If it was not accidental, she must say she thinks it most
disrespectful conduct towards his Sovereign.

_Lord John Russell to Queen Victoria._

PEMBROKE LODGE, _27th December 1851._

Lord John Russell presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and
submits a letter of Lord Palmerston, which explains his not going to
Windsor. It appears to have arisen from a mistake in the message
sent through Lord Stanley, and not from any want of respect to your
Majesty.

_Viscount Palmerston to Lord John Russell._

CARLTON GARDENS, _27th December 1851._

MY DEAR JOHN RUSSELL,--I am distressed beyond measure by the note
from you which I have this moment received on my arrival here from
Hampshire. I understood from Stanley that you had desired him to tell
me that if it was inconvenient for me to come up yesterday, I might
send the Seals to you at Windsor, and that my presence would be
dispensed with.[41] Thereupon I sent the Seals up by an early train
yesterday morning to Stanley, that he might send them down to you
as suggested by you, and I desired that they might be taken by a
messenger by the special train.

I shall be very much obliged to you if you will have the goodness to
explain this matter to the Queen, and I beg you to assure Her Majesty
how deeply grieved I am that what appears to have been a mistake on my
part should have led me to be apparently wanting in due respect to
Her Majesty, than which nothing could possibly be further from my
intention or thoughts. Yours sincerely,

PALMERSTON.

[Footnote 41: There is a fuller account given of Lord
Palmerston's version of the whole affair in a letter to his
brother, printed in Ashley's _Life of Lord Palmerston_, vol.
i. p. 315.]

[Pageheading: THE QUEEN ON FOREIGN POLICY]

_Queen Victoria to Lord John Russell._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _28th December 1851._

The Queen thinks the moment of the change in the person of Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs to afford a fit opportunity to have the
principles upon which our Foreign Affairs have been conducted since
the beginning of 1848 reconsidered by Lord John Russell and his
Cabinet.

The Queen was fully aware that the storm raging at the time on the
Continent rendered it impossible for any statesman to foresee with
clearness and precision what development and direction its elements
would take, and she consequently quite agreed that the line of policy
to be followed, as the most conduciv