13Jun1863, America: North vs South

CLIVEDEN, Saturday, June 13th, 1863.
—Set off (beyond blowing) to Cliveden—connected in my mind, for ever I shd think, with old M.'s engagement, and our very shy and very lovely visit here just aftr. There are here the Argylls, Ld. Richard Cavendish, the Wm. Cowpers, Ly. C. Grosvenor, and poor Mr. William Harcourt,[FN: Afterwards Sir William, the statesman.] who 4 months ago lost his young wife in her 2nd confinement, their first beautiful baby having died the year before. It does make one's heart ache to think of such grief ; and his whole look and manner touch one extremely, the more because he joins in conversation, and puts on no affectations of sorrow ; but his face tells it all. The little baby lives. During dinner America was the topic : the Duke and Duchess are Northern ! in their sympathies : as there was no zealous Southerner to give battle, I did not come in for a regular elaborate argument about it, which I long to hear, that I may make some head and tail of the subject. Mr. Harcourt said slavery was the cause of the rupture, but abolition was not the object of it.