closed what had passed behind the scenes in Vienna, and Lord John
found himself compelled to explain his explanations. He declared that he
had believed before leaving Vienna that the Austrian scheme held out the
promise of peace, and, with this conviction in his mind, he had on his
return to London immediately advised its acceptance by Lord Palmerston.
He was not free, of course, to state with equal frankness the true
reason of its rejection by the Cabinet, and therefore was compelled to
fall back on the somewhat lame plea that it had been fully considered
and disallowed by his colleagues. Moreover he felt, as a
plenipotentiary, it was his duty to submit to the Government which had
sent him to Vienna, and as a member of the Cabinet it was not less his
duty to yield to the decision of the majority of his colleagues.

[Sidenote: AN EMBARRASSING POSITION]

Lord John's explanations were not deemed satisfactory. He was in the
position of a man who could only defend himself and make his motives
plain to Parliament and the country by statements which would have
embarrassed his colleagues and have shattered the French alliance at a
moment when, not so much on national as on international grounds, it
seemed imperative that it should be sustained. The attacks in the Press
were bitter and envenomed; and when Lord John, in July, told Lord
Palmerston it was his intention to retire, the latter admitted with an
expression of great regret that the storm was too strong to be resisted,
though, he added, 'juster feelings will in due time prevail.' A few days
later Lord John, in a calm and impressive speech, anticipated Sir E. B.
Lytton's hostile motion on the Vienna Conference by announcing his
intention to the House. Though he still felt in honour obliged to say
nothing on the real cause of his withdrawal, his dignified attitude on
that occasion made its own impression, and all the more because of the
sweeping abuse to which he was at the moment exposed. It was of this
speech that Sir George Cornewall Lewis said that it was listened to with
attention and respect by an audience partly hostile and partly
prejudiced. He declared that he was convinced it would go far to remove
the imputations, founded on error and misrepresentation, under which
Lord John laboured. He added, with a generosity which, though
characteristic, was rare at that juncture: 'I shall be much surprised
if, after a little time and a little reflection, persons do not co