in the proposal, or would, at least, delay it so long
that it would be useless. Moreover, Lord Palmerston
confidently relied, and in this it turned out he was
right, on the success of his naval measures against the
Pasha, and of the Pasha's inability to resist them. It
was this prompt success--prompt beyond all conception
and belief--that averted the catastrophe of a
dissolution of the Ministry or a breach with France.]

I received a note in the morning from Guizot desiring to see me,
and I went. I told him that the article was abominable, but that
so far from its being a true exposition of the intentions of the
Cabinet, they had resolved upon the attempt at conciliation which
Palmerston had himself agreed to make. I begged him to make
allowance for the difficulties of the case, and be contented with
a small advance; and I told him that the Cabinet were unanimously
agreed upon the necessity of adhering to their engagements with
their Allies, and at the same time endeavouring to bring about a
_rapprochement_ to France. He promised to make the best of it
with his Government, and, making them comprehend that there was a
strong peace party in the Cabinet, work in conjunction with that
party here to keep matters quiet.

In the morning I went to Claremont for a Council, where the
principal Ministers met; and after the Council they held a
Cabinet in Melbourne's bed-room. It was not, however, till this
morning that I knew the subject of their discussion. On arriving
in town, indeed, I heard that Beyrout had been bombarded and
taken by the English fleet, and a body of Turkish troops been
landed; but this was not known at Claremont, and not believed in
London. Before I was dressed, however, this morning, Guizot
arrived at my house in a great state of excitement, said it was
useless our attempting to manage matters in the sense of peace
here while Ponsonby was driving them to extremities at
Constantinople, and causing the Treaty to be executed _a
l'outrance_. He then produced his whole budget of intelligence,
being the bombardment of Beyrout, the landing of 12,000 Turks,
and the deposition of Mehemet Ali and appointment of Izzar Pasha
to succeed him. He also showed me a letter from Thiers in which
he told him of all this, said he would not answer for what might
come of it, that he had had one meeting of the Cabinet and should
have another; but Guizot said he