When Palmerston was informed of La Tour-Maubourg's mission he at once directed Adair to remonstrate against any separate negotiation between France and Belgium, on the question of the fortresses. But his first interview with Meulinäer, after the receipt of his instructions, convinced Adair that "this delicate matter had already proceeded so far that no choice was left to him except to object _in toto_ to every sort of communication on the subject." A solution of the difficulty was discovered, however, in a suggestion, brought forward by the British minister, that "the King of the Belgians should declare to the King of the French, through M. de La Tour-Maubourg, that he was taking measures, in concert with Great Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia, for the demolition of some of the fortresses erected since 1815." A few days later Adair was informed that General Goblet would be despatched to London to negotiate a convention, whilst Leopold, on September 8, affixed his signature to a document, wherein he undertook to instruct his plenipotentiary to act in accordance with the wishes of the French government in the matter of the selection of the fortresses to be dismantled.[156] But in Paris the ambassadors of the four Powers had protested formally against the protracted occupation of Belgium by a French army. Palmerston, in forwarding to Granville a memorandum of the points he was to urge in his conference with Sébastiani, directed that this document "was not to be handed to that minister as a note, but that it was to be read to him confidentially . . . a course which has been adopted out of delicacy, and under the conviction that we shall hear in a few days that the French government has, of its own accord, given orders for the evacuation of Belgium."[157] These representations obtained the desired effect. At Brussels Leopold suddenly discovered that the presence of Marshal Gérard's soldiers were no longer necessary for his safety.[158] The announcement in the _Moniteur_, of September 15, of the ministerial decision to recall the army from Belgium was the signal for a violent outburst in the newspapers against the poltroonery of the government, in yielding to the dictation of the conference.[159] In London satisfaction at the French withdrawal was marred by the publication of a long list of officers, appointed by Marshal Soult, to inspect and organize the Belgian army. This circumstance was seized upon by the Opposition as an opportunity for attacking the foreign policy of the government. The Reform Bill was before the House of Lords and party spirit was running high. "King Leopold's intention to employ French officers in his army," declared Lord Londonderry, "was more prejudicial to his independence than the retention of 12,000 French troops in Belgium." His Lordship then proceeded to review Talleyrand's career, and to asperse his conduct, under the various _régimes_ which he had served, with a virulence of