In  such  an  era  of  general  confusion,  the  English  cabinet
found  no  powerful  or  noble  part  to  play.  Still  they  went  far
— almost  too  far  to  recede— towards  embarking  in  a  continental
war  on  behalf  of  Denmark,  that  would  have  been  full  of  mis-
chief to  herself,  of  little  profit  to  her  client,  and  could  liardly
have  ended  otherwise  than  in  widespread  disaster.  Here  is
one  of  the  very  few  instances  in  which  the  public  opinion  of
the  country  at  the  eleventh  hour  reined  back  a  warlike
minister.  Lord  Palmerston  told  the  House  of  Commons  in  the
sunnuer  of  1863  that,  if  any  violent  attempt  were  ma,de  to
overthrow  the  rights  of  Denmark  or  to  interfere  with  its  in-
dependence and  integrity,  he  was  convinced  that  tho.se  who
mad(!  the  attempt  wouldfind  in  the  result  that  'it  would  not
be  IJonmark  alone  with  which  they  would  have  to  contend.'  ^
This  did  indeed  sound  like  a  compromising  declaration  of  quite
sufficient  emphasis.
1  July  23,  1863.
CHAP.  VII.  ^T.  55       PALMERSTON'S  DECLARATION  561

'  It  seems,'  says  Mr.  Gladstone,^  '  that  this  statement  was  geneiallj'  and
not  unnaturally  interpreted  as  a  promise  of  support  from  England.  Lord
Palmerston  does  not  seem  to  have  added  any  condition  or  reservation.
