e does not doubt
that, if the majority of the House of Lords should accede to the
advice of Lord Cairns, the government will be able to induce the
House of Commons to agree on the conditions proposed. Mr.
Gladstone would in vain strive to express to your Majesty the
relief, thankfulness, and satisfaction, with which he contemplates
not only the probable passing of what many believe to be a
beneficent and necessary measure, but the undoubted and signal
blessing of an escape from a formidable constitutional conflict.
The skill, patience, assiduity, and sagacity of Lord Granville in
the work of to-day demand from Mr. Gladstone the tribute of his
warm admiration.

On reviewing this whole transaction, and doing full justice to the
attitude both of the Queen and the archbishop, the reader will be inclined
to agree with old Lord Halifax: "I think we owe a good turn to Cairns,
without whose _decision_ on Thursday I hardly think that the settlement
could have been effected. Indeed Derby's conduct proves what difficulty
there would have been, if Cairns had not taken upon himself the
responsibility of acting as he did."

Among interesting letters was one from Manning (July 24): "My joy over the
event is not only as a catholic, though that must be, as it ought to be,
my highest motive, but as an Englishman to whom, as I remember your once
saying, the old English monarchy is dear next after the catholic church.
But at this time I will only add that I may wish you joy on personal
reasons. I could hardly have hoped that you could so have framed,
mastered, and carried through the bill from first to last so complete, so
unchanged in identity of principle and detail, and let me add with such
unwearying and sustained self-control and forbearance."

The diary gives us a further glimpse of these agitating days:--

_July 20._--Conclave of colleagues on Irish church proceedings. An
anxious day, a sad evening. 21.--Cabinet 11-2-1/4, stiff, but good.
22.--I was obliged to take to my sofa and spent the day so in
continual interviews with Granville, Glyn, West,
Sullivan--especially the first--on the details and particulars of
the negotiations respecting the Irish Church bill. The favourable
issue left me almost unmanned in the reaction from a sharp and
stern tension of mind. 23.--My attack did not lessen. Dr. Clark
came in the morning and made me up for the Ho