Manchester, 17 February 1870 

Dear Moor, 

I have written the necessary to Wilhelm.* I’m now eager to hear 
how he will extricate himself. 

For a long time I have seen nothing more ridiculous than 
Flourens’ letter about his heroic deeds in Belleville, where he ‘had 
possession of a whole faubourg> for 3 hours’. The start is 
wonderful, where he calls on the people to follow him, but only 
100 go along, and these soon melt away to 60, and then these 
evaporate, until he, finally alone ‘with one lad’,** is beaten in the 
theatre. 

The story about Bright is very odd.‘ He has had one such attack 
already, and had to go to the country for 2 years fishing. 

The story about the Russians changed into Poles is absolutely 
Irish. I must have Flerovsky °; unfortunately, I won’t, for the time 
being, have any time to plough through it. 

Hins returned—enclosed. The letter is obviously only written 
for you.>** 

Yesterday I was at a fine blow-out, twelve of us, nothing but 
Tories, merchants, manufacturers, calico-printers, etc. The fellows 
all agreed that: 

a See this volume, p. 428. -» suburb -¢ See this volume, p. 429. - 4 Ibid., 
p. 429. 

1. for the past 3 years here in Lancashire THE HANDS HAD BEEN 
ALWAYS IN THE RIGHT AND THE MASTERS ALWAYS IN THE WRONG (SHORT TIME VERSUS 
REDUCTION OF WAGES); 

2. the BALLOT WAS NOW NECESSARY TO PROTECT THE CONSERVATIVE VOTERS, 
and 

3. England would be a republic in 25 years, and even earlier 
unless the Prince of Wales,” makes himself very popular. 

It’s amusing how people gain insight as soon as their party is 
out of office, and how quickly they lose it as soon as they are In. 

Apropos. You probably know that, in Lapy Mordaunt’s pivorce 
trial, the ‘some OTHER PERSON with whom she had a criminal CONNECTION 
is the Prince of Wales. 

So Gladstone the mountain has successfully been delivered of 
his Irish mouse.”** I really don’t know what the Tories could have 
against this Bu, which is so indulgent with the Irish canptorps, and 
finally places their interests in the tried and trusty hands of the 
Irish lawyers. Nevertheless, even this slight restriction of the 
eviction right will result in an end to the excessive emigration, and 
will put a stop to the conversion of arable land into pasture. But it 
is very jolly if the worthy Gladstone should think that he has 
abolished the Irish question by means of this new prospect of 
endless procedure. 

Is it possible to get a copy of the Bn? It would be very 
important for me to be able to follow the debates on the individual 
clauses. 

You in London can have no idea of the way the telegraph has 
broken down since it was taken over by the Government. Only the 
first third of Gladstone’s speech was published in yesterday’s 
papers here, and even this was pure nonsense.” The Latest TELEGRAMS 
are all 24 hours later than before, so that, if you want to know 
something, you have to wait for the London newspapers to arrive. 
A telegram from here to Nottingham, handed in on Thursday, 
arrived Monday. 

You know that, for the past 3-4 years, there has been a big 
squabble between Prussian and Austrian historians about the Peace 
of Basle,’ because Sybel claimed that Prussia was forced to 
conclude it because it had been betrayed by Austria in Poland.‘ 
Now Sybel once again has a long story about it, from the Austrian 

a Albert Edward - > Gladstone’s speech in the House of Commons on 15 February 
1870 was published in The Times, 16 February and in Manchester Daily Examiner and 
Times, 17 February 1870. - © H. Sybel, Oestreich und Deutschland im Revolutionskrieg. 
Ergdnzungsheft zur Geschichte der Revolutionszeit 1789 bis 1795. 

archives, in his Historische Zeitschrift? Every line proves how Russia 
set Prussia and Austria at each other’s throats and, at the same 
time, drew them into the 1792 war against France, exploited, 
cheated and dominated both; but stupid Sybel notices nothing of 
this; instead searches in this whole filthy murk of cheating, 
treaty-breaking and infamy, in which they were all equally 
involved, for only one thing: proof that Austria was even more 
rascally than Prussia. Never have there been such blockheads. His 
wrath is not directed against Russia, no, solely against Austria, and 
he explains Russian policy, which is displayed here quite openly 
and clear as day, with childish motives, such as annoyance at 
Austrian double-dealing. 

From Flerovsky’s account? it apparently emerges that Russian 
power is bound to collapse very shortly. Urquhart will, of course, 
say that the Russians had the book written in order to throw dust 
in the eyes of the world. 

To Tussy my best thanks for the Prussian Minister of Public 
Worship, sent me as a VALENTINE. 

Your 
F. E.