1876-1880] A Drive with Carlyle 235 



the object not a good one, and possibly mischievous, as 

 in the Moncure Conway case. In such a plain case of 

 immorality as he considers the war 1 I think he was right. 

 I consider this war as the outcome of our furious antagonism 

 to Russia, and causing them to seek eagerly for a weak 

 place in our armour, and also for something to force us 

 to keep our Indian troops at home in India. Oh if we 

 had but kept to Lord Salisbury's first programme (or 

 Lord Derby's) of what we should object to, instead of 

 bothering about things that do not concern us, e.g. a large 

 Bulgaria. . . . 



Saturday [Jan. 1879]. 



... I have been out of doors for two days, and yesterday 

 was quite delightful at the sand walk, and gave one an 

 insane feeling that the winter was over. 



I am glad Eliz. is going to 31 2 on Monday. For a wonder 

 I think her spirits are a little failing, and she seems so 

 troubled with the vivid remembrance of old painful things, 

 and said she should like to have everything past wiped out 

 and yet her youth was exceptionally smooth and happy 

 and busy. It shows rather a morbid state of mind, and 

 what I believe she would have escaped but for the loss of 

 her eyesight. A complete change I am sure will cheer her 

 much. 



W. E. Darwin to his mother. 



[BANK, SOUTHAMPTON], March, 1879. 



. . . Our drive with Carlyle was interesting, but it was 

 difficult to catch all he said. He talked about a number 

 of things, especially about his French Revolution, which 

 I happened to be reading. His face was quite in a glow 

 with an expression of fury when he talked of it, and he 

 raised his hands and said it was the most wonderful event 



1 It may be presumed my father signed some protest against the 

 Afghan war or steps likely to lead to it. 



2 Her brother Hensleigh Wedgwood's house, 31, Queen Anne 

 Street. 



