trey] THE CONVENTIONS SIGHED. 787

lataredly :—* You will not bless the day when you made Rid
%quaintance with diplomacy. But as you have now got Zr. se.
Sutangled in our meshes, you must take us as we are,
for better, for worse.” The truth seems to be that Lord
Palmerston, who knew little or nothing of the merits
f the matter, thought in a general way that official
form or the national dignity required that a certain
lumber of objections should be raised. Mr. Milner Gibson
Was compelled to hurry down to Broadlands, to prove by
word of mouth to the Prime Minister that they were wasting
time in mere strawsplitting. The Foreign Office held out
pon the following point. If an importer were proved to
have made a declaration of value to the amount of ten per
ent. under the real value, he should be liable to penalties.
No, our Government said, ten per cent. is not margin
"hough: the importer must not be punished unless his
inder-declaration should amount to fifteen per cent. on the
real value. In fact, this was only making things a little
%asier for dishonest men. M., Rouher said that he would
Accept the alteration if it were pressed, but that it would
disincline him for the adoption of further ad valorem duties.
This was explained to Lord Cowley, and efter an inter-*hange
 of telegrams, the alteration was abandoned.
It was October 12 before the first supplementary con-Yention
 was signed, fixing the duty on work in metals.
The second supplementary convention, embracing the re-Wainder
 of the French tariff, was signed on November 16.
On this day the labours of the Treaty came to an end.
Cobden summed up his grievances in the following passage
0 hig journal, referring immediately to the earlier of the two
Conventions, but substantially conveying his impressions of
the performance as a whole :—
“This convention was ready for signature, so far ss the
Qegotintion here was concerned, on the 18th September, and