_11th February 1860_.

The Queen acknowledges the receipt of Lord Palmerston's two letters
of yesterday evening. She willingly accepts Lord John Russell's
expressions of regret, and certainly was led to read that one passage
which Lord Palmerston explains in the sense which he supposed.

The Queen has received the draft to Lord Cowley, and has written her
observations upon it to Lord John, who will communicate them to him.
She thinks that the omissions which she has pointed out can be very
well supplied consistently with that international courtesy which Lord
Palmerston truly says ought to be observed.[11]

[Footnote 11: In this despatch, Lord John wrote that
the Government could not believe that a country in the
circumstances of France could be endangered by the existence,
"on the other side of the Alps, of a State of 11,000,000 of
people lately joined by a cement not yet dry, threatened, on
the side of Lombardy, by Austria, and not very certain of its
own independence."]

_Earl Granville to the Prince Albert._

BRIGHTON, _11th February 1860_.

SIR,--Lord John produced before the Cabinet his draft of despatch
in answer to M. Thouvenel. He read, without allusion to the previous
correspondence, the Queen's Memorandum on his draft.

Lord Palmerston supported Lord John, who was fidgety and nervous. We
all criticised the draft. We thought it too much or too little. We
recommended that he should either write shortly, saying that he
did not acquiesce in M. Thouvenel's arguments, but as the French
Government did not consider the question as now in existence, and
promised that it should not be revised without the consent of Savoy,
and consultation with the Great Powers, if the Government would
reserve what they had to say on a question of such immense European
importance--or going into the subject he should state the whole
argument and objections of the Government to the scheme.

We thought the historical reminiscences offensive to France, while the
language of the despatch was not sufficiently firm to satisfy what was
expected from the Government. We warned him that in this case public
opinion would be at least as critical as the Queen.

Lord John gave us to understand that he would alter his draft, but
I do not feel any security that it will be done in a satisfactory
manner.

I am, Sir, with the greatest respect, your Royal Highness's obedient,
humble, and faithful servant,

G