William, firmly convinced that twenty thousand would be too few, refused to make or empower others to make a proposition which seemed to him absurd and disgraceful.

Thus, at a moment at which it was peculiarly desirable that all who bore a part in the executive administration should act cordially together, there was serious dissension between him and his ablest councillors.

For that dissension neither he nor they can be severely blamed.

They were differently situated, and necessarily saw the same objects from different points of view.

He, as was natural, considered the question chiefly as an European question.