October 5.

Arrived in London at 3.  To the Cabinet room, where I found Lord Bathurst, come up to town for Seymour Bathurst’s [Footnote:  Hon. Seymour Bathurst, fourth son of third Earl Bathurst, married October 6, 1829, Julia, daughter of John Peter Hankey, Esq.] marriage, and afterwards Fitzgerald came in.

Fitzgerald was a fortnight in Ireland, and gives a bad account of it.

A letter from Metternich says peace was actually signed.  Sir E. Gordon’s despatches give every reason to expect it soon would be.  The peace cannot last.  I am inclined to think it would have been better for the Russians to have occupied Constantinople, and for the Ottoman Empire to have been overthrown that we might have known at once where we were, than to have had such a peace as this.  It is practically present occupation (for a year) of more than they now hold, for they are to have the fortresses ceded to them.  They exact 750,000L for the pretended losses of their merchants, and five millions for themselves.  The indemnity to the merchants to be paid by three instalments.  On the payment of the first, Adrianople and a few places on the coast to be given up.  On the payment of the second everything to the Balkan, and on the third Bulgaria.  These payments occupy a year.

The five millions are to be paid in ten years, or sooner if the Turks can manage it.  The Principalities to be occupied till the payment.  The Turks to confirm the Government established during the ten years, and not to impose any taxes for two years more.

All the fortresses on the left bank to be destroyed.  None of the islands to belong to Turkey.  No Turk to enter the principalities.  The princes to be for life.  All payments in kind from the Principalities to cease, and instead the Turks and the princes to agree upon a compensation!  It is unnecessary to go through the other articles relative to the Principalities.  The treaty contains a real cession of them to Russia.

The terms as to the navigation of merchantmen, their not being searched in a Turkish port, the refusal of acquiescence in the demands of the Russian Minister where any injury is pretended to have been done to a Russian, to be just ground for reprisal, &c., are of a nature intolerable to an independent Power, and not to be carried into execution.

On the side of Asia everything is ceded that can enable Russia to attack either Turkey or Persia with advantage.

The terms imposed with regard to indemnities are extravagant and altogether contrary to all the Emperor’s promises.  He has not deceived us; but he has lied to us most foully.  Sir R. Gordon seems to have done all that could be done.  Perhaps he has saved Constantinople from conflagration, and the Empire from dissolution.  He has managed to settle the Greek question, Turkey consenting to everything the allies may determine under the protocol of March