[Footnote 23: The Dukes had both been driven from their
dominions, while the King (Charles Albert) of Sardinia threw
in his lot with the cause of United Italy as against Austria,
which then ruled Lombardy.]

[Pageheading: ENGLAND AND SPAIN]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Palmerston._

OSBORNE, _23rd May 1848._

The Queen has received Lord Palmerston's letter respecting Spain and
Italy this morning. The sending away of Sir H. Bulwer[24] is a serious
affair, which will add to our many embarrassments; the Queen is,
however, not surprised at it, from the tenor of the last accounts from
Madrid, and from the fact that Sir H. Bulwer has for the last three
years almost been sporting with political intrigues. He invariably
boasted of at least being in the confidence of every conspiracy,
"though he was taking care not to be personally mixed up in them,"
and, after their various failures, generally harboured the chief
actors in his house under the plea of humanity. At every crisis he
gave us to understand that he had to choose between a "revolution and
a palace intrigue," and not long ago only he wrote to Lord Palmerston,
that if the Monarchy with the Montpensier succession was inconvenient
to us, he could get up a Republic. Such principles are sure to be
known in Spain, the more so when one considers the extreme vanity of
Sir H. Bulwer, and his probable imprudence in the not very creditable
company which he is said to keep. Lord Palmerston will remember that
the Queen has often addressed herself to him and Lord John, in fear
of Sir H. getting us into some scrape; and if our diplomatists are
not kept in better order, the Queen may at any moment be exposed
to similar insults as she has received now in the person of Sir H.
Bulwer; for in whatever way one may wish to look at it, Sir Henry
still is _her_ Minister.

The Queen wishes Lord Palmerston to show this letter to Lord John
Russell, and to let her know what the Government mean to propose with
respect to this unfortunate affair.

[Footnote 24: Lord Palmerston had written a letter to Bulwer
(which the latter showed to the Spanish Premier), lecturing
the Spanish Queen on her choice of Minister. This "assumption
of superiority," as Sir R. Peel called it, led to a peremptory
order to Bulwer to leave Spain in twenty-four hours. His own
account of the affair appears in his _Life of Palmerston_,
vol. iii. chap. vii.]

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