value. They discover that much of their political quietude has been
due to the judicious exercise of his influence over the Queen and the
Court, and they do not conceal their uneasiness as to the future without
him[449]." The nation was plunged into deep mourning, but not to
distraction from the American crisis, for on the day when all papers
were black with mourning borders, December 16, they printed the news of
the approval of Wilkes by the United States Congress, and gave a summary
of Lincoln's message of December 2, which, to their astonishment, made
no mention of the _Trent_ affair. The Congressional approval caused
"almost a feeling of consternation among ourselves," but Lincoln's
silence, it was argued, might possibly be taken as a good omen, since it
might indicate that he had as yet reached no decision[450]. Evidently
there was more real alarm caused by the applause given Wilkes by one
branch of the government than by the outpourings of the American press.
The next day several papers printed Lincoln's message in full and the
_Times_ gave a long editorial analysis, showing much spleen that he had
ignored the issue with Great Britain[451]. On the eighteenth this
journal also called attention, in a column and a half editorial, to the
report of the American Secretary of War, expressing astonishment, not
unmixed with anxiety, at the energy which had resulted in the increase
of the army to 700,000 men in less than nine months. The _Times_
continued, even increased, its "vigour" of utterance on the _Trent_, but
devoted most of its energy to combating the suggestions, now being made
very generally, advocating a recourse to arbitration. This would be
"weak concession," and less likely to secure redress and peace for the
future, than an insistence on the original demands.

Statesmen also were puzzled by Lincoln's silence. Milner Gibson wrote
that "even though Lyons should come away, I think the dispute may after
all be settled without war[452]." Cornewall Lewis thought the "last mail
from America is decidedly threatening, not encouraging[453]." But on
December 19, Adams was at last able to give Russell official assurance
that Wilkes had acted without authorization. Russell at once informed
Lyons of this communication and that he had now told Adams the exact
terms of his two instructions to Lyons of November 30. He instructed
Lyons to accept in place of an apology an explanation that Wilkes'
action was unauthorized--a ver