Part 1 Palmerston and the "Civis Romanus": Britain in mid-century - the political setting for the affair. Part 2 David and Goliath together - Forsters, Braithwaite and Martin, and the most English minister, 1849-1853: prologue - the Cives Britannici; Matthyew Forster MP - champion of the legitimate trade; focus on the Nunez - 1847; the clash of arms, the quest for truth, the veils of deception - actions in Africa and the return to Europe, spring 1849; political scandals and the affair - Palmerston versus de la Hitte, d'Hoffscmidt and the court, 1849-1851; the affair within the affair - end-game, 1852-1853; epilogue. Part 3 Appendices: "Pam" and "Winnie" - a comparison; constitutional and legal aspects; Foreign Office pressures, 1851-1853; the road to Debucca.

Lord Palmerston investigated the apparently minor affair of two British traders whose enterprise on the Rio Nunez in West Africa had been attacked by Belgian trading rivals. Research and new material detail his personal handling of this in the midst of affairs of state.