"[82] These proposals were rejected by a very decided majority
of the Cabinet, only three ministers, Lord Aberdeen, Sir James Graham
and Mr. Sidney Herbert, supporting them. Sir Robert tells us that he
would, at this juncture, have felt himself justified in resigning
office, but that on weighing all the circumstances of his position, he
resolved to retain it until the end of November, when the Cabinet would
meet again, as he thought by that time new information would be
forthcoming, and in all likelihood new phases of the crisis would have
arisen, to induce his colleagues to change or modify their views. He
also thought his immediate resignation, if not a cowardly, would be an
undignified course, as it would be sure to create excitement and even
panic in the country.
The most decided opponent of the Premier's views was Lord Stanley. After
the Cabinet Council of the 1st of November, he wrote a memorandum
detailing his objections to those views, and sent it to his chief, who
says "it contained a very detailed, clear, and able exposition of the
grounds on which Lord Stanley dissented from the proposals he had
submitted to the Cabinet."[83]
The Cabinet re-assembled on the 25th of November, and agreed to the
instructions which were to be issued to the Lord Lieutenant, and by him
given to the Commission which had been appointed, to consider and adopt
such measures as they deemed useful to mitigate the apprehended
scarcity.
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