858 LIFE OF OOBDEN. [omAP.

1868. merston was absent from the debate owing to a slight
Zur. 59. attack of gout. Gladstone was obliged to speak in reply
me, but he did it with evident reluctance. There will be
no more Crimean wars for us in defence of the Turks.
Should a Slavonic or Hellenic Garibaldi arise to wage war
with the Ottoman oppressor, British public opinion will
instantly leap to his side, and then our Foreign Office will
instantly turn its back upon its old traditions, as it did in
the case of Italy. There is no demagogue like our high
officials for flattering and bowing to the popular passion of
the hour!”

The Polish Insurrection.

“June 22, 1863. ( ,, )—My dear friend, I do no
understand what good can come from an interference by
force of arms in the Polish business.® I can see how very
great injury could arise to ourselves. We draw food for tw0
or three millions of our people yearly from Russia. If your
nation goes into such a war it will of course be with the
hope of getting some extension of territory out of the
squabble. That would no doubt be the case. Germany
would fall into confusion, and another ¢ confederation ’ would
arise, in which France would of course have a voice, and her
good will must be propitiated by a concession on the Rhine:
To this I have no objection. But our Foreign Office would
go into convulsions at such an audacious rupture of its
cherished traditions. Then as we are not in want of further
territory, and could not therefore share in the spoil, the
danger is that we should quarrel with you. I hope the
chimerical scheme will not be persevered in.”

% In the beginning of 1863, in consequence of the shameless brutality of
the Bussian conscription, an insurrection had broken omt in Poland. The
Emperor of the French proposed that our Government should join him in
remonstrating with Prussia for aiding Russia. Lord Palmerston, however
for once took Jobden’s view, and “ declined to fall into the trap.”