Thursday, February 18, 2010

04Aug1870, Skirmish at Saarbrück

HOLKER, August 4th, 1870.
—Bathed again. Paid a little visit to Their R. H. the cows. There has been a skirmish at Saarbrück [FN: The Franco-Prussian War had just begun.] in which the French had the better of it. The Emperor and the Prince Imperial had joined the army just before. The newspapers are studded with panic-stricken letters and questions in Parliament about the deficient state of our army, navy, and artillery. However, 2 millions have been voted to get them up. I can't help feeling rather Quakerish about war : it is such a wicked thing that it seems right to make what protest one can as a nation against the horrible continental system of chronic cap-à-pie. And our having, thank Heaven ! no "frontiers" to embarrass us, makes it surely justifiable for us to run some risk.

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