CARLTON GARDENS. _17th February 1850._

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and in
reply to your Majesty's communication of this day, he begs to
state that upon receiving, the day before yesterday, your Majesty's
Memorandum on the proposed draft to Mr Wyse, together with the
accompanying Memorandum[3] from Lord John Russell, he altered the
draft, and sent it to Lord John Russell, and received it back from
Lord John Russell with the accompanying note in answer to that which
he wrote to Lord John Russell. It was important that the messenger
should go off that evening, and the time occupied in these
communications rendered it just, but barely, possible to despatch the
messenger by the mail train of that evening. The despatch thus altered
coincided with the views of your Majesty and Lord John Russell as to
the question in regard to the length of time during which reprisals
should be suspended to give scope for the French negotiation. The
other question as to giving Mr Wyse a latitude of discretion to
entertain any proposition which might be made to him by the Greek
Government was considered by the Cabinet at its meeting yesterday
afternoon, and Viscount Palmerston gave Mr Wyse a latitude of that
kind in regard to the claim of Mr Pacifico, the only one to which
that question could apply, in a despatch which he sent by the overland
Mediterranean mail which went off yesterday afternoon. That despatch
also contained some instructions as to the manner in which Mr Wyse
is to communicate with Baron Gros,[4] and those instructions were the
result of a conversation which Viscount Palmerston had with the French
Ambassador after the meeting of the Cabinet. Viscount Palmerston was
only waiting for a copy of the despatch of yesterday evening, which,
owing to this day being Sunday, he has not yet received, in order to
send to your Majesty the altered draft of yesterday evening, with
an explanation of the circumstances which rendered it impossible to
submit them to your Majesty before they were sent off.[5]

[Footnote 3: Lord John Russell's opinion was that three weeks
should be allowed to Mr Wyse and Sir W. Parker to accept terms
as satisfactory as they could obtain, and that Sir W. Parker
should not be obliged to resume coercive measures, if the
concessions of the Greek Government should appear to afford a
prospect of a speedy settlement of the affair.]

[Footnote 4: Baron Gros w