From the commencement of our conversation Mr. Gladstone had expressed great confidence in our ultimate success. At the end he reverted to this theme. “Your efforts,” said he, “are prodigious and will be crowned with success. You will end by being victorious.” He then reopened the question of England’s intervention and said: “Perhaps our intervention may be useful later.” “Later,” said I. “May I ask when?” “When the French armies are victorious.” “What,” said I. “Is it _then_ that you intend to intervene? Is that what your friendship consists of? You want to intervene _against_ us?” “No,” said he, “_for_ you. But the opportunity will then be more favourable than now, and Prussia will give way to us more easily....” I answered the eminent statesman as I had already answered his excellent colleague Lord Granville, that this was a singular manner of practising friendship and that at any rate his friendship would then be useless. “_Hic Rhodos, hic salta!_ It must be intervention now or never!” * * * * * I will not end this summary account without mentioning some curious phrases uttered by Mr. Gladstone concerning the Second Empire. It was clear that we were bound to speak of it. I had made it a rule, ever since the inception of my journey, to speak of it only with the greatest reserve. I had foreign diplomatists to address, and it was consequently unworthy of my rôle and unnecessary for my mission to belittle a Government, which France had tolerated for eighteen years, more than it had belittled itself. But the persons I interviewed did not consider themselves bound to the same reserve, and the fallen Government which had plunged France into this war was criticised very severely both in Vienna and in London. Among other things Mr. Gladstone said:-- “We have always regarded the 2nd of December with horror, and we have always detested the régime it initiated. We have a hatred of despotism. But since the French nation accepted it, we had on our side no other course but to tolerate it. It was a question of domestic politics, which in no way concerned a foreign people. “Later on our dislike grew less. The friendly relations which the Empire established between France and England, particularly the _great commercial relations_, which it opened up by means of commercial treaties, made us forget the horror which its origin and its despotism had inspired in us ... but with the latter we were never frankly reconciled. “It was not till the month of January, 1870, that we had hopes of amelioration. We then thought that a new parliamentary régime, with its attendant liberties, was about to commence in France, and we greeted the Ministry that was to have given it with pleasure and satisfaction. “Unfortunately, we were mistaken....”