thumb|Palmerston (age 50), c. 1830s–1840s Palmerston had long maintained a suspicious and hostile attitude towards Russia, whose autocratic government offended his liberal principles and whose ever-growing size challenged the strength of the British Empire. He was angered by the 1833 Treaty of Hünkâr İskelesi, a mutual assistance pact between Russia and the Ottomans, but was annoyed and hostile towards David Urquhart, the creator of the Vixen affair, running the Russian blockade of Circassia in the mid-1830s.Brown, Palmerston: A Biography (2010) pp. 210-11.
thumb|palmerston (age 50) c 1830s–1840s palmerston had long maintained a suspicious and hostile attitude towards russia whose autocratic government offended his liberal principles and whose ever-growing size challenged the strength of the british empire he was angered by the 1833 treaty of hünkâr i̇skelesi a mutual assistance pact between russia and the ottomans but was annoyed and hostile towards david urquhart the creator of the vixen affair running the russian blockade of circassia in the mid-1830sbrown palmerston a biography (2010) pp 210-11