o wise to retaliate. His opportunity had come, and
he entrusted the negotiations to Eden, who deserted the opposition and
accepted a seat on the new board of trade. Eden had a thorough knowledge
of commercial affairs, and carried out his mission as envoy to the
French court with great success.[198] The treaty, signed on September
26, 1786, reduced the duties on many of the principal articles of
commerce of both countries, and put others not specified on the
most-favoured-nation footing. A large and easily accessible market was
opened to British commerce, and, as the exports of France were for the
most part not produced in England and the French were in want of
British products, both countries would, Pitt argued, be gainers by an
increase in the freedom of their trade one with the other, and political
ill-feeling would be diminished by more intimate and mutually profitable
relations. The navigation clauses showed as liberal a spirit as the
commercial; an enemy's goods carried in the ships of either country were
to be held free by the other, except contraband of war, which was
limited to warlike implements and was not to include naval stores.

The treaty favoured the interests of the consumer, and was contrary to
the economic principles of the whigs, who maintained that commerce
should be regulated so as to promote home industry. Fox strongly
objected to it in parliament, mainly on the ground that France was "the
natural foe of Great Britain," and that any close connexion with her was
dangerous. Sheridan and Charles Grey, afterwards the second Earl Grey,
in his maiden speech joined him in condemning the treaty, but it was
approved of by large majorities. Though it caused some temporary
displeasure among the manufacturers, it was followed by a large increase
of trade with France. Among Pitt's achievements as minister in time of
peace none deserves to be ranked higher than this treaty, whether
regarded in its details, or as a monument of his enlightened commercial
policy, or as illustrating his statesmanlike view of the relations which
it was desirable to establish between the two countries. His credit was
further strengthened in the same session by his bill for the
consolidation of the customs and excise. The customs duties, fixed from
time to time, some on one system and some on another, were so complex
that no one could be sure what he might be required to pay, and
merchants often depended on the custom-house officers to