prolongera ils seront reciproques de ma part.
Je suis heureux de le Lui dire, en l'assurant du sincere attachement
avec lequel je suis, Madame, de votre Majeste, le tout devoue Frere
and Ami,

NICOLAS.

Je me rappelle encore une fois au bon souvenir de Son Altesse Royale
le Prince Albert et le remercie egalement de ses paroles obligeantes.

[Pageheading: LORD PALMERSTON AND REFORM]

_The Earl of Aberdeen to Queen Victoria._

LONDON, _6th December 1853._

... As Lord John Russell will have the honour of seeing your Majesty
to-morrow, he will be able to explain to your Majesty the present
state of the discussions on Reform, and the progress of the
Measure.[33] Lord Aberdeen feels it to be his duty to inform your
Majesty that on Saturday evening he received a visit from Lord
Palmerston, who announced his decided objection to the greater part
of the proposed plan.[34] He did this in such positive terms that
Lord Aberdeen should imagine he had made up his mind not to give the
Measure his support; but Lord John entertains considerable doubt that
such is the case.

Lord Aberdeen thinks it by no means improbable that Lord Palmerston
may also desire to separate himself from the Government, in
consequence of their pacific policy, and in order to take the lead of
the War Party and the Anti-Reformers in the House of Commons, who
are essentially the same. Such a combination would undoubtedly
be formidable; but Lord Aberdeen trusts that it would not prove
dangerous. At all events, it would tend greatly to the improvement of
Lord John's Foreign Policy.

[Footnote 33: On the 19th of November Lord John had written to
the Queen outlining the Reform proposals of the Committee of
the Cabinet. The Queen subsequently wrote to make additional
suggestions, _e.g._, for finding a means of bringing into the
House official persons or men without local connections, and
for dealing with Ministerial re-elections.]

[Footnote 34: Lord Palmerston wrote to Lord Lansdowne, giving
an account of the affair:--

"CARLTON GARDENS, _8th December 1853._

"MY DEAR LANSDOWNE,--I have had two conversations with
Aberdeen on the subject of John Russell's proposed Reform
Bill, and I have said that there are three points in it to
which I cannot agree.

"These points are--the extent of disfranchisement, the
extent of enfranchisement, and the addition of the Municipal
Franchise in