The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Iii Part 83

Lord Granville then wrote to Lord John: "I am glad that I wrote to you yesterday evening, as your answer gave me information which I had not gathered from your conversation in the morning. I came away from Chesham Place with the impression that union between you and Palmerston with or without me was impossible. Your letter afforded a good opportunity of arrangement. As soon as I found by it that I was an obstacle instead of a facility towards the formation of a strong Government. I went to the Queen to ask her to excuse me from the task which she had so unexpectedly and so graciously imposed upon me. In answer to a question, I stated to Her Majesty that it was disagreeable to me to advise as to which of you and Palmerston she should send for, but that I was ready to do so if it was her wish.

"The Queen did not press me. It is a great relief to have finished this business. I have asked Palmerston to do whatever would strengthen the Government, and a.s.sist him the most as regards myself."]

[Pageheading: LORD PALMERSTON PREMIER]

_Queen Victoria to the Earl of Derby._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _12th June 1859_.

The Queen writes to inform Lord Derby that after a fruitless attempt on the part of Lord Granville to form a Government comprising Lord Palmerston and Lord John Russell, she has now charged Lord Palmerston with the task, which she trusts may prove more successful....

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

94 PICCADILLY, _12th June 1859_.

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs to report that he has been to Pembroke Lodge, and has had a satisfactory conversation with Lord John Russell, who has agreed to be a Member of the Government without any suggestion that Viscount Palmerston should leave the House of Commons; but Viscount Palmerston is sorry to say that Lord John Russell laid claim to the Foreign Office in a manner which rendered it impossible for Viscount Palmerston to decline to submit his name to your Majesty for that post when the List of the new Government shall be made out for your Majesty's consideration and approval....

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Palmerston._

_13th June 1859._

Lord Clarendon has just left the Queen. She had a long and full conversation with him. Nothing could be more friendly than his language, and he expressed himself ready to do anything for the Queen's service. But he positively declines entering the Cabinet or taking any _other office_. He says, as _Foreign_ Secretary, he should be ready to join the Government should there be a vacancy; but that he has never directed his attention much to general politics, and his taking any other office, after having held the Foreign Seals during a long and important time, would be of no use to the Government, and would only injure himself. The Queen told him that he might have any office almost (naming several of those which Lord Palmerston discussed with her), but she could not urge nor press him to do what _he felt_ would injure him, and indeed she found him quite determined in his purpose.

His absence from the Cabinet the Queen sincerely deplores, and she knows that Lord Palmerston will feel it a serious loss.

[Pageheading: AN INDISCREET DISCLOSURE]

_Queen Victoria to Earl Granville._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _13th June 1859_.

The Queen is much shocked to find her whole conversation with Lord Granville yesterday and the day before detailed in this morning's leading article of the _Times_.[51] What pa.s.ses between her and a Minister in her own room in confidential intercourse ought to be sacred, and it will be evident to Lord Granville that if it were not so, the Queen would be precluded from treating her Ministers with that unreserved confidence which can alone render a thorough understanding possible; moreover, any Minister could state what he pleased, against which the Queen would have no protection, as she could not well insert contradictions or explanations in the newspapers herself.

[Footnote 51: A circ.u.mstantial account of the Queen's conversation with Lord Granville had appeared in the _Times_, and Lord Derby drew attention to the matter in the House of Lords. Lord Granville in reply expressed his regret in not having used more complete reserve, and frankly attributed the disclosures to his non-observance of adequate discretion.]

_Earl Granville to Queen Victoria._

LONDON, _13th June 1859_.

Lord Granville presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and feels deeply your Majesty's reproof.

Lord Granville was extremely annoyed this morning at seeing the article in the _Times_ of to-day, repeating with some accuracy, but in a vulgar, inflated manner, the account which Lord Granville gave yesterday afternoon to many of his political friends, and which he believed your Majesty had authorised him to do. Lord Granville in that account laid much stress on the reasons which your Majesty gave for sending for Lord Granville, as he found that attempts had been made to attribute every sort of motive which might render the Court unpopular.

Besides the gross impropriety of the appearance of reporting your Majesty's conversation, Lord Granville regrets the indirect attack upon Lord John Russell.

Lord Granville begs respectfully to express to your Majesty his vexation at the annoyance, which he has thus been the cause of inflicting on your Majesty, particularly at a moment when your Majesty had just given him an additional proof of the indulgent kindness and confidence which your Majesty has been pleased to place in him.

[Pageheading: MR COBDEN]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

94 PICCADILLY, _1st July 1859_.

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has been unable till within the last few minutes to make any Report about Mr Cobden, from whom he had received no communication till about an hour ago, when Mr Cobden came to him.[52] The result of a long conversation between them has been that Mr Cobden, against the advice of all his friends and of his const.i.tuents, has decided to decline taking office. He grounds his decision upon feelings personal to himself. He thinks that after having so often and so strongly disapproved of the Foreign Policy of Viscount Palmerston as tending too much to involve this country in war, it would be inconsistent for him to join the present Cabinet, and he also said that, at his time of life and with his general habits, he does not consider himself fit for administrative office.

Viscount Palmerston used every [means] in his power to induce him to change his decision, and showed that, with respect to present and future action, there is no apparent difference between his views and those of Mr Cobden, since both would desire that this country should remain neutral in the war now raging in Italy. All his arguments, however, were useless, and though Mr Cobden discussed the matter in the most friendly and good-humoured manner, and promised to give out of office all support to the Government, and said that he thought he could do so more effectually out of office than in office, he could not be persuaded to make any change in the answer which he came to give.

Viscount Palmerston will consider what arrangement he may have to propose to your Majesty in consequence of Mr Cobden's answer.

[Footnote 52: Mr Cobden had been visiting the United States.

On landing at Liverpool he learned that he had been elected at Rochdale, and at the same time he received an offer of the Board of Trade.]

THE MINISTRY AS FORMED BY VISCOUNT PALMERSTON.

_in the month of June_ 1859.

_First Lord of the Treasury_ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON.

_Lord Chancellor_ LORD CAMPBELL.

_President of the Council_ EARL GRANVILLE.

_Lord Privy Seal_ DUKE OF ARGYLL.

_Home Secretary_ SIR G. C. LEWIS.

_Foreign Secretary_ LORD JOHN (afterwards EARL) RUSSELL.

_Colonial Secretary_ DUKE OF NEWCASTLE.

_Secretary for War_ Mr SIDNEY HERBERT (afterwards LORD HERBERT OF LEA).

_Secretary for India_ Sir CHARLES WOOD (afterwards VISCOUNT HALIFAX).

_Chancellor of the Exchequer_ Mr GLADSTONE.[53]

_First Lord of the Admiralty_ DUKE OF SOMERSET.

_President of the Board of Trade_ Mr MILNER GIBSON (appointed in July).

_Postmaster-General_ EARL OF ELGIN.