mperor it was of the greatest importance that
he, Mason, should be at once informed of the results and how far he
might communicate them to "our friends in the House[1081]." Slidell saw
the Emperor on June 18, talked of the possibility of "forcing the
English Cabinet to act or to give way to a new ministry," asked that an
interview be given Lindsay and Roebuck, and hinted that Lord Malmesbury,
a warm friend of the Emperor, would probably be the Foreign Secretary in
a Tory cabinet. Napoleon made no comment indicating any purpose to aid
in upsetting the Palmerston Government; but consented to the requested
interview and declared he would go to the length of officially informing
the British Ministry that France was very ready to discuss the
advisability of recognizing the South[1082].

This was good news. June 22, Slidell received a note from Mocquard
stating that Baron Gros, the French Ambassador at London, had been
instructed to sound Russell. Meanwhile, Roebuck and Lindsay had hurried
to Paris, June 20, saw Napoleon and on the twenty-fifth, Slidell
reported that they were authorized to state in the House of Commons that
France was "not only willing but anxious to recognize the Confederate
States with the co-operation of England[1083]." Slidell added, however,
that Napoleon had not promised Roebuck and Lindsay to make a formal
proposal to Great Britain. This rested on the assurances received by
Slidell from Mocquard, and when Mason, who had let the assurance be
known to his friends, wrote that Russell, replying to Clanricarde, on
June 26, had denied any official communication from France, and asked
for authority from Slidell to back up his statements by being permitted
to give Roebuck a copy of the supposed instruction[1084], he received a
reply indicating confusion somewhere:

"I called yesterday on my friend at the Affaires Etrangeres
on the subject of your note of Saturday: he has just left me.
M.D. de Lh. will not give a copy of his instructions to Baron
Gros--but this is the substance of it. On the 19th he
directed Baron Gros to take occasion to say to leading
Members of Parliament that the Emperor's opinions on the
subject of American affairs were unchanged. That he was
disposed with the co-operation of England immediately to
recognize the Confederate States; this was in the form of a
draft letter, not a despatch. On the 22nd, he officially
instructed the Bar