ruitless attempt to form
a new Government out of the heterogeneous elements out of which
the present Opposition is composed, should the Government feel it
necessary to offer their resignation, and would on that account
_prefer any other alternative_.... Ever, etc.,

ALBERT.

[Pageheading: DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._[10]

HOUSE OF COMMONS, _5th March 1857._

(_Quarter to Eight._)

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs
to state that his communication to the House of an intention to give
the constituencies of the country an opportunity of judging between
the present Government and any other administration which might be
formed, has been on the whole well received, and, with the exception
of Mr Gladstone, most of the persons who spoke intimated a willingness
to allow without interruption the completion of such business as may
be necessary before the Dissolution. Mr Disraeli said that he and
those who act with him would give all fair assistance consistent with
their opinions, but hoped nothing would be proposed to which they
could reasonably object. Mr Gladstone, with great vehemence, repelled
the charge of combination, evidently meaning to answer attacks made
out of the House....

The result of what passed seems to be that no serious difficulty will
be thrown in the way of an early Dissolution.

[Footnote 10: Mr Cobden's motion was carried by 263 to 247,
and Lord Palmerston promptly accepted Mr Disraeli's challenge
to dissolve Parliament.]

_Earl Granville to Queen Victoria._

[_Undated._ ? _16th March 1857._]

Lord Granville presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs to
submit that Lord Derby made a speech of two hours, in which he glanced
at the present state of affairs.[11] He made a personal attack on Lord
Palmerston, and described his colleagues as cyphers and appendages.
The rest of his speech was of a singularly apologetic and defensive
character. He was quite successful in clearing himself from an
understanding--not from political conversations with Mr Gladstone.

Lord Granville, in his reply, was thought very discourteous by Lord
Malmesbury and Lord Hardwicke, who closed the conversation.

[Footnote 11: Lord Derby's resolutions in the Lords, which
were to the same effect as Mr Cobden's motion, were rejected
by 146 to 110. On the 16th of March Lord Derby took the
opportunity of