ined to put France in a
respectable state of preparation; very firm language. Dedel had
been at Peel's, but got nothing out of him except that he did not
know whether he should have made such a treaty, but as it was
made we ought to abide by it. The Tories will turn this business
to good account, end as it may; they have _beau jeu_. But what
Neumann said to Dedel is anything but confirmatory of
Palmerston's stories of Austrian _stoutness_, for he told him it
would be a very fortunate thing if the Sultan would accept
Mehemet Ali's new proposals.[1]

[1] [M. Neumann was the Austrian Minister in London; M.
Fagel the Dutch Minister in Paris.]

[Page Head: PRINCE METTERNICH'S SUGGESTION.]

_Evening_.--The Cabinet went off far better than could have been
expected; indeed, as well as possible under all the
circumstances. Lord John had previously intimated to Melbourne
that he should expect him to take the lead upon this occasion,
and it seems pretty clear that Melbourne had contrived to effect
some arrangement with Palmerston. Accordingly Melbourne (very
nervous) began, said that the question was in the same state as
when they last met, pronounced a few commonplaces, such as that
the success or failure of the coercive means might by this time
have been proved, only they could not yet know the event, but
ended with referring to a paper delivered some time ago by
Metternich, in which he had made certain contingent suggestions,
of which the last and most important was, that in the event of
'inefficacite des moyens' becoming apparent some communication
should be made to France for the purpose of drawing her again
into the alliance (or something to that effect; I cannot
recollect the exact words, but it was a peg on which a
communication might be hung), and asking Palmerston if he had not
got this paper.[2] Palmerston pulled it, all cut and dry, out of
his pocket and read it. A good deal of talk then ensued, and some
doubts and suspicions were expressed about France, which drew out
Lord Holland, who said, 'For God's sake, if you are so full of
distrust of France, if you suspect all her acts and all her
words, put the worst construction on all she does, and are
resolved to be on bad terms with her, call Parliament together,
ask for men and money, and fight it out with her manfully. Do
this or meet her in a friendly and conciliatory spirit, and cast
aside all those suspicions which make such bad blood between th