retary for war should be liked by
the army. I said that there was an occurrence towards the close of
his term which placed him in a difficult position, but relied on
his care and discretion. (She did not press the point, but is
evidently under strong professional bias.)

She spoke of the chancellorship, and I named Lord Selborne.

She referred to general action and hoped it would be conciliatory.
I said that every one who had served the crown for even a much
smaller term of years than I had the good or ill fortune to
reckon, would know well that an incoming government must recognise
existing engagements, and must take up, irrespective of its
preferences, whatever was required by the character and honour of
the country. I referred to the case of Scinde and Sir R. Peel's
cabinet in 1843; which she recognised as if it had been recently
before her.

She said, "I must be frank with you, Mr. Gladstone, and must
fairly say that there have been some expressions"--I think she said
some little things, which had caused her concern or pain. I said
that her Majesty's frankness, so well known, was a main ground of
the entire reliance of her ministers upon her. That I was
conscious of having incurred a great responsibility, and felt the
difficulty which arises when great issues are raised, and a man
can only act and speak upon the best lights he possesses, aware
all the time that he may be in error. That I had undoubtedly used
a mode of speech and language different in some degree from what I
should have employed, had I been the leader of a party or a
candidate for office. Then as regarded conciliation, in my opinion
the occasion for what I had described had wholly passed away, and
that so far as I was concerned, it was my hope that her Majesty
would not find anything to disapprove in my general tone; that my
desire and effort would be to diminish, her cares, in any case not
to aggravate them; that, however, considering my years, I could
only look to a short term of active exertion and a personal
retirement comparatively early. With regard to the freedom of
language I had admitted, she said with some good-natured archness,
"But you will have to bear the consequences," to which I entirely
assented. She seemed to me, if I may so say, "natural under
effort." All things considered, I was mu