millar. One year after his ad mission to the bar (1804) he entered the House of Commons for Leominster and joined the Whig opposition, under the leadership of Charles James Fox. As a consequence of his favoring Catholic emancipation, he lost his seat in 1812, but when he returned, a few years later, he came back a follower of Canning. and in 1827 accepted the chief secretaryship of Ireland in Canning's Gov ernment. This partial alienation from the higs was increased when he not only took office under Lord Goderich, hut remained for a short time in the Government of the Duke of AVellington. In 1828 the death of his father transferred him to the House of Lords. In 1830 he accepted the seals of the home office in the Government of Earl Grey, but his administration was by no means popular or successful. In July, 1834, Earl Grey retired and William IV. sent for Melbourne. In November, however, on a slight pretext, the King. who had become entirely alienated from the Whigs and Melbourne, invited Sir Robert Peel to form a Conservative Ministry. On Peel's arrival in England he dissolved Parlia ment and appealed to the country, but was defeat ed: the new Commons, resenting the interference of the King, made Peel's task an impossible one, so early in 1835 Melbourne again became First Lord of the Treasury and Premier. On the accession of
Queen Victoria in 1837. it became the duty of Melbourne to instruct the young sovereien in the various duties of her high station. In '1.8-11 his Government was succeeded by that of Sir Robert Peel, Henceforward Melbourne took little part in puhlie affairs. His administrations advocated reform of Church tithes, in both England and Ireland, of municipal corporations, taxation, criminal law, postal rates and education, yet he himself cared little for reform. Personally lie was not interested in of any kind. He had little of the oratorical 'faculty, and was in effective as a speaker. but possessed a cheerful temper and cordial frankness of manlier which made him many friends. He married (1805) a daughter of the Earl of Bessborough, who, under the title of Lady Caroline Lamb, attained some celebrity as a novel-writer and a correspondent of Lord Byron. For the life of Lord Melhonine, consult: Torrens„ licenoirs of Lard Melbourne (London, 1875) : Sanders, Lord Melbourne's Pa pers (London, 1889) ; Hayward. "Essay on Lord Melbourne," in Celebrated Statesmen and Writ ers.