in Manchester

[London] Monday, 26 May [1873]

Dear Mohr,

Enclosed £10 in 2 notes, C 76, 48876 and 77, London, 6 Febr. ’73. – I shall bring the money to your wife this afternoon.

On Saturday I committed a stupid blunder. Your wife came over, and in my haste I gave her your letter! – she looked at the closing passage for a long time, but said nothing. Besides, she could see nothing special from your conviction that M. L[issagaray] *pour le moment bonne mine à mauvais jeu?*? must make a good face. Should she question me, I shall tell her I know nothing more than that you expressed the supposition that one could not, after all, rely so unconditionally on L[issagaray] keeping his promise, and that you had therefore already spoken here of influencing T[ussy] by a letter.

So M. Thiers has been successfully out-parliamented and thrown out by the greatest donkey in France, M[ac-]Mahon. Reaction is indeed a slippery slope down which one slides once one is on it. If M[ac-]M[ahon] is anything, he is a Bonapartist, and it is precious that, as in 1848, the two old-monarchist parties had to put Louis B[onaparte], they now have to put his lieutenant at their head. In my opinion, this will for the time being make the restoration of the Empire the only possible monarchist combination. The squabbles of the Orleanists and Legitimists will disgust M[ac-]M[ahon]; the Rouhers, etc., will get round him and, when he is far enough, instruct him on how to lead the troops, etc., for the Bonapartist coup d’état. Then everything depends on the troops, and M[ac-]M[ahon], whatever else he may be, will certainly do everything – and *en connaissance de cause*?* – to discipline them for this. *En attendant?*? Thiers now becomes more popular than he ever was, and Gambetta again recedes into the background, so that when things start again the list of people who in turn have to make themselves impossible through disgrace now extends from Thiers to Felix Pyat.

What particularly delights me is that M[ac-]M[ahon] has once more proved to Th[iers] what utter rogues especially the military worthies are.

Remember me to Moore and Schorl[emmer].

Yours,
F.E.

? *For the moment putting a good face on a bad game*
?* *With expert knowledge*
?? *Meanwhile*