1885.
27. 51.

526

P.
LIFE OF COBDEN. [ona

blame any Minister who does not make peace.” The French
Emperor was in a similar predicament. Marshal Vaillant
bold him that he would not answer for the French army if
were brought home without laurels. In this unpromising
situation Cobden sat down to write a pamphlet, which Wa8
published at the beginning of 1856, What Newt—and Neat ?*
Without going into the question of the origin of fhe WaT
Cobden made it his object “to give some facts about Russi?
with a view to prevent the self-confidence into which people
fell of humbling that Power on her own soil.” «I suppos®
people won't read it,” he said, “but my conscience will be
ab rest.”
Tt now remains to give some of Cobden’s correspondent?
at this time, principally from that with Mr. Bright.
“ Midhurst, Sept. 14, 1854. (To Mr. Bright.)—1 am in
the midst of the removal of my books, and for the last fo¥
days have been up to my chin in dusty tomes and piles of
old pamphlets, a cartload of which I am consigning to the
hay-loft for waste paper. Fortunately for me my mind has
therefore been little occupied on public affairs, which 1
confess afford me but little food for pleasant reflection.
“I am as much satisfied as ever that we have followed #
right course on the war question. It must be right for 1%
because we have followed our own conscientious convictions
But in proportion as we are devoted to our principles mus
be our regret to see so little prospect of their being adopted
as the practical guide of our foreign policy. It is no u%°
blinking the fact that there are not a score of men in the
House, and but few out of the ranks of the Friends in th
country, who are ready to take their stand upon the principl®
of non-intervention in the affairs of other countries. This
is no reason why we should hold our peace; but it show?
that we have to begin at the beginning, by converting
5 Collected Writings, vol. ii.