ing of the Trades Unions of London at St. James' Hall,
on March 26, usually regarded as the culminating effort in Bright's tour
of England for the cause of democracy, but whose origin is somewhat
shrouded in mystery. Socialist tradition claims that Karl Marx conceived
the idea of the meeting and was responsible for its organization[1368].
The press generally reported it as a "Bright Meeting." Adams wrote to
Seward of the pressure put on him by Professor Beesly, of the University
of London, to send a representative from the American Ministry, Beesly
expanding upon the importance and high standing of the Trades Unions. To
this Adams demurred but finally sent his son to sit in the audience and
report the proceedings.

Whatever its origin there can be no doubt that this was the most
important of all pro-Northern meetings held in England during the Civil
War, nor that its keynote was "America fighting the battle of
democracy." Save for some distinguished speakers those in attendance
consisted almost wholly of three thousand picked representatives of the
Trades Unions of London. Adams transmitted to Seward his son's report of
the meeting, its character, composition, names of speakers and their
emphatic expressions of friendship for the North[1369], but it is again
noteworthy that Henry Adams' clear analysis of the real significance of
the meeting was not printed in the published diplomatic correspondence.
Giving due praise to the speeches of Bright and Beesly, and commenting
on press assertions that "the extraordinary numbers there were only
brought together by their curiosity to hear Mr. Bright," Henry Adams
continued: "That this was not the case must have been evident to every
person present. In fact, it was only after he closed that the real
business of the evening began." Then followed speeches and the
introduction of resolutions by "Mr. Howell, a bricklayer ... Mr. Odgers,
a shoemaker ... Mr. Mantz, a compositor ... Mr. Cremer, a joiner, who
was bitter against Lord Palmerston ... Mr. Conolly, a mason...." and
other labouring men, all asserting "that the success of free
institutions in America was a political question of deep consequence in
England and that they would not tolerate any interference unfavourable
to the North." No one, the report emphasized, "could doubt what was
intended."

"The meeting was a demonstration of democratic strength and
no concealment of this fact was made. If it did not have a