on, and said that in any case we must have (1) the
commissioners returned to British protection; and (2) an apology
or expression of regret. The second of these despatches desired
Lyons to come away within seven days if the demands are not
complied with. _I thought and urged that we should hear what the
Americans had to say before withdrawing Lyons, for I could not
feel sure that we were at the bottom of the law of the case, or
could judge here and now what form it would assume. But this view
did not prevail._

We may assume that Mr. Gladstone, in reporting these proceedings at
Windsor, did not conceal his own arguments for moderation which had been
overruled. On the following day the cabinet again met. "Nov. 30 (Sat.).
Left Windsor at 11.25. Cabinet 3-5-1/2. Lord Russell's draft softened and
abridged." That is to say the draft was brought nearer, though not near
enough, to the temper urged upon the cabinet and represented at court by
Mr. Gladstone the day before.

The story of the first of these two critical despatches is pretty well
known; how the draft initialled by Lord Russell was sent down the same
night to Windsor; how the Prince Consort--then as it proved rapidly sinking
down into his fatal illness--found it somewhat meagre, and suggested
modifications and simplifications; how the Queen returned the draft with
the suggestions in a letter to the prime minister; how Palmerston thought
them excellent, and after remodelling the draft in the more temperate
spirit recommended by the Prince, though dropping at least one irritating
phrase in the Queen's memorandum,(50) sent it back to the foreign office,
whence it was duly sent on (Dec. 1) to Lord Lyons at Washington. It seems,
moreover, that a day's reflection had brought his colleagues round to Mr.
Gladstone's mind, for Lord Russell wrote to Lord Lyons a private note
(Dec. 1) in effect instructing him to say nothing about withdrawing in
seven days.(51)

(M26) The British despatches were delivered to Lord Lyons at Washington at
midnight on December 18; the reparation despatch was formally read to Mr.
Seward on the 23rd; and on Christmas Day Lincoln had a meeting of his
cabinet. Sumner was invited to attend, and he read long letters from
Cobden and Bright. "At all hazards," said Bright, "you must not let this
matter grow to a war with England. Even if you are right and we are wrong,
war will be fatal to your idea of restoring the unio