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this time. One of them expresses Bright’s concern over Ameri- 
can politics of the Reconstruction period—a consequence 
of his real friendship for the Union and his humanitarian 
ideals. ‘This letter is as follows: 
Rochdale, March 26, ’66. 
My dear Mr. Field,—I shall not be in London before the gth 
April, and therefore shall not be able to dine with you on the 
5th, which I much regret. 
If you could come down here on your way to Liverpool, I 
should be very glad to see you. I expect to be at home till the end 
of the week. 
I hope your telegraph labors have been successful, and that be- 
fore the summer is over you will see your noble effort successful. 
I am anxious about what is doing in Washington, but I have 
lost faith in the President, and think Mr. Seward is allowing him- 
self to be dragged into the mud of his Southern propensities. If 
Grant continues firm with the Republican party, he may prevent 
great mischief. The power of the President seems too great in an 
emergency of this nature. His language shows that his temper is 
not calm enough for dangerous times. In this he falls immeas- 
urably below Mr. Lincoln. 
But if I despair of the President, I shall have faith in the 
people. 
I wish you a pleasant voyage and a complete success in your 
great undertaking. 
Always sincerely your friend, 
John Bright. 
The other letter from Bright arranged for a meeting of the 
two men in Liverpool. Although the Civil War was over and 
the Northern cause had been vindicated, there was still a 
severe strain in the relations between England and the United 
States, particularly in regard to the claims under way from 
Washington for damages over British naval interference dur- 
ing the war. Field’s active friendship with influential English- 
men was instrumental in averting outbursts of recrimination 
and helped to bring the spirit of compromise that finally pre- 
vailed. In Bright’s second letter, the “Mr. Dudley” referred 
