The Political Life of the Right Honourable George Canning, From His Acceptance of the Seals of the Foreign Department in September 1822, to The Period of His Death in August 1827. Together with a Short Review of Foreign Affairs Subsequently to that Event By His Private Secretary, Augustus Granville Stapleton. Second edition. In Three Volumes. Published by Longman, Rees, et. al. in London in 1831, 8vo, a.e.g.
A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF STAPLETON'S POLITICAL LIFE OF GEORGE CANNING, AN OFTEN FORGOTTEN BRITISH PRIME MINISTER DUE TO HIS EARLY DEATH. WITH FASCINATING PROVENANCE, HAVING BELONGED TO SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE.
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George Canning was an enthusiastic follower of Pitt the Younger, resigning from his post as Paymaster General in 1801 when Pitt resigned as Prime Minister. Popular, witty and intelligent, he gained an early political following as an excellent public speaker. He was one of the first politicians to campaign heavily in the country, making many speeches outside Parliament and was known for his opposition to parliamentary reform and his advocacy of Catholic emancipation.
In 1807 he was made Foreign Secretary under the Duke of Portland. His greatest success was outmanoeuvring Napoleon at Copenhagen by seizing the Danish navy, but he also quarrelled badly with the War Minister, Castlereagh, over the deployment of troops. When Castlereagh discovered in September 1809 that Canning had made a deal with the Duke of Portland to have him removed from office, he was furious. Demanding redress, Castlereagh challenged Canning to a duel, which was fought on 21 September 1809. Canning had never fired a pistol and completely missed, whilst Castlereagh wounded his opponent in the thigh. Both men resigned as a result of the incident.
A few weeks later, Canning was disappointed to be passed over as the choice for Prime Minister in favour of Spencer Perceval. His anger was such that he refused a high profile post in Perceval’s government. However, after a brief stint as ambassador to Portugal, he returned to join the government as President of the Board of Control. He later replaced his old rival as Foreign Secretary in Lord Liverpool’s government after Castlereagh’s suicide in 1822. Once again, he made a successful Foreign Secretary, especially in preventing South America from falling into French hands.
Canning replaced Lord Liverpool as Prime Minister on 10 April 1827, and set about forming a coalition with the Whigs under Lord Lansdowne. On 8 August 1827, after spending barely 5 months in office, Canning died suddenly from pneumonia at Chiswick House. His last words were ‘Spain and Portugal’.
He has come to be regarded by some as a ‘lost leader’, with much speculation about what would have happened had he lived.
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Provenance:
Gift inscription to, and with the bookplates of, Stafford Henry Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh (1818 – 1887), known as Sir Stafford Northcote, 1st Baronet from 1851 to 1885, was a British Conservative politician. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1874 and 1880 and as Foreign Secretary between 1885 and 1886. According to Nigel Keohane, historians have portrayed him "as a man who fell short of the ultimate achievement of being prime minister largely because of personal weakness, and lack of political virility and drive."
Size: 142 x 219 mm (approx., each)
Condition:
[xi, pp.1-490]; [iv, pp.1-504]; [viii, pp.1-497]
Uniform full grained calf bindings with bright stamped gilt to the spines in compartments between raised bands. A little rubbing and minor wear to the bindings but generally very good and show well. Some light discolouration to the boards. Joints all very good or better with all boards securely attached. A little shelf wear. All page edges gilt, very good. Bookplate to front pastedown of each volume (see provenance). Gilt turn-ins show attractively. One or two small spots of foxing to the endpapers else very clean indeed through the text blocks. Collated as complete through each of the three volumes. Without any shelf lean to each of the three volumes. A very attractive set, complete in three volumes.
