ng; and the
weighty responsibilities of high command, without oppressing him,
would give steadiness to his demeanour.

He behaved ill to Lord John Russell and to Sir Francis Baring; and on
shore he has given just cause of complaint; but at sea and in command
he is a different person; and Lord John Russell in the Cabinet
yesterday, regardless of all former displeasure, pronounced an opinion
favourable to the appointment of Sir Charles Napier. Lord Aberdeen,
also, together with the entire Cabinet, came to the same conclusion;
and Sir James Graham on their behalf, and in concurrence with his own
opinion, ventures to ask the permission of your Majesty to appoint Sir
Charles Napier to this important Naval command.[13]

The above is humbly submitted by your Majesty's dutiful Subject and
Servant,

J. R. G. GRAHAM.

[Footnote 12: He had had a long naval career. In 1833 he
commanded the Portuguese Fleet for Donna Maria, and won a
small engagement against Dom Miguel. He was "not submissive"
at Beyrout, where, having command of the land forces, and
being told to retire and hand over the command, he advanced
and won a victory, resulting in the evacuation of the city. He
also disobeyed orders at Acre.]

[Footnote 13: The inadequate results of an appointment which
promised so well are described in Parker's _Sir James Graham_,
vol. ii. pp. 229 _et seq_.]

_Queen Victoria to Mr Gladstone._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _17th February 1854._

The Queen has received Mr Gladstone's letter and memorandum, and had
heard from the Prince the further explanation of the grounds upon
which he, Mr Gladstone, thinks the new regulations respecting the
Civil Service necessary. The Queen, although not without considerable
misgivings, sanctions the proposed plan, trusting that Mr Gladstone
will do what he can, in the arrangements of the details of it, to
guard against the dangers, which she has pointed out in her former
letter and through the Prince when he saw Mr Gladstone. A check,
for instance, would be necessary upon the admission of candidates
to compete for employment, securing that they should be otherwise
eligible, besides the display of knowledge which they may exhibit
under examination. Without this a young man might be very ineligible,
and still after having been proclaimed to the world as first in
ability, it would require very strong evidence of misconduct to
justify his exclusion by the Gov