r the purpose. Early in 1855,
Sardinia, under the influence of Cavour, her Premier, joined the
Western Alliance against Russia. On Parliament re-assembling in
January, Mr Roebuck gave notice of a motion for the appointment of a
Committee to enquire into the conduct of the war. Lord John Russell,
finding himself unable to resist the motion, at once resigned, and the
Ministry was overwhelmingly defeated by a majority of more than two
to one. Lord Derby, as Leader of the Conservative Opposition, was
summoned to form a Ministry, but failed to do so; the age of Lord
Lansdowne prevented his accepting the Premiership; and Lord John
Russell, whose action had largely contributed to the defeat of the
coalition, then attempted the task, but found that he could not
command the support even of his old Whig colleagues. The Queen
accordingly desired Lord Palmerston, whom the voice of the country
unmistakably indicated for the Premiership, to construct a Government;
he was successful in the attempt, the Cabinet being a reconstruction
of that of Lord Aberdeen, with Lord Panmure substituted for the Duke
of Newcastle at the War Office, while Lord John Russell was appointed
British Plenipotentiary at the Vienna Conference. The new Premier
desired to prevent the actual appointment of the Committee which Mr
Roebuck's motion demanded, the displacement of the late Ministry--the
real objective of the attack--having been effected; but as the House
of Commons manifested a determination to proceed with the appointment
of the Committee, the Peelite section of the Cabinet (Sir James
Graham, Mr Gladstone, and Mr Sidney Herbert) withdrew, and Lord John
Russell, who was then on his way to Vienna, accepted the Secretaryship
of the Colonies. Early in March, the Czar Nicholas died suddenly of
pulmonary apoplexy, and the expectation of peace increased; shortly
afterwards, the Emperor and Empress of the French paid a state visit
to this country, and were received with much enthusiasm, the Emperor
being made a Knight of the Garter.

In February, a determined attack by the Russians upon Eupatoria was
repulsed by the Turks; the defenders of Sebastopol, however, succeeded
in occupying and fortifying an important position, afterwards known as
the "Mamelon." The bombardment was resumed by the Allies in April,
and a successful attack made upon Kertsch, from which the supplies
of Sebastopol were mainly drawn; while a squadron under Captain Lyons
destroyed the Russ