avourable circumstances--that is,
if Austria be not as pusillanimous as she may be weak, for she ought never
to consent to the establishment of the Russians on the Danube.

The only line for the Turks to pursue is to promise everything; to
endeavour to perform everything, and to withdraw to Asia, leaving the rest
of Europe to settle who shall have Constantinople. _Now_ they could not do
that, as they are too weak; but six months hence they may.

We dine with the Duke on Wednesday--and shall then, I suppose, determine
what we are to do.

_October 7._

Cabinet at 3. All present except Lord Melville.

Aberdeen read a paper he had written before the peace was known, the object
of which was to show that the Ottoman Empire was dissolved, and that it
could not be reconstituted; that our views with regard to Greece should now
change with circumstances, and that we should endeavour to make it a
substantive state. To Turkey it could no longer signify whether Greece had
a more extended or more limited line of frontier, and our desire should be
to place a fit man upon the throne. France is willing to propose in the
Conference that to Turkey should be offered the alternative of a Greece
with extended limits under Suzerainete, &c., according to the Protocol of
March 22, or a Greece with narrower limits, entirely independent.

The Duke said we must first have satisfaction for the insertion of the
Article in the treaty of peace which bound Turkey to the Protocol of March
22; Russia, as a party to the Treaty of London, having no right to settle
that treaty herself. Next, we should insist on an armistice between the
Greeks and Turks.

We must recollect that Turkey had bound herself to acquiesce in the
decision of the Conference upon the Greek Treaty--that is, to defer to our
mediation. Could we, as mediators, propose to Turkey to cede Attica,
Negropont, and other possessions she now holds? and would we willingly
bring the frontiers of the Greek state into contact with our Ionian
Islands?

If Greece were to have a sovereign, Prince Philip of Hesse Homburg would be
the best man for us--Austria would prefer him. France admitted that the
wishes of Austria ought to be consulted.

France, however, rather wished for Prince Charles of Bavaria. Russia for a
Duke of Saxe-Weimar.

Aberdeen seemed to think there would be no great difficulty in carrying our
point, and having Prince Philip of Hesse Homburg.

Peel said he thought we coul