ear them out. After dinner, a
messenger came, and Melbourne went out to read the contents of
his box. I remarked that nobody occupied _his_ chair next the
Queen; it was left vacant, like Banquo's, till he came back, so
that it was established as exclusively _his_. I heard this
morning what this box contained: letters from Sir F. Lamb,[14] to
Palmerston, in which he told him that he wished him every success
in his present undertaking, would do everything that he could to
assist him, but acknowledged that he had not the least notion
what he could do, or how anything could be done by anybody;
intimating his conviction, in short, that their Convention was
not executable. As for Metternich, he is at his wit's end, and
occupied night and day in thinking how he can _se tirer
d'affaire._ He tells Lamb that as to contributing a guinea or a
soldier towards the operation, it is quite out of the question,
and begs him never to mention such a thing, and that if the
Treaty could quietly fall to the ground it would be a very good
thing. It is, however, entirely contemplated by the other Powers
that Russia shall occupy Constantinople, and march to the
assistance of the Sultan if necessary; but it is quite clear that
Metternich is resolved to prevent a war by any means, and that he
would not care for his share of humiliation or the object of the
Convention being baffled. All this, however, does not damp the
ardour or diminish the confidence of Palmerston, who says,
'Everything is going on as well as possible.'

[14] [Sir Frederic Lamb, afterwards Lord Beauvale, was at
this time ambassador at the Court of Austria.]

When I got to town I found a note from Guizot begging I would
call on him. I went, and he read me a letter from Thiers about
'the note' of M. de Pontois at Constantinople, in which he
explained that it was a verbal communication, and not a note, and
that it had been grossly exaggerated; and he read me Pontois'
despatch to Thiers. I then asked him if he knew anything of
Metternich and his disposition; and when he said, no, and asked
me very anxiously if I could tell him anything, I told him that I
thought it was so strongly turned towards peace, and he was so
anxious to relieve himself from the embarrassment in which he was
placed, that they might turn it to good account, if they were to
set about it.

September 13th, 1840 {p.307}

All last week at Doncaster; nothing new, but a considerable rise
in the