,
the object could only be to upset the Government. Upon receiving it,
he had sent for the Duke of Newcastle and shown it to him. The Duke
at once proposed, that as a sacrifice seemed to be required to appease
the public for the want of success in the Crimea, he was quite ready
to be that sacrifice, and entreated that Lord Aberdeen would put his
office into the hands of Lord Palmerston, who possessed the confidence
of the nation; Lord Aberdeen should propose this at once to the
Cabinet, he himself would support the Government _out_ of office like
_in_ office. Lord Aberdeen then went to Lord Palmerston to communicate
to him what had happened, and ascertain his feelings. Lord Palmerston
was disgusted at Lord John's behaviour,[5] and did not consider
himself the least bound to be guided by him; he admitted that
somehow or other the Public had a notion that he would manage the War
Department better than anybody else; as for himself, he did not expect
to do it half so well as the Duke of Newcastle, but was prepared to
try it, not to let the Government be dissolved, which at this moment
would be a real calamity for the country.

[Footnote 5: Lord Palmerston wrote him a most scathing letter
on the subject.]

The Cabinet met at two o'clock, and Lord Aberdeen laid the case
before it. The Duke then made his proposal, and was followed by Lord
Palmerston, who stated pretty much the same as he had done in the
morning, upon which Sir George Grey said it did both the Duke and Lord
Palmerston the highest honour, but he saw no possibility of resisting
Mr Roebuck's Motion without Lord John; Sir Charles Wood was of the
same opinion. Lord Clarendon proposed that, as the Duke had given
up his Department to Lord Palmerston, Lord John might be induced to
remain; but this was at once rejected by Lord Aberdeen on the ground
that they might be justified in sacrificing the Duke to the wishes
of the Country, but they could not to Lord John, with any degree of
honour. The upshot was, that the Whig Members of the Cabinet, not
being inclined to carry on the Government (including Lord Lansdowne),
they came to the unanimous determination to tender their resignations.

The Queen protested against this, as exposing her and the Country to
the greatest peril, as it was impossible to change the Government at
this moment without deranging the whole external policy in diplomacy
and war, and there was nobody to whom the reins could be confided.
Lor