Mr. Adams to Mr. Seward.
Sir: The state of things on the continent is regarded so critical to the maintenance of peace, that much alarm has been felt daring the past week, particularly in business circles in the city. Whilst great confidence is entertained in the preservation of the neutrality of this kingdom, under the policy now understood to be accepted equally by both parties, the apprehension of more or less derangement of all the ordinary channels of trade has the effect, for the moment, of putting a stop to enterprise.
In the domestic affairs of the kingdom the chief event of the week is the apparent withdrawal of Mr. Gladstone from the lead of the opposition in the House of Commons, in consequence of the course taken by a fraction of the party in the division on the 12th instant. How far this may be considered to extend, and to what consequence it may lead if fully persevered in, it is not easy now to foresee. There can be little doubt that he is the person now in England who enjoys the most of the confidence of the influential middle classes, [Page 82] as well as those below them who look forward to enfranchisement through his agency. It can scarcely be presumed that any measure which the government may be likely to pass without his concurrence and that of his friends in Parliament will meet with popular approval, or be considered as a settlement for any length of time. It is not impossible that the next step in the agitation, if relieved from the pressure of his position, may be to demand a still more popular measure, not stopping short of universal household suffrage, unembarrassed by any of the restraints or qualifications now proposed to limit its operation, The great difficulty at the root of the whole matter in Parliament is the secret disinclination of many of the members to any change whatever. Hence, whilst the profession runs all in one direction, the action to sustain it is uncertain, fitful, and changeable. This is a not infrequent symptom in advance of a great revolution. In the present restless and uneasy condition of all the central regions of Europe, it would seem as if a small event might suddenly lead to the most important and extraordinary consequences.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.