The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852Greville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901
minority of the House of Commons should pronounce a condemnation of
it. Accordingly Graham was obliged to be silent, and the consequence
of that silence is, to afford the Opposition a fair pretext for saying
that their policy met with no opposition and no objections, while
success appeared likely to crown it. When Graham was getting up this
case, he saw Lord Wellesley two or three times, who on one occasion
had dressed himself with great care, and delivered a very eloquent
oration on the subject, which lasted upwards of two hours, and was
very good indeed. This is what he delights in doing. He continually
talks of taking his seat in the House of Lords, and of the speeches
he will make there, but it is only talk. In his own room he will hold
forth, and though he requires a great deal of preparation and getting
up, all those who hear him say that he exhibits wonderful ability and
remarkable powers of memory in these _tête-à-tête_ displays, for he
never makes his speeches to more than one auditor at a time.
[Sidenote: THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON.]
_September 11th._--A day or two after I wrote the above, I dined
with Auckland to meet General Ventura, the General of Runjeet Singh,
where there was a great deal of Indian talk. Ventura thought that
if Pollock had pushed on at once to Cabul after he had joined Sale,
he would have occupied the place without resistance, and met with
no obstacles in his march; but Willoughby Cotton, who was there,
said they could not move for want of camels, and that it was quite
impossible for any force to proceed without the means of transport,
which were totally wanting. Auckland differs with Metcalfe, and
thinks we ought to reoccupy Cabul with the intention of establishing
our authority permanently in these countries. The Whig papers are
attacking Ellenborough with the greatest asperity, and doing all they
can to divert public attention from the original expedition and its
subsequent disasters, and to fix the general indignation upon him
for the policy he is disposed to adopt. It is still, however, very
little known to the world what has occurred, and what is meditated,
but I cannot doubt from the tenor of the few observations I have heard
from both Graham and FitzGerald, that Government have made up their
minds to renounce all idea of permanent conquests and establishment
in Afghanistan. The English public will be satisfied if we get back
the prisoners, which is what they think most about, and though they
will be dissatisfied and disappointed if some sort of vengeance is
not executed upon Akbar Khan, they will on the whole be happy to be
extricated from such an embarrassing and expensive scrape.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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