⁵⁷⁴ The Prince had landed at Plymouth on 11 May 1876.

⁵⁷⁵ Sir Louis Mallet (1823–1890), Permanent Under-Secretary for India since 1874.

⁵⁷⁶ Carnarvon to Disraeli, 3 January 1877: Hughenden Papers, 100/1, fo. 192.

⁵⁷⁷ Carnarvon learnt of the ‘extremely serious calamity which is impending in Bombay and Madras’ on 3 January (Carnarvon to Sir George Hamilton, 6 January 1877: CP, TNA, PRO 30/6/15, fo. 52).

⁵⁷⁸ Sir Samuel Rowe (1835–1888), Governor of Sierra Leone and the Gambia (1877–1881) and of the Gold Coast (1881–1884). He was an ambitious and energetic ex-army surgeon, who favoured acquiring territory for fiscal reasons.

⁵⁷⁹ For an account of the Council's deliberations, see Carnarvon to Lytton, 11 January 1877: Lytton Papers, India Office, BL, MSS EUR/E 218/10, II, Letter 23.

⁵⁸⁰ Describing his ‘double burden’ of the India and Colonial Offices, he told his sister, ‘It is strange how heavy work seems always to gravitate towards me’ (Carnarvon to Lady Gwendoline Herbert, 7 January 1877: CP, BL 61054, fo. 5).

⁵⁸¹ Carnarvon gave a full account of the meeting to Salisbury but did not repeat Disraeli's comments on him (Carnarvon to Salisbury, 10 January 1877: CP, TNA, PRO 30/6/10, fos 105–107).

⁵⁸² Carnarvon sent a despatch on 12 January to Lytton, raising questions concerning the purchase of grain by the government of Madras and the employment of labourers on public works by the government of Bombay (CP, TNA, PRO 30/6/3, fos 156–158; see also Carnarvon to Queen Victoria, 13 January 1877: Royal Archives, N33/32). Nevertheless, he had qualms about Derby's telegram of 12 January to Salisbury stating that ‘no language is to be held that can pledge the Government to enforce these proposals at a later date’ (Carnarvon to Disraeli, 14 January 1877: Hughenden Papers, dep. 100/1, fos 194–195). See P.L. Brumpton, Security and Progress: Lord Salisbury at the India Office (Westport, CT and London, 2004), pp. 82–84.

⁵⁸³ Carnarvon to Northbrook (copy), 12 January 1877: CP, TNA, PRO 30/6/15, fos 75–76.

⁵⁸⁴ Salisbury to Carnarvon (copy), 13 January 1877: CP, BL 60761, fo. 191.

⁵⁸⁵ Sir Henry Maine (1822–1888), had been legal member of the Governor-General's Council in India (1862–1869), then first Professor of Jurisprudence, Oxford University (1869–1877). See W. Stokes (ed.), Sir Henry Maine: a brief memoir of his life . . . with some of his Indian speeches (London, 1892).

⁵⁸⁶ On the Conference of European powers then in session in Turkey.

⁵⁸⁷ See Queen Victoria's Journal, 17 January 1877: Royal Archives, Z/384.

⁵⁸⁸ ‘The news from Constantinople looks very bad [. . .]. The only thing that can be done is to press the Turks strongly and to make them feel that they really have no support from us [. . .]. The Prince does not like my “ideas” on this subject and Derby does not answer when he disagrees with a letter’ (Carnarvon to Northcote, 16 January 1877: Iddesleigh Papers, BL 50022, fo. 202).

⁵⁸⁹ Spencer Compton Cavendish (1833–1908), Marquess of Hartington (1858), 8th Duke of Devonshire (1891). Lib. MP for North Lancashire (1857–1868), for Radnor (1869–1880), for North-east Lancashire (1880–1885), and for Rossendale (1885–1891), Chief Secretary for Ireland (1871–1874), Secretary of State for India (1880–1882), Lord President of the Council (1895–1903), President of the Board of Education (1900–1902).

⁵⁹⁰ William Edward Forster (1818–1886), Lib. MP for Bradford (1861–1886), Vice-President of Committee of Council on Education (1868–1874), Chief Secretary for Ireland (1880–1882). After visiting eastern Europe (including Bulgaria and Turkey) in the autumn of 1876, Forster denounced Turkish atrocities but raised objections to British intervention. See T. Wemyss Reid, Life of the Right Hon. W.E. Forster, 2 vols (London, 1885), II, pp. 160–164.

⁵⁹¹ Carnarvon had urged Derby to accept General Ignatiev's proposals to offer Turkey reduced terms at the Conference of Great Powers (Carnarvon to Derby, 10 December and 14 December 1876: Derby Papers, DER (15), 17/2/a). Richard Millman has claimed that Carnarvon was being used as a spy in the Cabinet by Salisbury. The latter telegraphed Carnarvon on 13 January that he ‘would need to control the Foreign Secretary for there to be any hope of Turkish acceptance’ (R. Millman, Britain and the Eastern Question, 1875–1878 (Oxford, 1979), p. 227).

⁵⁹² Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1808–1892), Poet Laureate (1850), succeeding Wordsworth, 1st Baron Tennyson (1884).

⁵⁹³ ‘Northern Farmer Old Style’, humorous and dramatic poem in North Lincolnshire dialect published 1864. ‘The Lady of Shalott’ appeared in 1832.

⁵⁹⁴ Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 2nd series, 7 (1879), pp. 162–163.

⁵⁹⁵ Gen. Nikolai Pavlovich Ignatiev (1832–1908), Russian diplomat. Ambassador at Peking (1860) and at Constantinople (1864–1878).

⁵⁹⁶ On 1 March, the day that peace was declared between Turkey and Serbia, Russia decided to send Ignatiev on a mission to European capitals to co-ordinate the Great Powers’ views on the Russian protocol, giving conditions as to the Porte for Russian disarmament (Millman, Britain and the Eastern Question, p. 155).

⁵⁹⁷ Lady Salisbury later that day wrote to Carnarvon, ‘The Ignatieffs have just telegraphed to our great surprise that they are coming to Hatfield on Saturday. Do pray by the memory of our ancient friendship come and meet them. We are in despair’ (Lady Salisbury to Carnarvon, 15 March 1877: CP, BL 60759, fo. 2). Carnarvon agreed to join them (ibid., fo. 79).

⁵⁹⁸ Robert Bourke (1827–1902), MP for King's Lynn (1868–1886), Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office (1874–1880, 1885–1886), Governor of Madras (1886–1891), created Baron Connemara (1887).

⁵⁹⁹ George Joachim Goschen (1831–1907), Lib. MP for City of London (1863–1880) and for Ripon (1880–1885), Independent Lib. MP for Edinburgh East (1885–1886) and for St George's, Hanover Square (1887–1900). Contributed to formation of Liberal Unionist Party, President of Poor Law Board (1868–1871), Chancellor of the Exchequer (1886–1892), 1st Viscount Goschen (1900).

⁶⁰⁰ Elliot, who was strongly pro-Turk, had come under pressure to resign. Disraeli and Derby wished to keep him; Salisbury opposed Elliot's return to Constantinople. At the Cabinet of 17 March, Derby threatened to resign if he was overruled (Vincent, Derby, II, p. 383). Elliot was replaced by Henry Layard, who was also pro-Turk, on 31 March.

⁶⁰¹ ‘The English Government and the protocol’, Pall Mall Gazette, 28 March 1877, pp. 1–2. Carnarvon remarked that ‘I can hardly recall anything like it, for it is a distinct announcement of the difference of opinion’, and he believed that ‘for weeks past the Pall Mall has been ostentatiously the F.O. organ’ (Carnarvon to Salisbury, 30 March 1877 (copy): CP, BL 60761, fo. 207).

⁶⁰² Carnarvon wrote to Northcote about the Cabinet meeting of 28 March, the day the Cabinet agreed to sign the protocol: ‘The extraordinary address which Disraeli made as on the disturbers of the unanimity of the Cabinet and which was obviously directed against Salisbury and myself, the things which I know to have been said out of the Cabinet on the same theme. Derby's intemperate conduct even in the ordinary relations of daily life – and this new method of advertising our differences in the newspapers – all this seems to me to be full of danger and if it were to be carried much further would threaten our existence’ (Carnarvon to Northcote, 30 March 1877: Iddesleigh Papers, BL 50022, fo. 210).

⁶⁰³ Carnarvon had sent Disraeli the proofs of the revised Confederation of South African Colonies and State Bill two days earlier (Carnarvon to Disraeli, 5 April 1877 (copy): CP, TNA, PRO 30/6/11, fos 189–190).

⁶⁰⁴ War between Russia and Turkey had broken out on 24 April.

⁶⁰⁵ Anthony Wilson Thorold (1825–1895), Bishop of Rochester (1877–1879), Bishop of Winchester (1890–1895).

⁶⁰⁶ In sending his ‘hearty congratulations’ to Shepstone in carrying out the task, Carnarvon added, ‘The work has been admirably done; and I rejoice to think that the hope which I expressed to you just before you sailed has been so well fulfilled’ (Carnarvon to Shepstone, 30 May 1877 (copy): CP, TNA, PRO 30/6/23, fo. 16). For Shepstone's reply, see Shepstone to Carnarvon, 23 July 1877: ibid., fos 30–33. Cornelis Uys has pointed out that Carnarvon gave Shepstone no official instructions except in a vaguely worded Royal Warrant, while in private letters impressing on Shepstone the urgency for acquiring the Transvaal. ‘The reason for this is obvious. His private epistles could not be published in parliamentary papers, nor could be used against him by his political opponents, trusting in Shepstone's loyalty to him. He evidently calculated that should the mission be a failure, Sir Theophilus would have to bear the full brunt, while he himself would not be jettisoned by the British nation. On the other hand, should the annexation be an unqualified success, he and his friend Wolseley would share the kudos with the Special Commissioner’ (C.J. Uys, In the Era of Shepstone (Lovedale, 1934), p. 265).

⁶⁰⁷ See leading article on the annexation, entitled ‘South African Republic’, The Times, 7 May 1877, p. 9.

⁶⁰⁸ Georges, Marquis d'Harcourt (1808–1883), French ambassador at London (1873–1879).

⁶⁰⁹ C.T. Newton, ‘On the discoveries of Mycenae’, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 2nd series, 7 (1877), pp. 236–247.

⁶¹⁰ Ibid., pp. 247–250.

⁶¹¹ Carnarvon later noted that it was at the Cabinet meeting of 21 July that ‘Salisbury to my astonishment, expressed himself in favour of sending the fleet to Constantinople in the event of the Russians effecting an entrance in Constantinople. A few days afterwards he admitted that he had since been in conversation with Disraeli on the subject’ (Carnarvon, ‘Memorandum on circumstances which led to my resignation in January 1878’: CP, BL 60817, fos 67–68).

⁶¹² Both Disraeli and the Queen had put pressure on Derby to take action. The Queen insisted that he not only protested against Russian atrocities but that he should appeal to other Powers to declare war against Serbia. See Millman, Britain and the Eastern Question, p. 322.

⁶¹³ Sir Julian Pauncefote (1829–1902), Assistant Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office since 1876.

⁶¹⁴ Paul Kruger (1825–1904), the Vice-President, and his political adviser, Dr Edward Jorissen (1829–1912), who made up the delegation, arrived in England at the end of July. They requested a plebiscite on some form of self-government for their country.

⁶¹⁵ Dopper or Canting Church, an evangelical body that strictly adhered to the decrees of the Synod of Dordrecht, 1618–1619. No hymns except psalms were sung by worshippers.

⁶¹⁶ See ‘Memorandum of final interview of delegates with Lord Carnarvon in the library of the castle, 30 Oct. 1872’, in Carnarvon's handwriting: CP, TNA, PRO 30/6/48, fos 214–216.

⁶¹⁷ The fall of Plevna to the Russians on 9 December had increased the risk of war. At the Cabinet of 14 December, Disraeli had put forward three proposals: an immediate summoning of Parliament, a vote to increase military forces, and a proposal to act as mediator to the warring parties. The Cabinet meeting ended indecisively. At a further meeting on 17 December, Disraeli stated that he would resign. Cairns proposed a Cabinet the following day, at which he introduced a modified version of Disraeli's proposals. There was general consent to these views. ‘The great struggle is over’, Disraeli reported two days later, ‘and I have triumphed’ (Buckle, Disraeli, VI, p. 207).