were made to control the wishes and feelings of the
Queen and the clearly understood will of her people,
Spain would not only receive the warmest sympathy
of Great Britain but of all Europe." ¹

M. Guizot appears to have been even more
annoyed than Louis Philippe at Christina's proposal
to the Coburgs. He is said, indeed, to have attempted
to persuade the King to counteract it, by demanding
the hand of Isabella for his son Montpensier. But
neither Louis Philippe nor the young Duke himself
were prepared to resort to so extreme a measure. The
King, for the present, was content to address acri-
monious complaints to Christina, ² and to instruct
M. Bresson to make a strong representation to the
Spanish ministers. ³ At the same time, both he and
M. Guizot decided to take steps to effect a reconcilia-
tion between the Queen-Mother and General Narvaez,
whose return to power they regarded as essential to
the success of their plans. Meanwhile, Jarnac spoke
of Palmerston, with whom he had had his first inter-
view on July 14, as "fairly well intentioned and
rather timid." This description of his attitude,
M. Guizot admitted, was most satisfactory. "Never-
theless, between him and me," he pointed out to his
royal master, "there can be nothing more than a
marriage of reason." He purposed, therefore, so to
arrange matters that he might be enabled to com-
municate his views directly to Lord John Russell.
"It will require nice handling to speak to one about
foreign affairs without offending the other. But, on
occasions, we may have to do so." ⁴

Bresson appears to have expressed himself strongly

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