idea. His intimate knowledge of the French language
and his considerable powers of conversation, combined
with the personal charm of Lady Palmerston, soon
achieved the desired result. In the previous month
of December, the prospect that "ce terrible Lord
Palmerston" would be once again at the Foreign Office
had spread dismay in ministerial circles. But, in the
following spring, when he returned to England, after
a few weeks' stay in Paris, the amiable qualities and
the friendly dispositions of "ce cher Lord Palmerston"
were the chief topic of conversation in the political
salons. ¹

Louis Philippe and his Foreign Minister had been
most disagreeably surprised by the disclosure of the
proposal made by Christina to the Duke of Saxe-
Coburg. Lord Aberdeen's straightforward conduct in
the affair could not undo the fact that the Queen-
Mother had deliberately, and without the knowledge
of the French ambassador, opened a negotiation for
the marriage of Isabella to a prince, who was not a
descendant of Philip V. In pursuance of this policy
the Duke of Sotomayor, the Spanish ambassador in
London, had been instructed to inquire officially in
what light the British government would regard the
selection of a prince, who was not a Bourbon, as the
future husband of the Queen. To this question Lord
Aberdeen had replied that, "should it be found that
no descendant of Philip V. could safely be chosen,
consistently with the happiness of the Queen or with
a due regard to the tranquillity of the country, it could
be no cause of displeasure to Great Britain were a
prince from some other family to be selected." He
could not believe that in such a case "the enlightened
Court of the Tuileries" would interfere. "But, if
contrary to all reason and probability, an attempt

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