who never loses his temper, and treats everything with levity and gayety." But Palmerston docile was more dangerous than Palmerston pugnacious. The next week he was receiving addresses at the Foreign Office from Finsbury and Islington, thanking him for the protection he had given to Kossuth, and for the sympathy he had shown to the Hungarian cause. In his reply he gave warm expression to his sympathy with Hungary, and spoke of the position of the British Government as that of the "judicious bottle-holder" during the conflict between Hungary and her foe. The phrase has been often remembered after the occasion on which it was used has been forgotten. The people applied it to Palmerston himself, and liked him all the more for it. But the proceeding was strongly and formally censured in the Cabinet and by the Queen. Her Majesty's anger was not appeased by those who told her that although the Emperor of Austria might be angry, the action of the Foreign Secretary was not unpopular with the English people. Her Majesty replied:—
"It is no question with the Queen whether she pleases the Emperor of Austria or not, but whether she gives him a just ground of complaint or not. And if she does so, she can never believe that this will add to her popularity with her own people."[1]
Lord John communicated the Queen's views to Lord Palmerston, and he was especially cautioned as to the future upon "the necessity of a guarded conduct." Lord John writing to the Queen was sanguine enough to hope that this remonstrance would "have its effect upon Lord Palmerston." The ink of his letter was hardly dry when like a clap of thunder came the news of the coup d'état in Paris; Louis Napoleon, then President of the Republic, had had his political opponents seized in the night and thrown into prison,
- ↑ Letter from the Queen to Lord John Russell, Nov. 21st, 1851.
