or rather of those zealots who
represent it, and with the disposition of this Government to
yield to every popular cry, the fear of any consequences would
prevent their going on. It would, I believe, only give them and
the House of Commons a pretext for refusing them pecuniary
compensation. I was much amused with a piece of vanity of
Ellenborough's. We were talking of the war between the Turks and
the Egyptians, and the resources of Egypt, &c., when he said, 'If
I had continued at the Board of Control I would have had Egypt,
got at it from the Red Sea; I had already ordered the formation
of _a corps_ of _Arab guides_!'

February 1st, 1833 {p.351}

[Page Head: RUSSIA AND TURKEY.]

The Reformed Parliament opened heavily (on Tuesday), as
Government think satisfactorily. Cobbett took his seat on the
Treasury Bench, and spoke three times, though the last time
nobody would stay to hear him. He was very twaddling, and said
but one good thing, when he called O'Connell the member for
_Ireland_.

Saw Madame de Lieven the day before yesterday, who fired a tirade
against Government; she vowed that nobody ever had been treated
with such personal incivility as Lieven, 'des injures, des
reproches,' that Cobbett, Hunt, and all the blackguards in
England could not use more offensive language; whatever event was
coming was imputed to Russia--Belgium, Portugal, Turkey, 'tout
etait la Russie et les intrigues de la Russie;' that she foresaw
they should be driven away from England. With reference to the
war in Asia Minor, she said the Sultan had applied to the Emperor
for assistance, 'et qu'il l'aurait, et que le Sultan n'avait pas
un meilleur ami que lui,' that the Egyptians would advance no
farther, and a great deal more of complaint at the injustice
evinced towards them and on their political innocence. In the
evening I told all this to Mellish of the Foreign Office, who
knows everything about foreign affairs, and he said it was all a
lie, that Russia had offered her assistance, which the Sultan had
refused, and she was, in fact, intriguing and making mischief in
every Court in Europe. George Villiers writes me word that she
has been for months past endeavouring to get up a war anywhere,
and that this Turkish business is more likely than anything to
bring one about.[7]

[7] [The state of the Ottoman Empire was most critical. In
the latter months of 1832 the victorious troops of
Mehomet Ali had forced