v.]

MANOHESTER AND GERMANY OOGNTRASTED. 135

of vigorous intellectus]! and moral ascendency, the wealthy 1837.
middle class would place themselves at the head of a Zr. 88.
National life with new types and wiser ideals. Any ore who
reflects on the gain for good causes in England, if only the
foremost, men of this class would dare to be themselves,
and showy by grave and self-respecting example that a great
Citizen is beyond the rivalry of the great noble, will cherish
the vision that passed for an instant before Cobden’s social
imagination. As for his contrast between the educated
traders of the continent, and the haunters of the White
Bear with their leathern heads, we may be sure that all
this wag the result of true observation, and was due to
10 childish propensity to think everything abroad better
than anything at home. Cobden had far too much integrity
of understanding to yield either to the patriotic bias, or the
anti-patriotic bias; and he knew able men when he saw
them, as well in his own country as elsewhere.
In the summer of the previous year he had, in one of his
visits to London, sought the acquaintance of some of the
Prominent journalists and politicians, and he wrote down his
impressions of them.
“ Yesterday,” —this was in J une, 1837—* we went along
with Cole to see the print-works of Surrey, and dined with
Makepeace, The day before, being Sunday, I went in the
morning to hear Benson (in the Temple Church) abuse the
Dissenters and the Catholics, and compare the persecuted
Church of England to the ark of the Israelites, when encom-Passed
 by the Amalekites, . : . Then I went to the Zoological
 Gardens, and after staying there till the last minute,
I accompanied Cole home to his house, . nd dined and slept.
© + + On Saturday in the mornin" "tae Clubs ; was
introduced to Fonblangue (Jws.’ abn! Spectator),
Bowring, Howard Elphinstone, etc. ln the evening of the
Same day I dined with Hindley, and met —— =. —0