n. 15, 1863.]

[Footnote 1056: _Ibid_, p. 420. Mason to Benjamin, Feb. 5, 1863.]

[Footnote 1057: Mason Papers, Jan. 23, 1863.]

[Footnote 1058: _Ibid._, Slidell to Mason, Feb. 15, 1863.]

[Footnote 1059: _Ibid._, Slidell to Mason, Feb. 23, 1863, and Mason to
Slidell, Feb. 24, 1863.]

[Footnote 1060: Schwab, p. 33.]

[Footnote 1061: _Ibid._, p. 33. In France permission to advertise the
loan was at first refused, but this was changed by the intervention of
the Emperor.]

[Footnote 1062: Richardson, II, p. 457. To Benjamin, March 21, 1863.]

[Footnote 1063: Mason's _Mason_, p. 401. To Benjamin, March 30, 1863.]

[Footnote 1064: MS. Thesis, by Walter M. Case, for M.A. degree at
Stanford University: _James M. Mason--Confederate Diplomat_ (1915). I am
much indebted to Mr. Case's Chapter V: "Mason and Confederate Finance."]

[Footnote 1065: No evidence has been found to support this. Is not the
real reason for the change to be found in British Governmental
intentions known or suspected? March 27 was the day of the Parliamentary
debate seemingly antagonistic to the North: while March 31, on the other
hand, the _Alexandra_ case was referred to the Law Officers, and April 4
they recommend her seizure, which was done on April 5. It is to be
presumed that rumours of this seeming face-about by the Government had
not failed to reach the bond market.]

[Footnote 1066: Mason Papers. Mason to Slidell, April 3, 1863.]

[Footnote 1067: _Ibid._, Spence to Mason, May 9, 1863. This letter was
written a month after the event at Mason's request for an exact
statement of what had occurred.]

[Footnote 1068: _Ibid._]

[Footnote 1069: Schwab, pp. 39-44. Schwab believes that Erlanger &
Company "are certainly open to the grave suspicion of having themselves
been large holders of the bonds in question, especially in view of the
presumably large amount of lapsed subscriptions, and of having quietly
unloaded them on the unsuspecting Confederate agents when the market
showed signs of collapsing" (p. 35). Schwab did not have access to
Spence's report which gives further ground for this suspicion.]

[Footnote 1070: A newspaper item that Northern ships had run by
Vicksburg sent it down; Lee's advance into Pennsylvania caused a
recovery; his retreat from Gettysburg brought it so low as thirty per
cent. discount.]

[Footnote 1071: After the war was over Bigelow secured possession of and
published an alleged list of important subscribers