's letter, which she did
not wish to do before she had seen Lord Derby.

The latter has just left the Queen, and will communicate to Lord
Ellenborough the Queen's acceptance of his resignation, which he has
thought it right to tender to her from a sense of public duty.

[Pageheading: LORD DERBY'S DESPATCH]

_The Earl of Derby to Queen Victoria._

ST JAMES'S SQUARE [_11th May_].
(9 P.M., _Tuesday_.)

Lord Derby, with his humble duty, submits to your Majesty the
expression of his hope that the discussion, or rather conversation,
which has taken place in the House of Lords this evening, may have
been not only advantageous to the Government, but beneficial in its
results to the public service....

After the discussion, Lord Ellenborough made his statement; and it is
only doing bare justice to him to say that he made it in a manner
and spirit which was most highly honourable to himself, and was fully
appreciated by the House.

Public sympathy was entirely with him, especially when he vindicated
the policy which he had asserted, but took upon himself the whole
and sole responsibility of having authorised the publication of the
despatch--which he vindicated--and announced his own resignation
rather than embarrass his colleagues. Lord Grey shortly entered
his protest against bringing into discussion the policy of the
Proclamation and of the consequent despatch, into which Lord
Ellenborough had certainly entered too largely, opposing, very
broadly, the principle of confiscation against that of clemency. Lord
Derby followed Lord Grey, and after an interruption on a point of
form, vindicated the policy advocated in Lord Ellenborough's despatch,
at the same time that he expressed not only his hope, but his belief,
that in practice the Governor-General would be found (and more
especially judging from the alterations inserted in the last
Proclamation of which an unofficial copy has been received) acting
on the principles laid down in Lord Ellenborough's despatch. In the
tribute which he felt it his duty to pay to the personal, as well as
political, character of Lord Ellenborough, the House concurred with
entire unanimity and all did honour to the spirit which induced him
to sacrifice his own position to the public service; and to atone, and
more than atone, for an act of indiscretion by the frank avowal that
he alone was responsible for it. Lord Derby thinks that the step which
has been taken may, even probably, pre