tten the French ministerial crisis--the real cause of Napoleon's
silence--came to an end with the retirement of Thouvenel and the
succession of Drouyn de Lhuys. Russell's reply to Palmerston's assertion
of the folly of appealing now to the belligerents was that "recognition"
was certainly out of the question for the present and that "it should
not take place till May Or June next year, when circumstances may show
pretty clearly whether Gladstone was right[808]." But this yielding to
the Premier's decision was quickly withdrawn when, at last, Napoleon and
his new Minister could turn their attention to the American question.

On October 27 Cowley reported a conversation with the Emperor in which
American affairs were discussed. Napoleon hoped that England, France and
Russia would join in an offer of mediation. Cowley replied that he had
no instructions and Napoleon then modified his ideas by suggesting a
proposal of armistice for six months "in order to give time for the
present excitement to calm down[809]...." The next day Cowley reported
that Drouyn de Lhuys stated the Emperor to be very anxious to "put an
end to the War," but that he was himself doubtful whether it would not
be better to "wait a little longer," and in any case if overtures to
America were rejected Russia probably would not join Great Britain and
France in going on to a recognition of the South[810]. All this was
exactly in line with that plan to which Russell had finally come and if
officially notified to the British Government would require a renewed
consideration by the Cabinet. Presumably Napoleon knew what had been
going on in London and he now hastened to give the needed French push.
October 28, Slidell was summoned to an audience and told of the
Emperor's purpose, acting with England, to bring about an
armistice[811]. Three days later, October 31, Cowley wrote that he had
now been officially informed by Drouyn de Lhuys, "by the Emperor's
orders" that a despatch was about to be sent to the French Ministers in
England and Russia instructing them to request joint action by the three
powers in suggesting an armistice of six months _including a suspension
of the blockade_, thus throwing open Southern ports to European
commerce[812].

Napoleon's proposal evidently took Palmerston by surprise and was not
regarded with favour. He wrote to Russell:

"As to the French scheme of proposals to the United States,
we had better keep that question t