abinet
was waiting for him. I told him, however, the substance of Lord
Palmerston's letter, and of the Queen's answer, the wisdom of which,
he said, nobody could doubt for a moment, and added that the choice
lying only between many evils, I hoped he and his friends would not
strive to obtain an absolute good, and thereby lose the Queen the
services of an efficient Government. He begged that I should rest
assured that the first and primary consideration which would guide
their determination would be the position of the Crown in these
critical circumstances. He had had no opportunity of consulting these
last days either Mr S. Herbert or Sir James Graham. But for himself he
felt the greatest difficulty in letting the House of Commons succeed
in what he must consider a most unconstitutional, most presumptuous,
and most dangerous course, after which it would be impossible for
the Executive ever to oppose again the most absurd and preposterous
demands for enquiry.[37]

[Footnote 37: See _post_, 21st February, 1855, note 38.]

I asked, "But can you stop it?"

He answered: I believe Lord Palmerston made a mistake in not grappling
with it from the first, and using all the power the Crown had
entrusted to him, even ostentatiously, for the purpose. Now it might
be most difficult--but it ought not to pass without a solemn protest
on the part of the men who were not connected with the Government,
and should not be supposed to have any other than the interests of
the Country at heart. A Government was powerless in resisting such an
encroachment of the House, where the whole Opposition, from personal
motives, and the supporters of Government from fear of their
constituents, were bent upon carrying it. Such a protest, however,
might form a rallying-point upon which future resistance might be
based, and the Country, now intoxicated by agitation, might come to
its senses.

As to the strength of the Government, he believed it had very little
at this moment in the House, and that such would be the case with any
Government Lord Palmerston could form, he had foretold him, when Lord
Derby had made him the offer to join an Administration of his forming.
At this moment the secession of the Peelites would rather strengthen
the Government than otherwise, as, from their connection with Lord
Aberdeen, they had been decried in the Country with him, and the Whigs
looked upon them with all the personal feelings of men deprived of
their offic