The author is indebted to Mrs I. M. Martin, Miss Ann Parr, Mrs E. D. Beebe and others for typing various parts of the drafts of this book, to Mrs N. A. Blenkin for making the Index and to Mrs Steinberg for helping to read the proofs.

He is indebted to the owners, custodians and archivists of manuscripts whose names are listed in the Bibliography, to Lord Cairns and Lord Wemyss for lending parts of their own collections and to Mr Robert Blake for allowing free access to papers belonging to Lord Derby while these were in his possession in Oxford.

He is grateful to Mr Paul Smith for allowing him to see his Disraelian Conservatism and Social Reform before it was published.

He is grateful to Mr A. B. Cooke of Peterhouse and Edinburgh for checking references and reading proofs, to Dr J. R. Vincent of Peterhouse, Professor H. J. Hanham of Edinburgh and Dr. D. R. Shackleton Bailey for commenting on the manuscript and to the Master of Peterhouse, Professor Butterfield, for criticism at an early stage.

His thanks are due to the editor of the Historical Journal for permission to reproduce material in Chapter II which has been published previously in article form.

He is grateful to the staff of the University Library for recurring help and to the staff of the University Press for their attention.

Finally, he owes debts to Professor C. H. Wilson, and to the Master and Fellows of Peterhouse collectively for providing conditions in which work—particularly historical work—can be done.