Cartoon depicting Henry John Temple; 3rd Viscount Palmerston handing Queen Victoria his resignation. Palmerston was forced to resign on the grounds that he had exceeded is authority. Lord John Russell (right) stayed in office as Prime Minister. Henry John Temple; 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784-1865) a British statesman and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. John Russell; 1st Earl Russell (1792-1878) leading Whig and Liberal politician and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Illustrated by John Leech (1817-1864) an English caricaturist and illustrator. Dated 19th century.