74.2

LIFE OF COBDEN. fomaF

1860. The people of the country wished to make their visito¥
&r. 56. useful; and three of the principal inhabitants of Grass
came to beg of him that when he returned to Paris be
would say a word to M. Rouher in favour of a railroad fro®
Grasse to Cannes. “I remarked,” says Cobden, “that in
England a rich and industrious community like theirs would
have a meeting, and form a company to make a line for
themselves, seeing that it was calculated that it would pay
a good interest for the investment. They replied that it
was not their way of doing things in France; they were
accustomed to look to the government to take the initiative;
and as other parts of France were assisted by government
they might as well be assisted also. They said that in the
month of May, when the flowers were brought into Grass®
for making them into scented waters, pomades, etc., 01°
house would sometimes receive several tons of rose-leaves iB
» morning.”
In the course of his stay, Cobden paid a visit to some
friends at Nice, where the expected annexation to France
was the general topic of conversation among people of all
classes. It is perhaps worth while, considering the violent
agitation which this transaction was shortly to rouse in
England, to reproduce Cobden’s impression of the public
feeling on the spot :—I found it very difficult,” he say®
“to ascertain the prevailing state of opinion on the subject:
As a general rule, I found that people’s inclinations in the
matter followed pretty closely the direction of their personal
interests. The shopkeepers and tradespeople of the tows
who thought their business would be improved by the
change, were in favour of annexation. The professions!
men, the advocates, and lawyers, whose interests would
suffer, were generally opposed to the project. The landowners
 and peasants were said by some to be favourable
and by others to be opposed. It was very difficult to ascer-