Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and submits the accompanying letters which he has received from Lord John Russell, together with Lord John's letter to him; and he certainly agrees with Lord John in thinking that a meeting at present between your Majesty and the Emperor of Austria, though in many respects likely to be useful, would on the whole be so liable to misconstruction, and would prove such a fertile source of misrepresentation, that it would be better to avoid it. Such a meeting would undoubtedly be useful to the Emperor of Austria, by reason of the good advice which he would receive from your Majesty, and from His Royal Highness the Prince Consort; but your Majesty will probably be able to find some other way of conveying to the Emperor counsel calculated to save him from some of the dangers by which he appears to be beset.
Queen Victoria to Lord John Russell.
21st September 1860.
The Queen received these letters from Lord Palmerston, who likewise communicated to her Lord John Russell's letter, respecting the hint thrown out by Count Rechberg37 of a meeting with the Emperor of Austria. The Queen agrees with Lord Palmerston, that while such an interview might for many reasons have been desirable, under present circumstances it might lead to much talk and to many rumours which might do harm, or at any rate give rise to useless conjectures. It would therefore be better to "nip this project in the bud" as Lord John suggests, but care should be taken to do this in such a manner as not to let it appear that there was any disinclination on the Queen's part to meet the Emperor of Austria.
Footnote 37: In a letter to Mr Julian Fane, Count Rechberg, the Austrian Foreign Minister, had said that he had desired to bring about an interview between the Queen and the Emperor of Austria, but that there would have been difficulties in the way. Lord John Russell was of opinion that the idea should be nipped in the bud, and in this Lord Palmerston fully concurred.
The King of Naples to Queen Victoria.
APPEAL FROM KING OF NAPLES
Gaëta, le 6 Octobre 1860.
Madame ma Sœur,—Le mémorandum qu'à la date d'aujourd'hui mon Gouvernement adresse à celui de votre Majesté, les protestations que dans ces derniers temps je lui ai fait parvenir donneront à votre Majesté une idée claire des conflits par lesquels j'ai passé, et de la situation où je me trouve.
A la sagacité de votre Majesté ne peut échapper la transcendance des événements qui se passent dans le Royaume des Deux Siciles, et dans les États Pontificaux. J'étais, et je suis seul à lutter contre toutes les forces de la révolution Européenne. Cette révolution s'est présentée avec un pouvoir que jamais on ne lui avait connu, armes, parcs d'artillerie, munitions, vaisseaux, rien ne lui a manqué, pas même les ports d'une puissance pour se recruter, et son drapeau pour la couvrir.