uting
them, the course of events is exposed. As Guizot said, Europe is
at the mercy 'des incidents et des subalternes.' He promised to
keep me informed of everything that might occur of interest.

September 10th, 1840 {p.303}

The day after I saw Guizot I related to Clarendon all that had
passed, when he told me that Melbourne was now become seriously
alarmed, so much so that he had written to John Russell, 'he
could neither eat, nor drink, nor sleep,' so great was his
disturbance. Lord John was also extremely alarmed, and both he
and Melbourne had been considerably moved by a letter the former
had received from the Duke of Bedford, enclosing one from Lord
Spencer, in which he entered into the whole Eastern Question; and
said that it was his earnest desire to give his support to the
Government in all their measures, but that it would be contrary
to his judgement and his conscience to support them in their
policy on this question. This appears to have made a great
impression upon them, but not the least upon Palmerston, who is
quite impenetrable, and who always continues more or less to
influence his colleagues; for Lord John, after meeting Palmerston
at Windsor, came back easier in his mind, and, as he said, with a
conviction (not apparently founded on any solid reason), 'that
they should pull through.' Palmerston, so far from being at all
shaken by anything Guizot said to him, told him that the only
fault he had committed was not taking Lord Ponsonby's advice and
proceeding to action long ago. The second edition of the 'Times'
mentions a violent note delivered by Pontois to the Porte. I
thought this of such consequence that I sent the paper to Guizot,
and begged him, if he could, to afford the means of contradicting
it. He wrote me word he would, as soon as he had _des
renseignements plus precis_. In the meantime, I find Metternich
has protested against the tone of Pontois' communication, which
was verbal and not written. His own account of it to Thiers
exhibited strong, but not indecent language.

In the evening (day before yesterday), Guizot dined at Holland
House, and met Clarendon and Lord John Russell, with the latter
of whom he had a long talk, and he hoped that he had made an
impression on him. Yesterday morning I was enabled to read the
Cabinet minute, submitting to the Queen the expediency of making
the Treaty, to which was appended the dissent of Clarendon and
Holland, with their reasons assigned in a