A very anxious morning, thinking of my dear and noble husband, doomed to suffer so much for no greater fault than having committed himself too far without consultation with his colleagues to a scheme which higher duties persuaded him not to abide by when he failed to convince them.  Anxiety to know his determination and the state of his spirits made me send a note up to town early, to which I received his answer about four, that he had written his resignation last night and sent it to Lord Palmerston this morning.

    Lady John to Lord John Russell

    PEMBROKE LODGE, July 13, 1855

We are all well, but I am too anxious to be all day without hearing from you; besides, and chiefly, I want to cheer you up and beseech you not to let all this depress you more than it ought.  Don’t believe the Daily News when it says you have committed political suicide—­that need not be a bit more true than that there was trickiness or treachery in your course, which it also asserts.  Depend upon it, it is in your power and it is therefore your duty to show that you can still be yourself.  You will rise again higher than ever if you will but think you can—­if you will but avoid for the future the rocks on which you have sometimes split.  There is plenty to do for your country, plenty that you can do better than any other man, and you must not sink. You made, I believe, a great mistake in surrendering your own judgment to that of those who surrounded you at Vienna; but who can dare to say you were favouring any interest of your own, or what malice or ingenuity can pretend to find the shadow of a low or unworthy motive?  Remember Moore’s lines: 

      “Never dream for a moment thy country can spare
       Such a light from her darkening horizon as thou.”

As to your immediate course, what have you resolved?  Surely your own resignation is the most natural—­you might persuade your colleagues, if they require persuasion, to let you go alone, as you alone are responsible, that you think a change of Ministry would be a misfortune, and that you would be unhappy to find that added to your responsibility....  The feeling that the Ministry may be sacrificed to you is a very painful one, and I earnestly hope your wisdom may find some means of averting this....  Now, my dearest, farewell—­would that I could go to you myself.  I am told that the expectation of the Whips is that you will be beat.  Tell me as much as you can and God speed you....  Good-bye, and above all keep up a good heart for your country’s sake and mine.

Lord Palmerston replied to his offer to resign in the following terms [48]: 

    PICCADILLY, July 13, 1855