Who Said This?

[AussieMick]

... your deduction is spot on, Steve! Congratulations!!

Gladstone had a weird (to me ) passion for chopping down trees on his estate.

He was considered to have been very astute in resolving the dispute over the compensation paid to the US for the Civil War involvement of the ship Alabama.
(Its been said that the result of this very expensive payment was that Britain and the USA became friends and allies for the next 100 years)

The Gladstone bag was named after him. I was going to bring in the quotes about him ...
Disraeli was asked "What is the difference between a misfortune and a calamity?"
He replied "If Gladstone fell into the Thames, that would be a misfortune; and if anybody pulled him out, that, I suppose, would be a calamity."

Queen Victoria said that "He speaks to Me as if I was a public meeting"