Chapter XXVIII: The Last Year of “the Great Peace.”

Abortive Attacks on the Ministry--Mr. Disraeli’s First Budget--Fall of the Tory Cabinet--The Queen and Lord Aberdeen--Organising the Coalition--A Ministry of “All the Talents”--The Queen and South Kensington--A Miser’s Legacy to the Queen--Sport at Balmoral--Proclamation of the Second Empire--The “Battle of the Numeral”--The Queen Initiates a Policy--Personal Government in the Victorian Age--A Servile Minister--Lord Malmesbury’s Spies--Napoleon III. and “Mrs. Howard”--Creole Card-Parties at Kensington--Napoleon III. Proposes to Marry the Queen’s Niece--Lord John Russell’s Education Scheme--Mr. Gladstone’s First Budget--The India Bill--Transportation of Convicts to Australia Stopped--The Gold Fever in Australia--The Rush to the Diggings--The First Gold Ships in the Thames--Gold Discoveries and Free Trade--Chagrin of the Protectionists--The Rise in Prices--Practical Success of Peel’s Fiscal Policy--Strikes and Dear Bread--End of the Great Peace 515

CHAPTER XXIX.

DRIFTING TO WAR.

Origin of the Crimean War--Russia and “the Sick Man”--Coercing Turkey--The Dispute about the Holy Places--A Monkish Quarrel--Contradictory Concessions--The Czar and the Tory Ministry of 1844--The Secret Compact with Peel, Wellington, and Aberdeen--Nesselrode’s Secret Memorandum--The Czar and Sir Hamilton Seymour--Lord John Russell’s Admissions--The Czar’s Bewilderment--Lord Stratford de Redcliffe--The Marplot at Constantinople--A Hectoring Russian Envoy--The Allied Fleets at Besika Bay--The Conference of Vienna--The Vienna Note--The Turkish Modifications--The Case for England--The British Fleet in the Euxine--A Caustic Letter of the Queen to Lord Aberdeen--Prince Albert’s Warnings--The Massacre of Sinope--Internal Feuds in the Cabinet--Lord John Russell’s Intrigues--Palmerston’s Resignation and Return--The Fire at Windsor--Birth of Prince Leopold--The Camp at Chobham--The Czar’s Daughters--Naval Review at Spithead--Royal Visit to Ireland 540