Item 40 - Letter from Sir George Trevelyan to R. C. Trevelyan

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Very interested in Robert's account of the House of Commons; evident that Charles was 'very well received' and praises his performance. He is personally 'in despair': believes the Liberal Party 'if united, wise, and bold' might have stopped the [Second Boer] war, but even worse was the 'fatal step of announcing the annexation' with no idea of the consequences. Brodrick gives Napoleon in Spain and the Spaniards in Cuba as precedents for the current 'plight'; calls this 'a nice parallel!'. Sends regards to Jan Hubrecht, though asks Robert not to show him this letter. Sends some papers which need not be returned. The meeting is 'all very proper', but he has an 'intense repugnance' to going to a meeting for the purpose of talking about a friend like Henry Sidgwick. Browne [sic: T. E. Brown, see 12/29] seems to have been an 'eager student' of Flaubert. Caroline sends love to them both; he would have liked to see Elizabeth 'in her furs'.