from David Lawson's Paul Morphy: the Pride and the Sorrow of Chess:

Frederick Milns Edge's letter to Daniel Willard Fiske November 18, 1858 (indicating Morphy's possible meeting with Napoleon III):

                                                                                     1 Rue du Dauphin; Paris
                                                                                         18th November 1858

My dear Fiske.
Will you have the goodness to forward the following immediately to Mons. Jean Prèti
     Cafe de la Régence
             Paris
2 Complete sets of the Chess Monthly for 1858.

[The next paragraph concerns subscriptions.]

There is nothing new. Morphy stays until Spring, and Anderssen comes here to play a
match on 18th Dec. The universal stated opinion of all Europe now is, that Morphy is
superior not merely to all living players, but to Labourdonnais etc.even. At the Régence,
the old friends of Labourdonnais openly declare this; they say that P. M. is equally
brilliant and much more solide, and that he has reduced chess to "une science exacte."
You will recollect that Paulsen said the same thing last year.

Morphy has this week announced publicly that he will play none in France even except
Harrwitz; but Harrwitz has had too much already. The statement in last Illustrated
London News that Harrwitz was about to challenge Morphy to another contest is a lie.
Harrwitz won't even play an off-hand game. Fancy Morphy giving all France Pawn and
move.

The American Ambassador has become a warm Friend of Morphy's and without his
knowledge, has proposed and got him elected a member of the Cercle Imperial, to
which only the Emperor, Princes Imperials, the highest noblesse, ministers and foreign
ambassadors belong. Morphy was received by them with distinguished honor. Mr.
Mason is going also to present him to the Emperor. "Honors crowd thick upon him," but they do not affect him.

Why do you not write us an epistle, and tell us about the N. Y. Club, Thompson, Mead, etc.? You ought to, and Morphy is expecting it of you.

                                                 I remain
                                                   Yours most truly
                                                      Fred. M. Edge

P.S. Address as above, but write soon.
 

 

In a previous letter from Edge to Fiske, dated November 12, Edge wrote that Mason [John Young Mason], the American Minister (Ambassador) to France, who had taken a great interest in Morphy and was frequently seen sitting at the board when Morphy was playing and who was one of those present at Morphy’s blindfold exhibition in Paris] "has requested permission to introduce Morphy to the Emperor, who has the reputation of being a very tolerable knight player.”