“I think your best plan will be to ask an audience of the King at once, and speak to him frankly on the matter. He will, I doubt not, listen to you, and give you the facilities you desire; but the _object_ of your audience must not be known beforehand, or it may be thwarted. I have only _one_ acquaintance at Naples—the Marquis del Vasto ... through him I think I could ensure you an audience of the King, but neither must know the precise object. I never was presented to the King in my life, though he has been extremely kind to us. I could not meet you at Naples for several reasons—that it always disagrees with me, &c., &c. You might open your audience with the King as the bearer of Mr. Gladstone’s statement, which, I should think, he would never otherwise see. I hear it has been sent to Naples; but if only to the Minister, the King will probably never see it. He listened most patiently to Baillie Cochrane, and is, I have good reason to believe, most anxious to learn the truth, which others may be as anxious to conceal from him.” The letters of Mr. Gladstone on Panizzi’s proposed journey must be given here:— “August 2nd, 1851. “The Prince Castelcicala has sent a letter to Lord Aberdeen; it is not much to the purpose, but calls me a detractor and a calumniator. I could almost wish I were.” “August 5th, 1851. “It would indeed be greatly for my interest that you should go to Naples; your journey would lighten my responsibility, and afford me incomparable means of self-defence against the bold assertions with which I expect to be met. Yet I can hardly in conscience recommend it to you, without conditions—your going would attract notice—your antecedents would be learned, and your steps watched. I cannot think you would ever be allowed to see the interior aspect of things with the sanction of the Government, whatever introductions you might have and whatever influence might be used in your favour. Certainly the case would be different if Lord Shrewsbury were to be the examining party, and you his unobserved, and therefore independent companion, and, I think, that in your place I should so put it to Lord Shrewsbury himself.... I am reading with some spice of dissatisfaction Petruccelli’s ‘Rivoluzione di Napoli.’ It certainly appears from this book that there were a party determined that the Constitution should not work. But the question always comes back, _how_ such a party ought to be encountered. Yours, &c., &c., W. E. GLADSTONE.” Lord Shrewsbury’s application, which he duly made on Panizzi’s behalf to the Marquis del Vasto, unhappily failed of success; the Marquis being represented by his Lordship as a _good, honest courtier, and will not meddle_.