e who in the year 1836 would still not go near
Victoria. October 1836, when he sat next her at dinner, was the
first time that Palmerston himself had ever seen Victoria except at a
distance. As you have the best means of knowing, the King has not even
dreamt of applying to Victoria.

As to danger, it was very great in September, on the occasion of the
_ouvrier_ riot--for a Paris mob fires at once, a thing which--Heaven
be thanked!--English mobs rarely do. Towards the end of October, when
Thiers withdrew, there was a possibility of a revolution, and it was
only the fear of people of wealth that kept them together, and drew
them towards Guizot.

A revolution, at once democratic and bellicose, could not but become
most dangerous. That was on the cards, and only a fairly fortunate
combination of circumstances saved matters. The King and my poor
mother-in-law were terribly _low_, _on both occasions_, and I confess
that I looked everyday with the greatest anxiety for the news. If the
poor King had been murdered, or even if he were now to be murdered,
what danger, what confusion would follow! All these things were met by
Palmerston with the excessively _nonchalante_ declaration, _it was not
so, and it is not so_! Those are absolutely baseless assertions, and
totally valueless. At least I could estimate the danger as well as he
and Bulwer--and, indeed, it was an anxious crisis. I should think the
Revolution of 1790 _et ce qui s'en est suivi_ had done a brisk enough
business in Europe, and to risk a new one of the same kind would
really be somewhat scandalous.

What, however, may be the future fruit of the seed of Palmerston's
sowing, we do not in the least know as yet; it may, however, prove
sufficiently full of misfortune for the future of innocent people.
The Eastern affairs will be put on an intelligible footing only when,
after these differences with Mehemet Ali, something is done for
the poor Porte, which is now so much out of repair. Otherwise there
remains a little place which is called Sebastopol, and from which, as
the wind is almost constantly favourable, one can get very quickly
to Constantinople--and Constantinople is always the one place which
exercises the greatest influence, and all the more because the ducats
come from that quarter, with results which the marked economy of
England is hardly likely to effect....

Victoria has borne herself bravely and properly in the matter, and
_deserves to be greatly prais