Lord Derby also agreed with Prince Bismarck in expecting an
early meeting of the Conference at Baden-Baden, though he added " that a rumour to which I attach a certain weight leads me to think that one of the Governments concerned may possibly object to the shortness of the time" [before the end of the first week in March], " and ask for a further delay." Lord Derby also added that he much preferred sending an ambassador to any meeting of Foreign Ministers at the Conference, because in the case of Parliamentary States it was very undesirable that the Foreign Minister should be so widely separated from his col- leagues and from the Parliament by whose counsels he must be guided; and because, when so isolated from his colleagues, he could not pretend to determine for himself the issues -raised. And in this objection Lord Granville fully concurred. So that in all pro- bability there will be no Foreign Ministers at the Conference,— for Ministers could not go to meet mere ambassadors without a certain derogation from their dignity.
