ABSTRACT
A letter was waiting for Layard in Constantinople informing him that he could expect to receive an official appointment from the Foreign Office. Canning had spoken to Lord Palmerston in London and had written immediately to explain to his young protégé that things were looking better. He asked him to stay in Constantinople, waiting for his own arrival, so Layard sat here waiting with growing impatience for the ambassador or at least a message authorising him to continue to London. Canning, however, was involved in delicate diplomatic manoeuvres which took him first to Switzerland where he was supposed to mediate in a civil war which had broken out between Catholics and Protestants. He had personally been heavily involved in the creation of the cantonal state in 1815. He returned to London in February 1848, leaving finally for Turkey on 17 March. Along the way he was supposed to sound out the political situation in various European capitals. Berlin, where he was to go first, was the scene of massacre and anarchy; Vienna had students storming the council chamber, forcing Metternich to flee. While Canning was in Vienna there were strong student protests. So he was busy and Layard in Constantinople could not claim his full attention.
