ABSTRACT
Responding to an invitation from the Emperor of France in 1859, Richard Cobden undertook the last great work of his life: the negotiation of substantial tariff reductions with France. It was done unofficially but when the negotiations were concluded, Cobden received official instructions and powers to conclude the Treaty. ‘When the secret came out’, as the Dictionary of National Biography puts it, ‘it roused violent excitement among the French Protectionists, and Cobden fought with them a strenuous battle for many months.’ How times change!
