This letter is
at your discretion to use in proper quarters.

_December 22._--In the midst of these troubles, I look to you as
the great feud-composer, and your note just received is just what
I should have hoped and expected. Hartington wrote to me on
Saturday that he was going up to see Goschen, but as I thought
inviting a letter from me, which I wrote [December 17, above], and
it was with no small surprise that I read him yesterday in the
_Times_. However, I repeated yesterday to R. Grosvenor all that I
have said to you about what seems to me the plain duty of the
_party_, in the event of a severance between nationalists and
tories. Meantime I care not who knows my anxiety to prevent that
severance, and for that reason among others to avoid all
communications of ideas and intentions which could tend to bring
it about.

On December 27, Lord Granville wrote to Mr. Gladstone at Hawarden:--

I have been asked to request you to call a cabinet of your late
colleagues to discuss the present state of affairs. I have
declined, giving my reasons, which appear to me to be good. At the
same time, I think it would calm some fussiness that exists, if
you let it be known to a few that you will be in town and ready
for consultation, before the actual meeting.

Mr. Gladstone answered, as those acquainted with his modes of mind might
have been sure that he would:--

_December 28._--Thank you for stopping the request to which your
letter of yesterday refers. A cabinet does not exist out of
office, and no one in his senses could covenant to call _the late
cabinet_ together, I think, even if there were something on which
it was ready to take counsel, which at this moment there is not.
On the other hand, you will have seen from my letter that the idea
before me has been that of going unusual lengths in the way of
consulting beforehand, not only leading men but the party, or
undertaking some special obligation to be assured of their
concurrence generally, before undertaking new responsibilities.

The one great difficulty in proceeding to consult now, I think, is
that we cannot define the situation for ourselves, as an essential
element of it is the relation between nationalists and tories,
which they--not we--have to settle. If we meet on Tuesday 12th to
choose a Speaker, so far as I can