Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 1.djvu/416

 374 ORIGIN OF THE WAR OF 1653 chap, conducted by Prince Mentschikoff. The four __ '_ Powers, however, had determined to press the acceptance of the arrangement upon the Porte ; and on the 12th it became known at Constanti- nople that the Note had been accepted by the The 'Vienna Emperor Nicholas. On the same day the English the hands of Ambassador received instructions from London, ford. which informed him that the English Govern- ment ' adhered to the Vienna Note, and considered ' that it fully guarded the principle which had ' been contended for, and might therefore with ' perfect safety be signed by the Porte ; ' and Lord Clarendon went on to express a hope that the Ambassador would have ' found no difficulty in ' procuring the assent of the Turkish Govern- ' inent to a project which the allies of the Sul- ' tan unanimously concurred in recommending ' for his adoption.' * It cannot be doubted that Lord Stratford's opinion as to the effect of the Vienna Note was opposed to that of his Government, -J- but it was his duty to obey. He obeyed. He ' scrupulously ' abstained from expressing any private opinion ' of his on the Note whilst it was under consid- ' eration at the Porte,' and he conveyed to the Turkish Government the desire of Europe. ' I ' called the attention of Eeshid Pasha,' said ho, 1 to the strong and earnest manner in which the ' Vienna Note was recommended to the accept- ' ance of the Porte, not only by Her Majesty's 1 Government, but also by the Cabinets of Austria,
 * ' Eastern Papers,' part ii. p. 27. + Ibid. pp. 72, S2.