Lord John's position in the Cabinet and in the Commons--His services to Education--Joseph Lancaster--Lord John's Colonial Policy--Mr. Gladstone's opinion--Lord Stanmore's recollections--The mistakes of the Melbourne Cabinet--The Duke of Wellington's opinion of Lord John--The agitation against the Corn Laws--Lord John's view of Sir Robert Peel--The Edinburgh letter--Peel's dilemma--Lord John's comment on the situation 113 CHAPTER VII FACTION AND FAMINE 1846-1847 Peel and Free Trade--Disraeli and Lord George Bentinck lead the attack--Russell to the rescue--Fall of Peel--Lord John summoned to power--Lord John's position in the Commons and in the country--The Condition of Ireland question--Famine and its deadly work--The Russell Government and measures of relief--Crime and coercion--The Whigs and Education--Factory Bill--The case of Dr. Hampden 136 CHAPTER VIII IN ROUGH WATERS 1848-1852 The People's Charter--Feargus O'Connor and the crowd--Lord Palmerston strikes from his own bat--Lord John's view of the political situation--Death of Peel--Palmerston and the Court--'No Popery'--The Durham Letter--The invasion scare--Lord John's remark about Palmerston--Fall of the Russell Administration 163 CHAPTER IX COALITION BUT NOT UNION 1852-1853 The Aberdeen Ministry--Warring elements--Mr. Gladstone's position--Lord John at the Foreign Office and Leader of the House--Lady Russell's criticisms of Lord Macaulay's statement--A small cloud in the East--Lord Shaftesbury has his doubts 199 CHAPTER X DOWNING STREET AND CONSTANTINOPLE 1853 Causes of the Crimean War--Nicholas seizes his opportunity--The Secret Memorandum--Napoleon and the susceptibilities of the Vatican--Lord Stratford de Redcliffe and the Porte--Prince Menschikoff shows his hand--Lord Aberdeen hopes against hope--Lord Palmerston's opinion of the crisis--The Vienna Note--Lord John grows restive--Sinope arouses England--The deadlock in the Cabinet 213 CHAPTER XI WAR HINDERS REFORM 1854-1855 A Scheme of Reform--Palmerston's attitude--Lord John sore let and hindered--Lord Stratford's diplomatic triumph--The Duke of Newcastle and the War Office--The dash for Sebastopol--Procrastination and its deadly work--The Alma--Inkerman--The Duke's blunder--Famine and frost in the trenches 236 CHAPTER XII THE VIENNA DIFFICULTY 1855 Blunders at home and abroad--Roebuck's motion--'General Fevrier' turns traitor--France and the Crimea--Lord John at Vienna--The pride of the nation is touched--Napoleon's visit to Windsor--Lord John's retirement--The fall of Sebastopol--The treaty of Paris 254 CHAPTER XIII LITERATURE AND EDUCATION