t of Spain of Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern,
and of his acceptance of the offer. I went to Windsor the
following day, and had the honour of receiving the seals of the
foreign office from her Majesty. On my return I saw the Marquis de
Lavalette, who informed me of the fact which I already knew, and
in energetic terms remarked on the great indignity thus offered to
France, and expressed the determination of the government of the
Emperor not to permit the project to be carried out. M. Lavalette
added that he trusted that her Majesty's government, considering
its friendly relations with France and its general desire to
maintain peace, would use its influence with the other parties
concerned. I told M. de Lavalette that the announcement had taken
the prime minister and myself entirely by surprise.(204)

Yet two days before Mr. Hammond told Lord Granville that he was not aware
of anything important to be dealt with at the foreign department, a
deputation had started from Madrid with an invitation to Prince Leopold.
At the moment when this singular language was falling from our
under-secretary's lips, the Duc de Gramont, the French foreign minister,
was telling Lord Lyons at Paris that France would not endure the insult,
and expressing his hope that the government of the Queen would try to
prevent it. After all, as we have seen, Bismarck in February had used
words not very unlike Mr. Hammond's in July.

On July 5, the Emperor, who was at St. Cloud, sent for Baron Rothschild
(of Paris), and told him that as there was at that moment no foreign
minister in England, he wished to send through him a message to Mr.
Gladstone. He wanted Mr. Gladstone to be informed, that the council of
ministers at Madrid had decided to propose Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern
for the Spanish throne, that his candidature would be intolerable to
France, and that he hoped Mr. Gladstone would endeavour to secure its
withdrawal. The message was telegraphed to London, and early on the
morning of July 6, the present Lord Rothschild deciphered it for his
father, and took it to Carlton House Terrace. He found Mr. Gladstone on
the point of leaving for Windsor, and drove with him to the railway
station. For a time Mr. Gladstone was silent. Then he said he did not
approve of the candidature, but he was not disposed to interfere with the
liberty of the Spanish people to choose their own sovereign.

Lord Granville