France gave no sign of lack of
"perfect accord." On the contrary Thouvenel even discouraged Slidell
from following Mason's example of demanding recognition and the formal
communication was withheld, Mason acquiescing[726]. Slidell thought new
disturbances in Italy responsible for this sudden lessening of French
interest in the South, but he was gloomy, seeing again the frustration
of high hopes. August 24 he wrote Benjamin:

"You will find by my official correspondence that we are
still hard and fast aground here. Nothing will float us off
but a strong and continued current of important successes in
the field.

I have no hope from England, because I am satisfied that she
desires an indefinite prolongation of the war, until the
North shall be entirely exhausted and broken down.

Nothing can exceed the selfishness of English statesmen
except their wretched hypocrisy. They are continually casting
about their disinterested magnaminity and objection of all
other considerations than those dictated by a high-toned
morality, while their entire policy is marked by egotism and
duplicity. I am getting to be heartily tired of Paris[727]."

On August 7 Parliament adjourned, having passed on the last day of the
session an Act for the relief of the distress in Lancashire by
authorizing an extension of powers to the Poor Law Guardians. Like
Slidell and Mason pro-Northern circles in London thought that in August
there had come to a disastrous end the Southern push for a change in
British policy, and were jubilant. To be sure, Russell had merely
declared that the time for action was "not yet" come, but this was
regarded as a sop thrown to the South. Neither in informed Southern nor
Northern circles outside the Cabinet was there any suspicion, _except by
Adams_, that in the six months elapsed since Lindsay had begun his
movement the Ministry had been slowly progressing in thoughts of
mediation.

In fact the sentiment of the Cabinet as stated by Gladstone had been
_favourable_ to mediation when "both parties were ready for it" and that
such readiness would come soon most Members were convinced. This was a
convenient and reasonable ground for postponing action but did not
imply that if the conviction were unrealized no mediation would be
attempted. McClellan, driven out of the Peninsula, had been removed, and
August saw the Northern army pressed back from Virginia soil.