This satisfaction was strongly reinforced when the first reports were received from Lyons on his arrival in America.
Reaching New York on November 8 he found that even the "Conservatives" were much opposed to an offer of mediation at present and thought it would only do harm until there was a change of Government in Washington--an event still remote.

Lyons himself believed mediation useless unless intended to be followed by recognition of the South and that such recognition was likewise of no value without a raising of the blockade for which he thought the British Cabinet not prepared[837].
Lyons flatly contradicted Stuart's reports, his cool judgment of conditions nowhere more clearly manifested than at this juncture in comparison with his subordinate's excited and eager pro-Southern arguments.

Again on November 28 Lyons wrote that he could not find a single Northern paper that did not repudiate foreign intervention[838].
In the South, when it was learned that France had offered to act and England had refused, there was an outburst of bitter anti-British feeling[839].
The Northern press, as Lyons had reported, was unanimous in rejection of European offers of aid, however friendly, in settling the war.

It expressed no gratitude to England, devoting its energy rather to animadversions on Napoleon III who was held to be personally responsible.

Since there had been no European offer made there was no cause for governmental action.