ken into his excellency's
counsels no farther than to evoke his opinion on the _modus operandi_ by
which the orders of Government-house might best be carried out. General
Outram had no responsibility as to the policy of the transaction.

In the above relation of the transactions in India, events are
anticipated for unity of subject, as in 1855 the orders went forth which
annexed Oude, and nearly lost India in 1857.

CHAPTER LXVIII.

{VICTORIA. 1856}

Conclusion of the Russian War..... General Foreign
Relations..... Correspondence of the English Foreign
Minister with the Sardinian Plenipotentiaries to the Paris
Conference..... Relations with Naples..... British Policy
in the East..... Treaty of Commerce and Friendship with
Siam..... War with Persia..... War with China..... Disputes
with the United States of America..... India.....
Ireland..... Financial and Commercial Condition of the
Country..... Parliamentary Proceedings.

CONCLUSION OF THE RUSSIAN WAR.

{A.D. 1856}

It will aid the consecutive narrative of events to relate the conclusion
of the Russian war, and the home events connected with it, in the
opening sections of this chapter.

The early winter months of 1856 were spent inactively by the opposing
armies, and negotiations for peace were opened, chiefly through the
instrumentality of Austria, backed by Prussia. France, however, it was
suspected in England, had made overtures to Russia privately, the
French emperor having maintained all through the struggle a separate and
selfish policy while uniting with England to destroy the power of Russia
in the Black Sea. It was to the interest of France to destroy Muscovite
influence in the neighbourhood of the Mediterranean, and to limit the
preponderating influence of the Russo-Greek church in Turkey. It was the
especial interest of the emperor to compel the czar to recognise him as
a great European sovereign, the _de facto_ and _de jure_ sovereign of
the French, although not of the line of its legitimate kings. These
objects were partly attained, and were obviously attainable as far as
France or the emperor had any interest in prosecuting them. Once assured
of this, his imperial majesty and his political coadjutors changed
their tone (they could scarcely be said to change their policy) towards
England. It was declared in France that England had sinister designs in
keeping up hostilities; that she was