Mr. Adams to Mr. Seward
Sir: Before this reaches you the intelligence of the death of Richard Cobden will have been received in the United States. Suitable notice of this event was taken by Lord Palmerston and Mr. Disraeli, the leaders of the respective parties in the House of Commons on Monday evening.
Of the part which Mr. Cobden has taken upon the questions that have grown out of the present war it is needless to remind you. The independence of his position as between the parties, the vigor of his reasoning, the moderation of his manner, and the peculiar persuasiveness of his eloquence, all conspired to give him a strong power to check the dangerous tendencies of both. Even to the last his earnest anxiety to preserve the friendly relations between the countries was predominant. It prompted him to that effort to come up to London to take a part in the debate on the Canada estimates which undoubtedly hastened his decease. This loss will be severely felt by us in the next House of Commons, which will probably be made up of partially new elements needing some such plastic hand to form them into shape. Mr. Cobden stood almost alone among the leading statesmen of this country in advocating a system of conciliation towards foreign nations by a policy essentially pacific and commercial, rather than ambitious and repulsive. Whatever differences of opinion there may be upon the merits of it, as a whole, there can be none as to the change it was gradually working, even in the limited extent to which it had been adopted, in softening the prejudices of the exterior nations of Europe towards this people. The strongest evidence of this is to be found in the almost universal testimony borne by the continental press, especially that of France, upon the occasion of his death, It may be doubted whether any other public man now living here, could have elicited any similar commendation.
In consideration of the circumstances attending his death, and of the fact that the act will probably be agreeable to the numerous friends of the deceased, I and my first secretary, Mr. Moran, have determined to attend the funeral obsequies at the place of his late residence in the country this day. This will make it necessary to have the despatches prepared for the bag that goes this week ready by an early hour this morning.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D, C.