TROUBLE WITH LORD PALAMERSTON.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12975, 30 November 1907, Page 7

TROUBLE WITH LORD PALAMERSTON.

For nearly a decide there rage<7 n chronic war between the Queen nnd Lord Pflliner-trn. whom .*!n> pei-sonally detested, and -whoso political views, repeci-illy in relation to foreign affaire', were n:o>t repugnant to -her. From ISti onward the Queen complains ootiKtantly <md with increasing emphosis of her liigh-handtxl Foreign Sc>cretsTry. »Sho com pi a i lies that he does not send her the drafts of despatches until they have already been pent abroad, appeals time and again to the I'rinve Minister to prevent the policy o-f the country from being compromised by tho rashness of his colleagiu-. "The Queen must i.gain observe tlwit the drafts hnve sinoe some weeks post been sent to her after they were gone, so that ,«he can make no remark upon them." (October, 1847.) "Tho Queen ■writes to urgo Lord l'«!merston t»> keep her informed of what ho heirs, «nd of the viwe c-f the Government on tho important questions before us. She now only gets tho drafts -when they are gone." (April, 1848. ) "Tho Queen cannot conceal from Lord Palmerst on that she is nshamed of tho policy Avhieh wo are pursuing in this Itfllhu controversy." "Tho Queen can find no consistency in the line we tnke> about Italy, and that ive. follow with regard to (July, 1848.) "Xo remonstrance hna nny -effcc* with Lord Palmer«ton," eho -writes to Lortl John Russell in the same yeir. So, on_ September Wth, the Queen rt» cords in o memorondum that. f>\\<\ opemxl the whole, subject- to Lord John at Balmoral. She told him eho felt really she could hardly go on with Lord Palmenstoiij and that eJi© was "'seriously anxious and uneasy for tho welfor-o of the country end for t'ho peace* of Europe in general" while hn remained in office. .She suggested, therefore, that ho should be removed from the Foreign Office and Kent to Dublin as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. Lord John replied diplomaticaUy thTi-t-he arrangement would be excellent if Lord PfllmpTston could be gat to consent to itj but that ho would certainly turn against the Government if displaced, and that ho might prove a vory i<wkward enemy for the Government and tho Cream. Lord John ended by promising to ""bear the subject in mind." Hut he did nothing for three years. <md all tho time tho Royal complaints continued.

Lord Pfllniereton's proposed reception of Kosstith led to a strong remonrstrance. I/ore! Rused] on ono occasion tried to soothe tho Queen by reminding her that Lord Palmerston was Oβ wars of nge, and iliis potvors for miwhicf would soon lw exhausted— rather am imiunky fihot ac it. turned out. The Queen's view 'Nvtae that he was old enough to know better, and too old to be reformed. "'Tliero is no chance," sh« wTote, "of Lord Palmerston reforming hin:self in his sixtysoventh yt'-ar. . . . There 16 no question of delicacy and danger in which. Lord Palmerston will not nrbitrarily and without reference to ihis coil*leagues or Sovereign engage this country."

In 1851, however, Lord Palmereton made a tactical slip in convoying to the Frencli Minister, without consulting his colleagues or the Queen, has approval of Louis Xapoleon's coup d'etat whose sanguin-nry nature had horrified English public opinion. He thus put himeelf in a hopeless position, and was at last- got rid of for the time. The Queen writes a little cry of triumph in her letter to the King of the Belgians:—"l have tho greatest-, pleasure in announcing to you a piece of news which I know will give yon as much satisfaction and relief as it does to us, and will do to tho whole of the world. Lord Palmorston is no longer Foreign -Secretary- and Lord Granville is already named hi.*- Kiiceessor! Ho had become of late really quite reckless.'*