ised him to do. Lord Granville in that
account laid much stress on the reasons which your Majesty gave for
sending for Lord Granville, as he found that attempts had been made to
attribute every sort of motive which might render the Court unpopular.

Besides the gross impropriety of the appearance of reporting your
Majesty's conversation, Lord Granville regrets the indirect attack
upon Lord John Russell.

Lord Granville begs respectfully to express to your Majesty his
vexation at the annoyance, which he has thus been the cause of
inflicting on your Majesty, particularly at a moment when your Majesty
had just given him an additional proof of the indulgent kindness and
confidence which your Majesty has been pleased to place in him.

[Pageheading: MR COBDEN]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

94 PICCADILLY, _1st July 1859_.

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has
been unable till within the last few minutes to make any Report about
Mr Cobden, from whom he had received no communication till about
an hour ago, when Mr Cobden came to him.[52] The result of a long
conversation between them has been that Mr Cobden, against the advice
of all his friends and of his constituents, has decided to decline
taking office. He grounds his decision upon feelings personal
to himself. He thinks that after having so often and so strongly
disapproved of the Foreign Policy of Viscount Palmerston as tending
too much to involve this country in war, it would be inconsistent for
him to join the present Cabinet, and he also said that, at his time of
life and with his general habits, he does not consider himself fit for
administrative office.

Viscount Palmerston used every [means] in his power to induce him
to change his decision, and showed that, with respect to present and
future action, there is no apparent difference between his views and
those of Mr Cobden, since both would desire that this country should
remain neutral in the war now raging in Italy. All his arguments,
however, were useless, and though Mr Cobden discussed the matter in
the most friendly and good-humoured manner, and promised to give out
of office all support to the Government, and said that he thought he
could do so more effectually out of office than in office, he could
not be persuaded to make any change in the answer which he came to
give.

Viscount Palmerston will consider what arrangement he may have to
propose to