and told Graham that
Christopher, a stout tory, had said that if Gladstone joined Derby, a
hundred of the party would withdraw their allegiance. At the party
meeting on Feb. 21, Lord Derby was received with loud cries of 'No
Puseyites; No papists,' and was much reprehended for asking Gladstone
and Graham to join.

'I ought to have mentioned before,' Mr. Gladstone writes here, 'that,
during our conferences at the admiralty, Lord Aberdeen expressed great
compunction for having allowed the country to be dragged without
adequate cause into the war. So long as he lived, he said with his own
depth and force, it would be a weight upon his conscience. He had held
similar language to me lately at Argyll House; but when I asked him at
what point _after_ the fleet went to Besika Bay it would have been
possible to stop short, he alluded to the _sommation_, which we were
encouraged however, as he added, by Austria to send; and thought _this_
was the false step. Yet he did not seem quite firm in the opinion.'

Then came the first cabinet (Feb. 10). It did not relieve the gloom of
Mr. Gladstone's impressions. He found it more 'acephalous' than ever;
'less order; less unity of purpose.' The question of the Roebuck
committee was raised, on which he said he thought the House would give
it up, if government would promise an investigation under the authority
of the crown. The fatal subject came up again three days later.
Palmerston said it was plain from the feeling in the House the night
before, that they were set upon it; if they could secure a fair
committee, he was disposed to let the inquiry go forward. On this rock
the ship struck. One minister said they could not resign in consequence
of the appointment of the committee, because it stood affirmed by a
large majority when they took office in the reconstructed cabinet. Mr.
Gladstone says he 'argued with vehemence upon the breach of duty which
it would involve on our part towards those holding responsible commands
in the Crimea, if we without ourselves condemning them were to allow
them to be brought before another tribunal like a select committee.'

Dining the same evening at the palace, Mr. Gladstone had a conversation
on the subject both with the Queen and Prince Albert. 'The latter
compared this appointment of a committee to the proceedings of the
Convention of France; but still seemed to wish that the government
should submit rather than retire. The Queen spoke openly in that se