ng, "We
think it high time to give the Southern States the recognition they so
richly deserve."

Other pro-Southern speakers emphasized Lancashire distress. Gregory
said: "We should remember what is impending over Lancashire--what want,
what woe, what humiliation--and that not caused by the decree of God,
but by the perversity of man. I leave the statistics of the pauperism
that is, and that is to be, to my honourable friends, the
representatives of manufacturing England." No statistics were
forthcoming from this quarter for not a representative from Lancashire
participated in the debate save Hopwood who at the very end upbraided
his fellow members from the district for their silence and was
interrupted by cries of "Divide, Divide." Lindsay's quoted letter was
met by opponents of mediation with the assertion that the operatives
were well known to be united against any action and that they could be
sustained "in luxury" from the public purse for far less a cost than
that of a war with America.

But cotton did not play the part expected of it in this debate. Forster
in a very able speech cleverly keeping close to a consideration of the
effect of mediation on _England_, advanced the idea that such a step
would not end the war but would merely intensify it and so prolong
English commercial distress. He did state, however, that intervention
(as distinct from mediation) would bring on a "servile war" in America,
thus giving evidence of his close touch with Adams and his knowledge of
Seward's despatch of May 28. In the main the friends of the North were
content to be silent and leave it to the Government to answer Lindsay.
This was good tactics and they were no doubt encouraged to silence by
evidence early given in the debate that there would be no positive
result from the motion. Gregory showed that this was a real _attack_ on
the Government by his bitter criticisms of Russell's "three months"
speech[704].

At the conclusion of Gregory's speech Lindsay and his friends, their
immediate purpose accomplished and fearing a vote, wished to adjourn the
debate indefinitely. Palmerston objected. He agreed that everyone
earnestly wished the war in America to end, but he declared that such
debates were a great mistake unless something definite was to follow
since they only served to create irritation in America, both North and
South. He concluded with a vigorous assertion that if the Ministry were
to administer the affairs of the n