France wished to aid in any way
possible the early cessation of war. Seward, wrote Mercier, told him to
add that he, personally, would welcome "the presence in the Senate" of
any persons whom the South wished to elect[593].

Mercier, writes Bancroft, "from the first had been an impatient
sympathizer with the Confederacy, and he was quite devoid of the balance
and good judgment that characterized Lord Lyons." "Quite unnecessarily,
Seward helped him to make the trip[594]." A circumstance apparently not
known to Bancroft was Mercier's consultation with Lyons, before
departure, in which were revealed an initiative of the adventure, and a
proposed representation to the authorities in Richmond materially
different from the report made by Mercier to Thouvenel. These merit
expanded treatment as new light on a curious episode and especially as
revealing the British policy of the moment, represented in the person of
the British Minister in Washington[595].

On April 10 Mercier came to Lyons, told him that he was about to set out
for Richmond and that he had "been for some little time thinking of
making this journey." He told of _making the suggestion to Seward_, and
that this "rather to his surprise" had been "eagerly" taken up.

"Monsieur Mercier observed that the object of vital
importance to France, and to England also, as he supposed,
was to put an end, as soon as possible, to the blockade, and
generally to a state of things which caused so grievous an
interruption of the trade between Europe and this country. It
was, he said, possible that he might hasten the attainment of
this object by conferring personally with the Secession
leaders. He should frankly tell them that to all appearances
their cause was desperate; that their Armies were beaten in
all quarters; and that the time had arrived when they ought
to come to some arrangement, which would put an end to a
state of affairs ruinous to themselves and intolerable to
Europe. It was useless to expect any countenance from the
European Powers. Those Powers could but act on their avowed
principles. They would recognize any people which
established its independence, but they could not encourage
the prolongation of a fruitless struggle.

"Monsieur Mercier thought that if the Confederates were very
much discouraged by their recent reverses, such language from
the Minister of a