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LIFE OF OOBDEN. [oma?

greatest, was to convince the Emperor. The Ministe®
undertook to procure an invitation, and two days late’
(October 27) Cobden went to St. Cloud to have his first
audience. It was not the first time that they had seen one
another. Cobden had met Louis Napoleon at breakfast ot
Mr. Monckton Milnes’s three days after the escape from
Ham in 1846. He had then set the Prince down for a very
mediocre person indeed. He did his best to remember that
he was now talking to quite a different personage, but Wa8
not sure that he always succeeded. Cobden kept a full
journal of the events of the negotiation, and the following
is his account of the first interview with the convert who
was of paramount importance :—
“ After a few remarks upon the subject of the improve
ments in Paris, and in the Bois de Boulogne, and after
he had expressed his regret at my not having entered the
Ministry of Lord Palmerston, the Emperor alluded to the
state of feeling in England, and expressed his regret that
notwithstanding he had for ten years given every possible
proof of his desire to preserve the friendship of the British
people, the press had at last defeated his purpose, and now
the relations of the two countries seemed to be worse that
ever. He appealed to me if he had ever done one act t0
justify the manner in which he was assailed by our press!
I candidly told him that I thought the Governments of both
countries were to blame. He asked what he could do
more than he had already dome to promote the friendly
relations of the two countries.* This led to the question of
* In the letter which he wrote on the occasion to Lord Palmerston (Oct:
29, 1859) Cobden gave a rather fuller account of this preliminary part of
the conversation :—¢ The Emperor began the conversation after a foW
introductory remarks, by complaining of the English Press. I told him
that I had myself been accused of every crime almost by the Press (in
cluding en attempt at murder), and that T had learnt to laugh at it, He
continued thiz topic by asking me to point out a single act during the ten
years he had been in power. which had not been dictated by a desire ©