gain. He
continued:

"... that France ought not to interfere in the internal
affairs of the United States, but that the United States
ought equally to abstain from all interference in the
internal concerns of France; and that His Majesty considered
that the hindrance placed by the Northern States upon the
exportation of cotton from the South was not justifiable, and
was tantamount to interference with the legal commerce of
France."

He also "denied the efficiency of the blockade so established. He had
made observations in this sense to Her Majesty's Government, but they
had not been replied to." Then "His Majesty asked what were the opinions
of Her Majesty's Govt.; adding that if Her Majesty's Govt. agreed with
him as to the inefficiency of the blockade, he was ready to send ships
of war to co-operate with others of Her Majesty to keep the Southern
ports open." Finally Napoleon requested Lindsay to see Cowley and find
out what he thought of these ideas.

Cowley told Lindsay he did not know of any "offer" whatever having been
made by France to England, that his (Cowley's) opinion was "that it
might be true that the North and the South would never re-unite, but
that it was not yet proved; that the efficiency of the blockade was a
legal and international question, and that upon the whole it had been
considered by Her Majesty's Govt. as efficient, though doubtless many
ships had been enabled to run it"; and "that at all events there could
not be a more inopportune moment for mooting the question both of the
recognition of the South and of the efficiency of the blockade. The
time was gone by when such measures could, if ever, have been taken--for
every mail brought news of expeditions from the North acting with
success upon the South; and every day added to the efficiency of the
blockade"; and "that I did not think therefore that Her Majesty's Govt.
would consent to send a squadron to act as the Emperor had indicated,
but that I could only give a personal opinion, which might be corrected
if I was in error by Mr. Lindsay himself seeing Lord Russell."

On April 13th a second interview took place between Lindsay and
Napoleon, of which Lindsay reported that having conveyed to Napoleon
Cowley's denial of any offer made to England, as well as a contrary view
of the situation, Napoleon:

"... repeated the statement that two long despatches with his
opinion had been written t