BEACONS FIELD

Earl of, Benjamin Disraeli, was born in 1804 of an old Jewish family which had been driven from Spain by the Inquisition in the 15th century. In 1821 he was articled to a solicitor, in 1826 he published Vivian Grey, in 1837 he entered Parliament, after three unsucce ful attempts, as member for Maid stone, and he became the real leader of the Tory party in 1846. He carried the Reform Bill of 1867, giving household suffrage and widely extending county franchise. In 1868 he succeeded Lord Derby as Premier. He was Premier again in 1874, and distinguished his term of office by making Great Britain half-owner of the Suez Canal, and instituting the title of Empre of India for the Queen. In 1878 he brought back the famous “ Peace with Honour " from the Berlin Conference. He went out of office in 1880, and died on April 19, 1881. He wrote a number of novels, which bristle with epigram, and which contain some famous caricatures of his contemporaries, e.g. Lord Lyttelton as Coningsby Croker as Rigby Mr. Gladstone as Oswald A till bank and Lord Palmers ton, as Roc hampton.