STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE, Stratford Canning, Viscount (1786-1880), diplomatist, was the first cousin of George Canning the statesman, and the youngest son of Stratford Canning, who, having been disinherited for marrying beneath his rank, settled in London as a merchant in Clement’s Lane, where young Canning was born 4th November 1786. Shortly afterwards the father died, and the family removed to Wanstead, the boy attending the village school and afterwards a school at Hackney until 1794, when he went to Eton. Ultimately he became captain of the school, and he also manifested his literary predilections by publishing, in conjunction with Wellesley and others, a collection of essays entitled The Miniature. In 1805 he was elected scholar of King’s College, Cambridge, and, while still attending the university, became in 1807 précis writer to his cousin, who had been appointed foreign minister. At the close of the year he went to Copenhagen as one of the secretaries of a special diplomatic mission, and after his return he was appointed in June 1808 first secretary at Constantinople. On the removal of his chief Mr Adair to Vienna in July 1810, Canning remained minister plenipotentiary, making use of the opportunity to give indications of that overmastering purpose and bold yet subtle diplomacy which were to have such an important influence on the history of the Eastern question. In 1812 he succeeded in effecting the treaty of Bucharest between Russia and Turkey, which was signed on the 12th May, shortly before the arrival of his successor. This was properly the inauguration of that English influence in Turkey which did not cease until within recent years. The treaty was also of immense immediate advantage by freeing the Russian army to act against Napoleon, and on his ...