were two ways. He might take the lead of the
Commons with the Foreign Office, or he might refuse office, and give his
support from the back benches. I adjured him not to think of this last
course, and I argued it with him during a quarter of an hour with, I
thought, a great flow of thoughts and words. I was encouraged by Lord
Lansdowne, who nodded, smiled, and rubbed his hands at everything I
said. I reminded him that the Duke of Wellington had taken the Foreign
Office after having been at the Treasury, and I quoted his own pretty
speech to the Duke. "You said, Lord John, that we could not all win
battles of Waterloo, but that we might all imitate the old man's
patriotism, sense of duty, and indifference to selfish interests; and
vanities when the public welfare was concerned; and now is the time for
you to make a sacrifice. Your past services and your name give us a
right to expect it." He went away, evidently much impressed by what had
been said, and promising to consult others. When he was gone, Lord
Lansdowne told me that I had come just as opportunely as Bluecher did at
Waterloo.'[28] It is only right to state that Lady Russell demurs to
some parts of this account of her husband's attitude at the crisis.
Nothing could be further from the truth than that Lord John's
vacillation was due to personal motives, or that his hesitation arose
from his reluctance to take any office short of the Premiership. Lady
Russell adds 'this never for one moment weighed with him, so that he did
not require Lord Macaulay or Lord Lansdowne to argue him out of the
objection.' Lord John's difficulty was based upon the 'improbability of
agreement in a Cabinet so composed, and therefore the probable evil to
the country.' Letters written by Lady Russell at the moment to a
relative, of too private a character to quote, give additional weight to
this statement. One homely remark made at the time may, however, be
cited. Lady Russell declared that her husband would not mind being
'shoeblack to Lord Aberdeen' if it would serve the country.

The Aberdeen Ministry came into existence just as the year 1852 was
ending. It was, in truth, a strange bit of mosaic work, fashioned with
curious art, as the result of negotiations between the Whigs and the
Peelites which had extended over a period of nearly six months. It
represented the triumph of expediency, but it awakened little enthusiasm
in spite of the much-vaunted ability and experience of its members