Item 102 - Letter from George Macaulay Trevelyan to R. C. Trevelyan

The Athenaeum, Pall Mall, S.W.1. - Glad that Bob thinks well of "Manin [and the Venetian Revolution of 1848]": his judgments are among those George really values; 'very jolly' of him to read it aloud, and George is glad it stood the test. Agrees that there is 'much to be said and thought about the "federal question"', especially since 'United Italy is in many ways a disappointment with the break down of free government'. Is however sure that the south and centre of Italy could not have 'established and maintained free government, or even civilised government' without the north, and thinks that union was inevitable since there was 'no real provincial patriotism', apart from among the Piedmontese. In the same way, he believes that if Germany is now 'broken up into States' it will come together again some day.