he Earl of Malmesbury presents his humble duty to the Queen, and
has already anticipated your Majesty's wishes respecting the Emperor
Napoleon.[53] Lord Malmesbury has written to Lord Cowley a private
letter, desiring him to show it to His Majesty. It is in the same
sense as your Majesty's, and states that if he is anxious to improve
the lot of the worst governed country, namely the Papal States, he
should, instead of sulking with Austria, make an attempt with his
Catholic brother to ameliorate the Papal Government. It is not for
Protestant England to take the initiative, as her object would be
misunderstood and attributed to sectarian motives; but England could
give her moral support, and even her material aid _eventually_, if
it were required to establish an improved Administration of the
Roman States. Austria would gain by having a quiet frontier. The
correspondence which took place in 1856 and 1857 between Lord
Clarendon and Mr Lyons shows that this is the only effective way of
ameliorating the condition of Italy without a war.

Lord Malmesbury thinks he can assure your Majesty that none is
at present contemplated by the Emperor Napoleon (who has just
contradicted the report officially), and Count Buol is of the same
opinion. The latter is constantly hurting the vanity of the French
Government by his irritable despatches, and neither party makes the
slightest effort to command their temper; but it appears impossible
that Napoleon can make a _casus belli_ against Austria. Besides this,
your Majesty may be assured that no warlike preparations are making in
France, such as must precede such a plan as an Italian war.

Lord Malmesbury entirely agrees with your Majesty that it is desirable
that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales should visit and remain
at Rome incognito. It is also indispensable that when there His Royal
Highness should receive no foreigner or stranger _alone_, so that
no reports of pretended conversations with such persons could be
circulated without immediate refutation by Colonel Bruce. Lord
Malmesbury will instruct Mr Odo Russell to inform His Holiness of your
Majesty's intentions in respect of the Prince.

[Footnote 53: Viz. that the Emperor's mind should be diverted
from his project of originating a war in Italy. On the
previous day Lord Malmesbury had written to the Queen: "Lord
Clarendon may have told your Majesty that the Emperor Napoleon
was so ignorant of the locality