A consultation of the four great Powers, England, France, Austria, and Prussia, for the prevention of war, ended in the dispatch of the “Vienna Note,” which contained the stipulation that the Sultan should protect in future all Christians of the Greek Church in his kingdom.  The Czar accepted the terms of the Note, but the Sultan, instigated by Sir Stratford Canning, the British Ambassador at Constantinople, refused them.  The Czar then declared war, and though the Turks were successful on the Danube, he succeeded in destroying the Turkish fleet at Sinope.  This success produced the greatest indignation in England and France, and in March, 1854, they declared war upon Russia together.

Before these events Palmerston had resigned on the ground that the attitude of the Government towards Russia was not sufficiently stiff and peremptory; for, from the first, Lord Aberdeen had never contemplated the possibility of war with Russia.  But before the month was out Palmerston had resumed office.  It will be seen from the following letter, written by Lord John’s private secretary, Mr. Boileau, that disapproval of the Government’s negotiations with Russia was not the only motive attributed by Whigs to Palmerston in resigning.  Lord John had joined the Ministry on the condition that he should bring forward his measure of reform; from the first most of his colleagues were very lukewarm towards it, but Palmerston was definitely, though covertly, antagonistic,

    Mr. John Boileau to Lady Melgund

    FOREIGN OFFICE, December 19, 1853

You will be glad to know something about Pam’s resignation and the on dits here—­if, as I hope, you are safely arrived at Minto....  His own paper, the Morning Post, will do him more harm than good, I think.  It will not allow that Reform has anything to do with his resignation—­swears he is an out-and-out Reformer—­and that his differing from the policy of the Cabinet on the Eastern Question is the only reason.  Now this, in my humble judgment, I believe not to be the case.  I feel certain, in fact I feel sure, that he goes out solely on the question of Reform, having been opposed to it in toto from the first moment of the discussion on it in the Cabinet, and though he went on with them for a time, they came to something that he could not swallow.  As to the question of the East, if he does differ from the Cabinet it is no more than Lord John or several others might say if they went out to-morrow....  The Times of to-day has a very severe article against him.  The Daily News is very sensible and implies great confidence in Lord John.  The Chronicle is calm in its disapprobation of Pam—­the Morning Advertiser, of all papers! is the most in favour, and is crying Pam up for Prime Minister already, and gives extracts from county papers to show how popular he is.  The Morning Herald is silent on the subject.