Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/352

 320 THE MISSION OF LORD JOHN liUSSELL. chap. Foreign Affairs, and for Turkey, by Aali Pasha, . ! the Eeis Effendi. Of Count Buol I already have spoken. Lord John As conceived at the time when Lord Clarendon Russell. ... gave him his instructions on the 22d of February, the mission entrusted to Lord John Russell — an illustrious name in England — was a charge of vast scope;* for along with the task of negoti- ating a peace, he, to meet the event of its proving that the war must go on, was to endeavour to strengthen the existing armed league against Russia by obtaining further accessions, and to concur in providing for what, as confidentially indicated, was made to seem nothing less than a fearless resettlement of Europe, thus osten- sibly lending the sanction of our own Foreign Office to the dreams of Louis Napoleon. Lord John first went to Paris without, it seems, gathering there any aid towards the objects in view. On reaching Berlin, he learnt that a bye- negotiation for a treaty between France and Prussia was then in progress ; and, although nothing treacherous was intended by either State against England, the circumstance seems to show that both she and her French ally were wasting their strength in cross purposes. The personal reception accorded to their illus- trious guest by the king and his Government was most cordial ; but Lord John soon perceived that course of his mission that Lord John became Secretary of State for the Colonies.
 * He did not at that time hold office. It was during the