laration upon Reform.
He had been thunderstruck when he read the announcement on the part
of the chief author of the Reform Bill, who had stood with him (Sir
J. Graham) hitherto upon _finality_, condemning his own work, and
promising at a year's distance important alterations, in which
interval great agitation would be got up, great expectations raised,
and the measure when brought forward would cause disappointment. Sir
Robert Peel had always been of opinion that it was most dangerous to
touch these questions, but if opened with the consent of the Crown, a
measure should at once be brought forward and passed.

After my having replied to these different objections, that the Queen
felt herself the importance of Lord Palmerston's removal, and would
make it herself a condition with Lord John that he should not be again
Foreign Secretary; that the protest to Austria had not gone, and that
upon studying the question Sir James would find that the entrance of
the whole Austrian Monarchy, while giving France a pretext for war and
infringing the Treaties of 1815, would not tend to the strength and
unity of Germany, which held to be the true English interest, but
quite the reverse; that I did not think the Papal Aggression Bill
touched the Bequest Act or militated against toleration; that the
Lieutenancy would perhaps be given up, and a measure on the Franchise
be considered by the _new_ Government and brought forward at once.
I thought it would be better to discuss the matters with Lord John
Russell in the Queen's presence, who accordingly joined us.

The discussion which now arose went pretty much over the same ground,
Lord John agreeing that Lord Palmerston ought to form no difficulty,
that the Papal Aggression Bill would be further modified, that the
Lieutenancy Bill might be given up, that he agreed to Sir James's
objection to the declaration about reform, but that he had intended to
bring forward a measure, if he had been able to get his colleagues to
agree to it, that he would be ready to propose a measure at once. This
Sir J. Graham thought important as a means of gaining at a General
Election, which he foresaw could not be long delayed, whoever formed a
Government.

In order to obtain some result from this long debate I summed up what
might be considered as agreed upon, viz. That there was _tabula rasa_,
and for the new Coalition a free choice of men and measures, to which
they assented, Lord John merely stating that