Diary of Henry Greville, Thursday, January 2, 1862

Panshanger. — The American news is more pacific, and since our warlike preparations have been known, the tone has changed, and it is now considered probable that Mason and Slidell will be given up.

The Portuguese Prince, Dom Joso, is dead, and there have been riots in Lisbon, in consequence of a suspicion prevalent amongst the lower orders that the Royal Family had been poisoned, which subsided on its being known that a post-mortem examination of the young Prince had been made, which proved that he had died of typhoid fever.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1861-1872, p. 7

Diary of Henry Greville, January 7, 1862

The general tone of the correspondence brought by the 'Europa' to-day is less pacific than was received by the last mail. No answer had been returned to the official despatch presented by Lord Lyons. Villiers Lister dined with me, and did not appear confident of peace.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1861-1872, p. 7

Diary of Henry Greville, Thursday, January 9, 1862

Last night, John Bidwell, who dined with me, brought the news of the surrender of Mason and Slidell, which had reached the Foreign Office at four o'clock to-day. Lyons had sent a telegram to say that Seward had notified to him that the prisoners would be delivered up when and where he pleased, and that a voluminous despatch would be forwarded by the mail. This news was announced at some of the theatres and received with great cheering. It is curious that Lyons wrote only the day before these men were surrendered that he had very faint hope that they would be given up, and the mission had begun to pack up, to be ready for a start. Great disgust is felt here at the measure which has been resorted to by the Federals of sending vessels laden with stones, in order to destroy the harbour of Charleston: a rather barbarous mode of warfare.

The Queen held a Privy Council on Monday, which was attended only by Newcastle, Granville, and Sir George Grey. Her Majesty keeps entirely to her private apartments, and excepting the Royal Family, sees no one, not even her usual attendants, with the exception of Phipps and Lady Augusta Bruce, who is now all in all to her, and through whom all her orders pass. The difficulty as to the Private Secretaryship to the Queen is not yet solved; Palmerston, it is said, does not approve of a joint Secretaryship in the persons of Grey and Phipps, and there may be objections to such an arrangement; but no one could be so useful to the Queen as Grey, who is cognisant of all the Prince's affairs and wishes as to the correspondence he has left, which is very voluminous, and must be very curious. Phipps is said to be fond of power and influence (I can speak from my own experience that he is obliging and courteous), Charles Grey to be prejudiced and self-willed, though very straightforward and independent; but neither of these men is quite fitted for so important and delicate a post.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1861-1872, pp. 7-8

Diary of Henry Greville, Saturday, January 11, 1862

Great indignation is expressed by the whole French press at the destruction of the harbour of Charleston. Yesterday, on calling at Queen's Terrace to enquire after Mrs. Bradshaw,¹ I was greatly shocked to hear she was dying. She heard of my being in the house, and asked to see me, and I went up to her bedside, when she took a most affectionate leave of me.

The American and English correspondence on the Trent' affair has been published in extenso. Seward's despatch on surrendering the prisoners is a longwinded piece of special pleading full of exaggeration and misrepresentation of all he could rake up of English law and practice most adverse to neutral rights, for the apparent purpose of justifying Wilkes, at the moment when he is compelled to admit the act itself to be unjustifiable. John Russell, in his reply, says that the English Government differ from Mr. Seward in some of his conclusions, and adds that a better understanding on several points of law (International) may be arrived at between the two countries by his stating in what that difference of opinion consists, and that he will do so in a few days. We heard on Tuesday evening that the United States Bank, and all the private Banks, had suspended specie payments, and this is foretold to be the beginning of the end of the war. The American press urges heavy taxation as the only legitimate means of relief. Mason and Slidell had been sent to Halifax, and their departure had caused no sensation.

________________

¹ Mrs. Bradshaw was Mary Tree, sister of Ellen Tree, who married Charles Kean the younger. She was beautiful, and had a lovely voice.—Ed.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1861-1872, pp. 8-9

Diary of Henry Greville, Sunday, January 19, 1862

Robert Meade came here last night and gave the good news of the safety of the 'Parana.'

I have a letter from Fanny Kemble, dated December 27th. On American affairs she says: 'As to going to war with America, I do not think England will do it, for I am sure the Americans will do all they can to avert such a catastrophe. In spite of their bragging, and their Bulls' Run, the people are undoubtedly brave, and have plenty of pluck in them, but in their present position of affairs, a conflict with England would simply be impossible for them, and they are perfectly aware of it. Everybody without exception is horrified at the idea of such a calamity, and where you have picked up the idea that they are ambitious of having such a climax put to their disastrous difficulties, I cannot conceive. If they are forced to fight, they will; for whatever you may think to the contrary, they are not in the least cowardly; but, wanting in common sense, as I do think they are (more than any people in the world, I begin to think), they will assuredly do everything they can to avert such a catastrophe, and I do hope most fervently that no evil feeling for their past vulgar insolence and folly, and no desire to open their cotton market for our uses again, will induce England to aggravate their present troubles by taking any ungenerous advantage of them.

'You can form no idea of the difficulties these people have had to struggle with, in their present contest with their rebellious Southern States. You can form no idea, even by the miserable results that reach you, of their state of ignorance and want of preparation for war—of the extraordinary effects of the blessed conditions of prosperity under which they have hitherto lived, in paralysing them at the beginning of a contest, for which they were wholly unprepared. Their utter democracy, too, acts in a thousand ways as an impediment to their getting up at once, and wielding effectually and suddenly their vast means of offence and defence; but I do not believe that, for as bad a beginning as they have made, they will not steadily carry out the purpose of reducing the Seceding States to submission (whatever they may be able to do with them hereafter); and remember that the French Armies of the Revolution were the troops of a Government whose monstrous and ludicrous theories did not prevent their soldiers from fighting well enough. These people are so absurd and so offensive in all their demonstrations, that English people cannot, in the midst of their amazement and disgust, conceive the difficulties they have had to encounter, and the wonderful energy (all the more wonderful for their ignorance) with which they have grappled with them. I am much shocked by the news of Prince Albert's death. It is much to be deplored that his life should thus have been prematurely shortened, for he was a worthy gentleman, whose influence seems to me to have been excellent in the sphere in which he exerted it, and who surely filled a difficult and not dignified position with great discretion and good sense.'

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1861-1872, pp. 10-12

Diary of Henry Greville: Saturday, December 28, 1861

We are in a state of great suspense as to peace or war. The English newspapers are filled with extracts from the American journals, breathing fire and fury against England, and expressing the conviction, real or pretended, that as they have the law on their side, we shall bluster a little, but in the end submit, and that there is no fear of our going to war. The vessel bearing our ultimatum will have reached Halifax on the 15th. It was passed at Cape Race by one of our steamers, and its contents will have been telegraphed from Halifax to Washington and New York on that day; so that on Monday we may know the general effect produced by them. People are betting even on the result, and I hear that Palmerston has no faith in peace. At Paris the general opinion is that the French despatch will produce no effect, and very likely that the American Government will refuse to accept it, because it is styled the 'Federal,' not the United States Government.

I have had an interesting letter from Mary Ponsonby, with further details of the Windsor tragedy. When the gentlemen who were sent to Lisbon to condole on the late King of Portugal's death returned, and after the Prince had seen them, the Queen told Charles Grey that the Prince said to her, You may be glad, my dear, that I have not got a fever, for if I had, it would be just the same case as Pedro's.' And he then went on to say, what he had often told her before, that he did not care enough to live, to make a struggle for it, though he was very happy. The Queen felt alarmed at the dejected way in which he spoke of himself, and when Jenner told Her Majesty the following day that he believed the Prince's malady to be gastric fever, she desired that he would on no account mention this to anyone, for fear the Prince might hear of it, as she felt how fatal it would be if he got it into his head that he should not recover. Jenner kept his own counsel until the Saturday, when he told Phipps and Charles Grey that he had no doubt of the nature of the illness, as the appearance of spots made it evident. The next week was considered to be the eight days' crisis; Jenner always said he saw his way over four days of the time, but he doubted much whether he would pull him through the week.

However, the fever symptoms and all the characteristics of the illness abated from that moment, and they were all full of confidence that he would do well until the Friday, when congestion of the lungs came on, which he had no strength to fight against. The opinion was that he would not live through the night. There was a slight rally on Saturday, but the difficulty of breathing came on at the same hour as on Friday, and at eleven he expired. His muscular strength surprised the doctors, for he half got out of bed on Saturday, and those who attended him would not believe him to be dying, for except the look of fever, he had no appearance of being wasted or weak. He knew the Queen to the last, telling her in German that he loved her, and there was more speaking when they were alone, which those who were in the next room might have heard, as the doors were open, but they of course kept away. The last words he said to Princess Alice were 'Good child.' The Queen has appointed Lord James Murray Groom of the Bedchamber, vacant by the death of Bowater, and has made Francis Seymour, who was one of the Prince's oldest servants, an Extra Groom of the Bedchamber.

The young Portuguese Prince who was here lately with the present King has fallen ill of the same fever as that which carried off his two brothers. The King, at the urgent request of his Ministers and people, has removed from the Palace, and there have been tumults in the streets, a suspicion having arisen that the late King and his brothers had been poisoned. They probably were so by the bad drainage of the Palace, and a Sanitary Commission has been appointed to inquire into the matter. It would really seem as though the Coburgs were particularly bad subjects for fever, or had bad constitutions, and one cannot but feel some anxiety for our own Royal Family, who are also the offspring of first cousins. King Leopold arrived at Osborne yesterday.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1861-1872, pp. 3-6

Diary of Henry Greville: Tuesday, December 31, 1861

I came here yesterday, and found the John Leslies, Dufferin, Frederick Leveson, and Algy Egerton. Telegrams from America up to the 18th state that the news from England had created prodigious excitement. The general opinion was that Slidell and Mason would under no circumstances be delivered up. The French despatch had not then arrived. Our despatch should have reached them by the 'Europa' on the 16th, but on the 18th the vessel had not arrived at Halifax. It was only known that the 'Trent' affair had produced a great sensation in England. Lord and Lady Salisbury came.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1861-1872, pp. 6-7

Diary of Henry Greville: Monday, December 9, 1861

Alice Enfield came to pass a few days with me. Nothing is now thought of but the 'Trent' affair, and whether there will be a war or not. As we must in two or three days receive the résumé of the President's Message, the tone of which will probably decide the matter, it is idle to discuss the various probabilities. Were the American Government carried on the same principles as those of other nations, and not entirely ruled by the passions of the mob, it would be at once pronounced that their going to war on such a case as this, and in their present predicament, would be impossible. I understand the City thinks that they will agree to our demands.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, pp. 414-5

Diary of Henry Greville: Wednesday, December 11, 1861

I had a pleasant little dinner of nine people here yesterday-Enfields, Mrs. Sartoris, Lady Adelaide Cadogan, Henry Loch, Robert Meade, Bertie Mitford, and Robert Bourke. The latter was very amusing with his account of his late American tour, and particularly of his interview with Seward, whom he describes as a dry, irritable little personage, not to say blackguard. Bourke is much in favour of the Confederates. He saw a large portion of their army—very fine men, well drilled, but badly accoutred.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, p. 415

Diary of Henry Greville: Thursday, December 12, 1861

The Frederick Cadogans and Pahlen dined with me, and we went to Léotard in the evening-his performance is as wonderful as it is beautiful in its way.

Prince Albert's malady, which is a gastric fever, is taking the usual course, and is likely to last twenty-one days.

On going out to-day I heard from Charles that Clarendon had told him the Duc d'Aumale received a letter from the Prince de Joinville, who on hearing of the 'Trent' affair went to General McClellan and told him that it was quite impossible that England could patiently submit to such an outrage that General McClellan had agreed with the Prince, who entreated him to go and tell the President how much better it would be to deliver up Mason and Slidell at once, before any demand were made by us. McClellan did so, but found the President of a different opinion and resolved to do nothing of the sort. This fact makes it almost certain that the Message expected to-night will hold such language as to make war inevitable.

I have a letter from Henry Loch to tell me of his marriage to Miss Villiers.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, pp. 415-6

Diary of Henry Greville: Saturday, December 14, 1861

This morning I was startled by a very alarming bulletin of Prince Albert's state, dated yesterday, viz. that H.R.H. had passed a restless night on Thursday, and that the symptoms had assumed an unfavourable character during the day. It also stated that the Prince of Wales had been summoned to Windsor, and had passed through town at two this morning. I at once considered this account as nearly hopeless. On going out, I heard that at four yesterday afternoon, whilst the Queen was driving out, a sort of syncope had come on, and the doctors considered the case so critical, that they thought it right to announce the great danger of the Prince to Her Majesty, and they say she received the news with fortitude and calmness. From this fit he rallied, and he passed a somewhat better night, and this morning the report was that there was some mitigation of the dangerous symptoms. I heard, however, from a very good source that the doctors, and particularly Watson, had the worst opinion of the case.

I called at Stafford House and found that the Duchess had gone to Windsor. At six she returned, having only seen Lady Augusta Bruce, who told her the Queen was calm, but the state of the Prince most critical. Later in the day I saw Clanwilliam, who had heard through Colonel Maude that at Windsor every one considered the case as hopeless. I dined with the Flahaults, and at eleven received a note from the Duchess of Beaufort to tell me that Dudley de Ros had just come back from Windsor, and that the Prince was fast sinking. Lavradio dined with us, and told me the Prince's malady resembled that of the late King of Portugal, and that Prince Albert had been deeply impressed by that event, and was constantly harping upon it during his illness; he, indeed, had been very desponding all along.

At twelve I was at the Club, where a telegram arrived stating that the Prince had expired at a quarter before eleven. Every one present (and the room was full), both young and old, seemed consterné by this event, so unlooked for, and possibly pregnant with such disastrous consequences. I tremble for the Queen.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, pp. 416-7

Diary of Henry Greville: Sunday, December 15, 1861

Nothing can equal the consternation produced by this event. This morning Brookfield, who had preached a very fine sermon without any reference to this calamity, said a few words at the end, which were in excellent taste, and were a touching tribute to the character of the Prince. They excited a very deep sensation.

I dined to-night at Flahault's, and was relieved to hear as good a report of the Queen as could possibly be expected. She had passed the night in the room with the body, had been overcome by sleep for two hours, and on awakening had a tremendous burst of grief, succeeded by violent fits of crying. To-day she saw the Duchess of Sutherland, and talked over the whole case with her. She took the Duchess into the room to view the body, and then told her the object of her future life would be to carry out all his views and wishes, that she was determined to exert herself and to fulfil the duties of her position. Ellice was at Flahault's, and said he fully expected she would resume that energy of character which had been so remarkable on her accession, and which after her marriage became absorbed in his. The difficulties of her position were, however, very great. The Prince had taken all trouble from off her hands, and had, in fact, transacted nearly the whole business of the State, and all that of the Court, to the most minute detail. He thought it would be impossible for the Queen to go on without a private secretary, such as Sir Herbert Taylor had been to the two preceding Sovereigns, but such a post should by rights be filled by a Cabinet Minister, and where was he to be found? Sir Herbert Taylor had been tolerated because of the kindness of George III., and suffered to continue with William IV. because of the confidence placed in his high character, although Lord Grey and others had always objected on constitutional grounds to the King having any one about him in so anomalous a position. Lady Augusta Bruce, whom the Queen has adopted since the Duchess of Kent's death, will probably fill the place formerly occupied by Baroness Letzen, but this can only be for her private and domestic affairs. The difficulties, in short, are endless, and meet you at every corner.

The résumé of the President's Message has arrived. He makes no mention of the 'Trent' affair, which may perhaps be considered as a loophole. On the other hand, Congress had passed a resolution of thanks to Commodore Wilkes, and the Navy Department had expressed its emphatic approval of the capture of Mason and Slidell, but stated that Wilkes had displayed too much forbearance in not capturing the 'Trent,' and that lenity must not form a precedent for any similar infraction of neutral obligations by foreign commercial vessels.

This is considered as very warlike news. Ellice expects the Americans will brag to the last, and then give in; that they will return such an answer to our despatch as will require the consideration of our Government; that Lyons will come away, which will at once create such a panic at New York as to make it next to impossible for the Government to get money. This is his idea. Another possible event is the murder of Mason and Slidell by the mob—for when a whole people becomes mad, the course they may pursue is difficult to conjecture.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, pp. 417-9

Diary of Henry Greville: Monday, December 16, 1861

The two articles on Prince Albert's death in this day's 'Times' are admirable. The second contains a true and faithful account of all that happened during his last days. I met Lady Ely to-day at Gifford's. She had been at Windsor. The Queen had passed a tolerable night, having been completely exhausted. She had desired that nothing should be said to her about the funeral, and that the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge should settle everything. It is to take place next Monday. King Leopold had telegraphed to recommend that the Queen should be removed from Windsor, partly that she should leave the atmosphere of fever, partly to avoid the preparations for the funeral. The Queen showed some reluctance to leave the Castle, but has determined on going to Osborne on Wednesday. The Duchess of Sutherland offered her Cliveden, and she was at one moment inclined to accept it, but it was thought best she should go to Osborne, where King Leopold is to meet her. As long ago as last Wednesday, Prince Albert, when alone with Princess Alice, asked if the Queen was in the room. She said 'No.' He then told her he knew he was dying, and desired her to write to the Princess Royal to that effect. The Princess quite believed him, and from this moment abandoned all hope. She left the room to write-on her return the Prince asked her what she had written. 'I have told my sister,' she answered, 'that you are very ill.' 'You have done wrong,' he said: 'you should have told her I am dying-yes-I am dying.' The Queen told the Duchess of Sutherland she did not know what she should have done but for Princess Alice. The Prince of Wales had shown much feeling, and threw himself into the Queen's arms, and said she might depend upon his doing all in his power to console and assist her. Granville saw him yester day, and says nothing can be more perfect than his behaviour.

Flahault told me the Emperor had frequently telegraphed for news of the Prince and had sent a message on hearing of his death, full of the most lively expressions of sorrow. Flahault considered this to be quite an European calamity.

The Queen has already begun to act up to her resolution to exert herself and to fulfil the duties of her position, and is to see Palmerston to-day.

Sir Edward Bowater, who accompanied Prince Leopold to Cannes, has died there. Prince Albert had arranged that, if he died or was disabled by illness, Lord Rokeby, who is at Nice, should go to Cannes and take charge of the boy, until Frederick Cavendish¹ could be sent out to replace him.

_______________

¹ Grandson of Lord George Cavendish, who was created first Earl of Burlington.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, pp. 419-20

Diary of Henry Greville: Tuesday, December 17, 1861

I called on Lady Palmerston and found her and Lady Jocelyn greatly dejected. Palmerston is very unwell with a bad fit of gout and is unable to go to Windsor, and Ferguson and Lady P. are most anxious he should not attend the funeral. She told me he was deeply affected by this event, that he had ever had the highest opinion of the Prince's character and ability, and he considered him an immense loss to himself personally. The Prince of Wales had written Palmerston a very nice letter, in which he says he had been desired by his mother to tell P. that she was fully aware she had a life of duty before her, and that she would endeavour to fulfil that duty to the best of her ability, but that she considered her worldly career as at an end.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, p. 421

Diary of Henry Greville: Tuesday, September 24, 1861

Clifden. was married yesterday by special licence at St. James's Church. The bride was lovely to behold, full of grace and graciousness of demeanour. There was a sumptuous luncheon after the ceremony at Spencer House, but fortunately no toasts or speeches.

A curious despatch written by Prince Gortchakoff to the Russian minister at Washington, and to be shown to Mr. Seward, has been published in the American and English newspapers. It professes warm interest in the American Union and people; deplores the present state of things, and strongly urges the Government to try and come to some agreement which shall put an end to the war. Mr. Seward confines himself to a courteous reply, thanking the Russian Government for the interest shown by them in the internal differences 'which for a time have threatened the American Union.' The Times' remarks (probably justly) on this correspondence, that the advice it contains is excellent, but obviously not to be taken by a proud and obstinate people—more blood must be shed, and more treasure squandered, before the counsels of St. Petersburg will be listened to by the United States.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, p. 401-2

Diary of Henry Greville: Tuesday, November 5, 1861

Hatchford. I have been at Frognal and Hillingdon and came here yesterday. When at the former place I received a letter from Fanny Kemble, who declares there is not a man in the Northern States who is not convinced that the South will be conquered—whether or no they can be coerced back into the Union is another question, and can only be settled when they are reduced to make peace. She complains of the evident sympathy of this country with the South, which she says is very apparent, notwithstanding the professed neutrality of the Government. I reply that we have no sympathy with either party, and all we wish is that the war should come to an end.

At Hillingdon I assisted at a pretty concert in the Town Hall, composed of Georgy Greville's choir, and that of Ickenham, and assisted by Miss Grosvenor, Seymour Egerton,1 and B. Mitford. They sang glees, madrigals, &c., and acquitted themselves in a manner to do credit to their teacher.

From thence I went to pay a visit to the Ponsonbys at Windsor, where I met Granville, just returned from Berlin, where he said all had passed off very well, and the Fêtes very handsome.

I have a letter from Naples to-day stating that everything there is in a very unsatisfactory state. Brigandage is busy at the very gates of the city. Indeed all Europe may be said to be in a very anxious state. France is in the midst of great financial embarrassment, owing to a bad harvest, to the reckless extravagance of the Government and Court, and above all to the American war. Russia is much agitated by the question of the emancipation of the Serfs, which has been much mismanaged, as also by the state of Poland, added to which their finances are in a deplorable condition. Of Austria and Italy it is needless to speak, and there does not appear to be any master mind in any country capable of dealing with great difficulties.

The Queen held an investiture of the new Indian order, 'The Star of India,' on Friday at Windsor. The Prince Consort and the Prince of Wales were first invested privately, and entered the throne-room with the Queen, wearing their blue satin mantles. Dhuleep Sing, Lords Combermere, Gough, and Clyde, and Lord Harris, Sir T. Lawrence and Sir J. Pollock, with two or three more, were invested. Lord Combermere, however, was prevented by illness from attending. Lord Ellenborough refused the order, and in doing so said that he had accepted an earldom and a Bath merely that he might be 'righted with posterity,' and that he wanted no further honours. The order is a cameo of the Queen's head set in diamonds and with the collar costs 900l. These insignia are given by the Crown, but are to be returned on the death of the holders. I believe Canning thinks there may be some difficulty in procuring the restoration of the order from the Indian Princes.

_______________

¹ Afterwards third Earl of Wilton.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, p. 407-9

Diary of Henry Greville: Wednesday, November 27, 1861

Wrest. I came here on Monday. The party is composed of Dowager Lady Spencer and Lady Sarah, Lord and Lady Proby, Dufferin, A. Egerton, E. Lascelles, H. Calcraft, and Arthur Scott.

This morning I was startled by a paragraph in the 'Globe' stating that intelligence had reached London last night that an American frigate, the 'San Giacinto,' had stopped the Royal Mail steamer 'Trent' bearing the British flag. That the 'Trent' had been boarded by armed men, who forcibly seized Messrs. Mason and Slidell, envoys from the Confederate States to France and England. The captain of the 'Trent' was unable to offer any resistance, and these gentlemen were carried off under protest. This is a very serious affair, and is sure to rouse the British Lion. A Cabinet was at once summoned.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, p. 410-1

Diary of Henry Greville: Saturday, November 30, 1861

London. I came back yesterday, and this morning heard that the Cabinet had decided, on the advice of the law officers, that the act of the American officer is entirely illegal, and a demand is to be at once sent for the immediate release of Messrs. Mason and Slidell, and for an apology for the outrage. Every one I meet deems it very improbable that the Americans will agree to this demand, and that war will be declared before long. The case is well put in a 'Times' article.

Dined at Flahault's. Granville, Pahlen, Bagots, &c. It is hoped some tidings of the effect produced at Washington by the seizure of the Confederate envoys may be brought by the 'Persia,' which is due to morrow.

There was a meeting the other day at which the Duke of Cambridge presided, and which was very numerously attended, to consider of a fitting tribute to the memory of Sidney Herbert. Granville told me he had never seen a more sympathetic audience, or had heard better speaking. It was resolved that a statue should be erected and subscriptions be raised for the endowment of exhibitions or gold medals in connection with the Army Medical School at Chatham, and to be given at the end of each course in instruction to the candidates for commissions who show the greatest proficiency in the art of preserving the health of troops both at home and in the field.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, p. 411-2

Diary of Henry Greville: Monday, December 2, 1861

London. The 'Persia' arrived at Queenstown yesterday, having left New York on the 20th. The American newspapers are full of quotations of precedents, to prove that the seizure of Messrs. Mason and Slidell is no breach of international law, and urge that promotion and testimonials should be conferred on Commodore Wilkes for his 'spirited conduct.' Messrs. Mason and Slidell had been conveyed to Fort Warren. No one here seems to think the American Government, even if so disposed, will be permitted by the mob which governs the country to make the required apology to us.

There was a council on Saturday, when a proclamation was issued forbidding the export of saltpetre. It appears to have been the design of the United States Government to lay up a store of that commodity sufficient for a long war, and in a week or two the whole stock to be found here (we have almost a monopoly of it) would have been shipped off. In the present state of affairs it is a wise precaution to defeat this scheme.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, p. 412

Diary of Henry Greville: Thursday, December 5, 1861

Hatchford. It was asserted some days ago, and it was generally believed, that old General Scott, who has lately come to France from America, had stated that the seizure of Mason and Slidell had been determined on by the Cabinet at Washington. The General has written a letter to the United States Consul at Havre (I believe), denying that he had ever said anything of the kind, and expressing his own opinion (without, however, pretending to know what may be that of the U. S. Government), that this affair ought not to lead to war between the two countries, but affirming at the same time that 'no impartial man could say that rebels carrying despatches were not contraband of war.' This letter is so far important that it seems to prove that there was no foregone conclusion on the part of the Washington Cabinet.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1857-1861, p. 412-3