was a confidential
exposition of the motives which induced me to recommend two judges to the
King. [Footnote: It was suggested that with these colleagues Sir J. Grant
would be like a wild elephant between two tame ones. Alluding to the method
of taming captured elephants in India.] It was never intended to be
published, nor did I expect it would be. The expressions, therefore, were
unadvised, but the sentiments were and are mine, deliberately formed upon
full consideration of the official documents before me.

Cabinet. It appears on looking into papers of 1825 and 1826 that so far
from our having prohibited Mexico and Columbia from making any attack upon
Cuba, we uniformly abstained from doing anything of the kind. The Americans
declared they could not see with indifference any state other than Spain in
possession of Cuba, and further their disposition to interpose their power
should war be conducted in Cuba in a _devastating_ manner, and with a view
to the excitement of a servile war.

We offered to guarantee Cuba to Spain in 1823 if she would negotiate with
the colonies with a view to their recognition.

Subsequently we were willing to enter into a tripartite guarantee of Cuba
to Spain with the United States and France.

The United States seemed not unwilling, but France held back.

Peel is to say there was no record of any prohibition, but that the United
States declared so, and it was possible Mr. Canning may have intimated a
similar disposition on our part. This is to keep open to us the faculty of
interfering if we please.

The Duke thinks my letter does not signify one pin. The simile of the
elephants evidently means no more than that an indiscreet judge was placed
between two discreet ones.

The Duke told me he had offered a Lordship of the Treasury to Ashley, who
had declined it. He then told him to make himself master of the Batta
question. Ashley said he had not seen the papers. He said, let him see the
papers. I told him I had sent them the moment I got them to him, and he had
desired me to send them to the Cabinet room, which I did. When they were
taken from the Cabinet room they went to the India Board, and Ashley might
have seen them. I had never kept any papers from him. We then talked about
the speech to be made in moving the committee. The Duke seems inclined to
have little said. Peel seems disposed to say little; but he knows little. I
think they are wrong. I am sure it is necessary to correct