ites would serve with Lord John Russell--they
certainly would not under him. There was a strong belief, however,
particularly on the part of Lord Clarendon, and even shared by Lord
Palmerston, that without Lord John a stable Government could not
be formed. The Queen asked whether they could unite under him (Lord
Lansdowne). He replied he had neither youth nor strength to make an
efficient Prime Minister, and although Lord John had often told him
"If you had been in Aberdeen's place my position would have been quite
different," he felt sure Lord John would soon be tired of him and
impatient to see him gone. He thought an arrangement might be possible
by which Lord Clarendon might be Prime Minister, Lord John go to the
House of Lords and take the Foreign Office, and Lord Palmerston
the Lead in the House of Commons. We told him that would spoil two
efficient men. Lord Clarendon had no courage for Prime Minister, and
Lord John had decidedly failed at the Foreign Office.

Lord Lansdowne had had Lord Palmerston with him during the Derby
negotiation, and clearly seen that at first he was not unwilling to
join, but had more and more cooled upon it when he went further into
the matter. Lord Derby and Lord Palmerston had had a full discussion
upon Lord Grey, and discarded him as quite impracticable.... After
much farther discussion it was agreed that Lord Lansdowne should go
up to Town this day, see first Lord Palmerston, then the Peelites,
and lastly Lord John, and come to Buckingham Palace at two o'clock,
prepared to give answers upon the question what was feasible and what
not. He inclines to the belief that we shall have to go through the
ceremony at least of entrusting Lord John with the formation of an
Administration.

Lord John was not without large following amongst the Whigs, and
whatever was said about his late conduct in the higher circles,
he believed that it is well looked upon by the lower classes. His
expression was, that it would be found that the first and second class
carriages in the railway train held opposite opinions.

_Memorandum by Queen Victoria._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _2nd February 1855._

Lord Lansdowne arrived at two o'clock, and reported that he had seen
all the persons intended, but he could not say that he saw his
way more clearly. They all gave pledges generally to support any
Government, but were full of difficulties as to their participation in
one.

Mr Gladstone would clearly not ser