Nesselrode agreed with Pozzo di Borgo. He had no sympathy at all for Polish national aspirations. ‘If the partition of this country was in principle an illegal measure contrary to public law and the maintenance of the equilibrium, at least it had the fortunate result of diminishing the germs of discussion and troubles in Europe,’ he wrote. Stein concurred, arguing that an autonomous kingdom of Poland would not survive anyway as it had no developed third estate.4 But Alexander’s resolve was unshakeable.
