Talk by W. L. Burn ,
Professor of Modern History at King's College, Newcastle
Peel died on July 2, 1850. The speaker interprets his career in the light of what he did and of the man he was. He believes that Peel had certain personal qualities that led him both to success and to catastrophe, and that apart from his solid administrative achievements he gave a decisive tilt to powerful forces that might otherwise have remained balanced.