Chapter 370 The Restless Air

In the melodious music, Viscount Palmerston enjoyed a small gathering with his lover after a long separation.

But even if he wanted to enjoy a moment of joy in his leisure time, it was almost impossible in the busy Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Before the waltz was over, Assistant Under-Secretary Schneider knocked on the door of the reception room, slapped the documents in his hand and winked at his boss.

"Sir, there are some urgent documents that need your immediate processing."

Seeing this, Palmerston had to let go of Mrs. Leven's hand with apology: "Sorry, dear, let's continue the rest of the part at the salon of the Ormark Club tonight."

Mrs. Leven seemed a little dissatisfied: "Henry, can't we talk about it here?"

Although the beauty was cute and lovely, Palmerston certainly did not forget what the beauty was.

Although the Viscount did not mind trading some diplomatic intelligence with the daughter of the director of the Third Department of the Russian Imperial Office, he first had to confirm whether the new intelligence could be traded.

Even if it could be traded, he had to figure out whether the transaction would be beneficial or detrimental to his future.

"Dorothea, we still have a lot of time today. We can spend the whole night together. It's not a big deal."

After vaguely perfunctorily dealing with his lover, Viscount Palmerston, who had finally dealt with the troublesome Russian woman, finally slipped out of the reception room.

Schneider, who was waiting outside, saw him finally come out and reported the latest news without any delay.

"Your Excellency, Mr. Stratford Canning has just officially replied that he is willing to accept the appointment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and serve as the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire for the second time. However, the Prime Minister..."

When Palmerston heard this, he immediately understood what was wrong.

From Stratford Canning's surname, it can be seen that he and former Prime Minister Sir George Canning are from the same family, and they are close cousins.

When George Canning's parents separated, he was sent to his uncle's house for upbringing, and Stratford Canning was his uncle's son.

Depending on this relationship, Sir Canning always took good care of his cousin during his lifetime. When the cousin just graduated from Cambridge University, Sir Canning, who was then the Foreign Secretary, used his power to appoint the 24-year-old cousin as the British plenipotentiary representative to Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire.

However, perhaps because he had lived under the wings of his cousin for a long time, his father was a banker, he lived a wealthy life since childhood, and he never had to worry about promotion, so the little Canning also developed a strong personality, lack of patience and outspoken temper.

If this kind of straightforward temper is done in other jobs, it may not be a problem, but if it is done as a diplomat, it will obviously cause many problems.

For example, this time Palmerston changed Mr. Canning from the position of ambassador to Russia to the ambassador to Constantinople because of his temper.

Last year, Palmerston just took over the position of Foreign Secretary and began to give back to those former supporters as usual.

And in the process of exchanging interests, he certainly did not forget to take care of the cousin of his former boss Sir Canning.

Palmerston did this because, although Sir Canning had passed away, the influence of the Canning faction in Parliament could not be underestimated, and Sir Canning was still popular.

As for the second, it was because Palmerston had some feelings for this old boss who had helped him a lot. Moreover, this could also earn him a good reputation of being grateful and repaying kindness, proving that he, Palmerston, was not a person who forgot his roots.

Third, of course, it was also to set an example for his successors. If one day Palmerston is a hundred years away, you can't break this unspoken rule passed down from generation to generation, and you have to help my descendants.

And not only did he re-employ young Canning as an ambassador, but he was also the top three ambassadors to Russia.

Now, who can say that Viscount Palmerston is not a kind person?

If things develop like this, then the use of young Canning as ambassador to Russia would have been a happy thing for everyone.

But the problem is that Mr. Canning's mouth is bad.

When Canning Jr. was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, he often wrote to his cousin in a letter to ridicule and insult the Ottomans.

At the beginning of his tenure, he claimed that the purpose of his trip was to prevent the self-destruction of the decadent Ottoman Empire. After arriving in Constantinople, his disgust for the local people continued to rise.

This can be reflected in the family letter he wrote to his cousin.

- My secret wish is to get these Ottoman Turks out of Europe with everything they have.

- I curse the continental balance policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because of it, these hateful Turks have received protection they do not deserve.

But it is gratifying that Canning Jr. did not hate the Turks alone. His hatred for the Russians was consistent and even better.

When he was studying, he often made anti-Russian remarks at Cambridge University. When he was older, he would publish some hateful editorials against the Russians in newspapers whenever he had nothing to do.

But unfortunately, the Russians were obviously not as out of touch with the news as the Ottomans, and the Tsar was not as magnanimous as the Sultan.

So when Palmerston appointed Canning Jr. as ambassador to Russia, Canning Jr., who had been in St. Petersburg for three or four months, was stunned that he had never even seen the shadow of Tsar Nicholas I.

Without seeing the Tsar, the ambassador would naturally be unable to perform his duties. So Palmerston had no choice but to find another place for Canning to stay and let him return to Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

As for why it was not elsewhere, it was naturally because the Sultan had previously proven his tolerance, and Palmerston was also worried that other countries other than the Ottomans might not be able to accept the yawning little Canning.

After all, only God knows how many countries this guy has scolded.

If the rulers of other countries did not meet little Canning like the Czar, do they have to try to find a new position for him?

Changing an ambassador within a short period of time can be interpreted as a normal transfer.

Changing two ambassadors in a short period of time can be said to be an honest mistake.

But if three ambassadors were replaced in a short period of time, it would be unexplainable unless they knew the people well, right?

And from the analysis of the oral message brought by Schneider, this was only the second transfer, and it had already attracted the attention of Prime Minister Earl Gray.

After all, it was a bit outrageous that the ambassador had not even seen the Tsar's dandruff after being in office for several months.

Earl Gray must have been worried that little Canning's character would not be able to perform his duties well even if he went to the Ottomans, so he wanted to advise Palmerston to find a suitable candidate.

But the Prime Minister's advice is only a reference after all. As Foreign Secretary, Palmerston is the one who has the power to make the decision.

He said: "Tell Earl Gray for me that I fully understand his concerns. But Mr. Stratford Canning is definitely the best choice to be the ambassador to the Ottomans.

At present, Osman is in a fierce battle with Ali's Egyptian army, and the domestic situation is quite complicated. Because of this, we need to send someone who is familiar with the conditions of the Ottoman country, has served there before, and can establish a network of contacts without too much time to help us find out the information.

Although Mr. Canning is outspoken, his character is very popular with the locals. He has many friends in Constantinople and is also highly respected by the current Sultan Mahmud II. I really can’t think of another one. There are two more suitable ambassadors than him. "

Schneider said with shame upon hearing this: "This is how we explained it to the Prime Minister before, but he always believed that Mr. Canning's fiery temper might not only fail to help Sudan resolve the conflict with Ali, but might actually exacerbate the problem.

Moreover, Earl Gray also said that if the Ottoman military conflict intensifies, the cabinet's plan to reduce the army will inevitably encounter great resistance, because we may need to send troops to support the Ottomans at any time. "

When Palmerston heard this, he finally found the core focus of the Prime Minister's attention.

Earl Gray didn't care who the Ottoman ambassador was, but he needed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' assurance that no additional troops would be sent to the Ottomans, so as to give excuses to the generals who opposed disarmament.

The reason why Earl Gray was determined to disarmament was to complete his plan of parliamentary reform.

Because no matter what era or country, the military and the church have always been the natural strongholds of conservative forces. The UK is naturally not immune in this regard.

Among all arms, the Army is the most stubborn conservative in the military. The generals of the army were all landed aristocrats, led by the Duke of Wellington and the old Waterloo troops who followed his lead.

It can be said that Earl Gray openly talked about disarmament because the mainland did not need to maintain a large army during peacetime and to reduce the financial burden and control government expenditures. But in fact, he wanted to attack the stubborn Tory conservatives and force them to vote in Parliament. Compromise on reform issues.

Parliamentary reform is the primary task and ultimate goal of this Gray cabinet. Any issue must be compromised in the face of reform. This is Earl Gray's bottom line. Any minister who dares to shake the bottom line will be eliminated by him with thunderous means.

Among all the methods, the most effective one is cabinet reshuffle.

Can I do this job? If you can't do it, I'll change it to the foreign minister!

Earl Gray didn't say much, but the hidden meaning made Palmerston have to be careful.

Although he has been involved in politics for many years, this is the first time he has joined the cabinet. He does not intend to give up the throne of foreign minister so soon, which he has not yet warmed up to.

He thought about it again and again, and finally decided to go to No. 10 Downing Street.

"Prepare a car for me immediately, and I will explain this issue to the Prime Minister face to face. Canning Jr.'s appointment as ambassador to Constantinople will not affect the original disarmament plan."

"Understood, Your Excellency. Also... our people noticed that the French Ambassador Talleyrand had contact with Mr. Hastings... Today Scotland Yard submitted an investigation report to the Home Office."

"Um?"

Viscount Palmerston opened his arms and asked the servant to put on his coat, "Is there anything unusual in the report?"

"No."

Schneider smiled and shook his head: "The Scotland Yard investigation report and the House of Commons inquiry committee report are almost identical. They both identified Bernie Harrison as the real culprit behind the scenes."

Palmerston straightened his clothes: "Smart young man, there is a reason why Peel appreciates him so much. However, since you have suffered a loss, you should consider exchanging it for something. Just keeping silent will only make others think You are stupid and serve no purpose."

"Superintendent Hastings didn't make any noise."

Schneider said with a smile: "He also went to the Chancery Hall before, and both Viscount Melbourne and Lord Brougham were there at that time. After Viscount Melbourne returned, he updated the draft of the Municipal Police Act the next day, and dealt with matters involving Scotland Yard. A lot of adjustments have been made. According to the new draft standards, it is estimated that Mr. Hastings will be promoted to assistant superintendent in the near future.”

"Um……"

Viscount Palmerston narrowed his eyes, put on his hat and said, "It's a pity, but it's also very lucky."

Schneider asked softly: "Your Excellency, where is the pity and where is the luck?"

Palmerston said: "It's a pity that he didn't accept my invitation before and came to work in the intelligence department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fortunately, Mr. Hastings successfully escaped in Liverpool, so there will be another chance in the future. Of course. , and another lucky one.”

Palmerston stared at Schneider and said, "I'm lucky, August. At least you are doing a good job with the intelligence now."

After saying this, Palmerston walked quickly toward the carriage on the street outside the hall.

Schneider said goodbye to the minister at the door. He couldn't help but feel relieved. He looked at the carriage in the distance and curled his lips: "Your Excellency, it's useless to do this with me. I'm not an emotional lady, and I won't do it just because of a few words. Thank you for the compliment. Men still prefer something more real."

Having said this, Schneider leaned against the door and took out his pocket watch and took a look.

Half past four in the afternoon.

"I guess it will be almost time for the Viscount to get off work when he returns from the 10th. Why don't you go ahead? Recently all the theaters in London have been closed due to cholera. Today, a few have finally reopened. If you don't buy tickets in advance, I'm afraid that Sometimes I can’t even get in... But which show should I watch today? Since the theater has been closed for such a long time, the rehearsal of the seventh act of "The Count of Monte Cristo" at the Astley Theater has probably been completed, right?"

Just when Schneider was thinking about getting off work early to relieve his acting addiction, he suddenly felt as if someone was watching him.

He looked up and saw that standing across the street was an old acquaintance of his - Mr. Hastings, who had just returned from his briefing at the Home Office.

Arthur took off his hat and shook it at him: "It's a nice day today, Mr. Schneider."

Schneider looked up at the sparse drizzle in the sky that was blown by the wind, and joked: "Mr. Hastings, you may have worked so hard that you have problems with your eyes. How can the weather be so good?"

"Um……"

Arthur pondered for a while, and suddenly rubbed the corners of his eyes that had not yet had the stitches removed: "Maybe you are right, I have worked too hard. Look at the corners of my eyes, they are all lace. But no matter how bad the weather is today, Is it better than the one in Russia? I used to chat with the military attachés at the Russian Embassy, ​​and the weather there was like seeing a ghost, it was all ice and snow.”

When Schneider heard Arthur's words, he paused for a moment, and then a smile appeared on his lips.

He knew what Arthur was talking about, and he guessed that Arthur must also know what he was talking about.

"Mr. Hastings, how can you say that about our friendly country? Although Russia is indeed a world of ice and snow, as a diplomat, I have to remind you that Britain's export trade to Russia accounts for 100% of our total exports. Forty-two percent, and Russia’s exports to Britain account for 73% of their total exports. Russia is our unshakable economic partner and important ally.”

Arthur held his pipe in his mouth and blew out a stream of smoke from the tip of his nose: "If you put it that way, okay, I can barely understand it. But for humans, the Russian blizzard is still too severe."

Schneider bowed slightly when he heard this. He smiled and replied: "I'm sorry, Mr. Hastings, but all of this is God's will."

"You're right."

Arthur tipped his hat again: "I can only pray that one day, we can also become gods."