ed her Majesty's
commission.

Her Majesty wished to know, in order that she might acquaint Lord
Beaconsfield, whether I could undertake to form a government, or
whether I only meant that I would make the attempt. I said I had
obtained the co-operation of Lord Granville and Lord Hartington,
and that my knowledge and belief as to prevailing dispositions
would, I think, warrant me in undertaking to form a government, it
being her Majesty's pleasure. I had ascertained that Lord
Granville would be willing to accept the foreign office; and I had
also to say that the same considerations which made it my duty to
accept office, seemed also to make it my duty to submit myself to
her Majesty's pleasure for the office of chancellor of the
exchequer together with that of first lord of the treasury.

She asked if I had thought of any one for the war office, which
was very important. The report of the Commission would show that
Lord Cardwell's system of short service had entirely broken down,
and that a change must be made at any rate as regarded the
non-commissioned officers. Lord Hartington had assured her that no
one was committed to the system except Lord Cardwell, and he was
very unwell and hardly able to act. Lord Hartington knew the war
office, and she thought would make a good war minister. I said
that it seemed to me in the present state of the country the first
object was to provide for the difficulties of statesmanship, and
then to deal with those of administration. The greatest of all
these difficulties, I thought, centred in the India office, and I
was very much inclined to think Lord Hartington would be eminently
qualified to deal with them, and would thereby take a place in the
government suitable to his position and his probable future.

She asked, to whom, then, did I think of entrusting the war
office? [Resumed this afternoon, April 24.](372) I said Mr.
Childers occurred to me as an administrator of eminent capacity
and conciliatory in his modes of action; his mind would be open on
the grave subjects treated by the Commission, which did not appear
to me to be even for Lord Cardwell matters of committal, but
simply of public policy to be determined by public advantage. She
thought that Mr. Childers had not been popular at the admiralty,
and that it was desirable the sec