188 ORIGIN OF THE WAR OF 1S53 chap, doing her utmost to obtain the concurrence of the ' other powers, should good-humouredly take upon herself a duty which was rather European than English, and which tended to involve her in war. There were eloquent members of the Legislature who would have been willing to deprecate such a policy, and to moderate and confine its action ; but apparently they did not understand how Eng- land was becoming entangled until about nine months afterwards, and, either from want of know- ledge or want of promptitude, they lost the occa- sion for aiding the Crown with their counsels. Indeed, from first to last, the backwardness of the English Parliament in seizing upon the changeful phases of the diplomatic strife was one of the main causes of the impending evil, and this was only one of the occasions on which it failed in the duty of opportune utterance. When the Despatch of the 31st of May was once on the road to Con- stantinople, England stood bound, and all that might be afterwards said about it would be criti- cism rather than counsel.* So ended one phase of the ancient strife be- tween the Emperor Nicholas and Lord Stratford de Iiedcliffe. Prince Mentschikoff, landing at Odessa, hastened to despatch to his master the best account he could give of the causes of his discomfiture, and of the evil skill of that Anti- christ, in stately English form, whom Heaven was
- For the purpose indicated ante, p. 14, I invite Mr Theo-
dore Martin's attention to this period — viz., the month of May 1853, and in particular to the despatch of the 31st.
