From Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin 1 August 1884

My dear George

I was disappted to find nothing but Fr. letter returned but I had your letter of the a few days ago—& I hope you were married on the 22^nd & are now at Niagara or some other beaut. place— We have had Col & M^rs Fraser since Monday, & I have been m. interested in his talk. He has been expecting to be sent back every week, & latterly has been waiting to see what w^d turn up at the Conference— The best he hopes for is some temporary expedient, & I don't think he has any settled opinion as to the best course in future, excep at all risks not to play into the hands of the French bond holders—& to lower the taxes & try to relieve the Fellahs— He believes that the Egyptian army disciplind & led by Sir E. Wood, w^d fight & they were dreadfully disappted that Lord Wolseley w^d not allow them to go to Suakim— They have never been tried. The poor wretches under Hicks & Baker c^d hardly be called soldiers & had never been under Sir E. Wood— He says nobody can conceive the difficulty of every operation civil or military, & he dreads the waste of life of the exped—wh. is to take place in the autumn, unless Gordon comes out sooner. (he has no doubt that G. himself c^d come out any day, but that he very rightly will not forsake those who have stuck to him, & who w^d be plundered by the Mahdis followers; but not he believes massacred)— He says that Gordon never gave a hint of wanting military support until after the Suakim affair—when it was too late for English soldiers to bear the heat. He has the worst opinion of the 2 brothers Baker & in a less degree of Major Burnaby— Thinks well of Clifford Lloyd, but he was too high handed & affronted all the authorities. (Col. E) is a wiry handsome little man perfectly untirable, & they have played L. T. every day for many hours— M^rs F. is a most natural original woman, speaking out her "hates" & likes; very grave & handsome. Most candid in her opinion of old M^r Fraser, whose visit at Cairo was nearly the death of her—

(He is coming here for 2 days next week alas for Leo. to whom he devotes himself entirely)— The drawback to the party has been young George Fraser, who puts in his oar in a tiresome way, & has no discretion— Richard thinks he has driven the gents to bed every night— M^rs F. is quite aware of his failing & I admire them for never snubbing him; but I think they might give him some private hints to hold his tongue— If he had been an only son & had never been to a public one w^d have said "Behold the fruits"—but the contrary is the case— Dont notice this—as I don't want Leo to know what a bore he has been— They leave us tomorrow—& the Protheros are coming for the Sunday—

Elinor & Alice have left Ravensbourne— Elinor is very full of the new house they are building at Oxford. She is better, Sir W. Jenner having told her she must eat, & so she finds she can—

Yours my dear George & Maude— I sh^d like to have been the first to direct to M^rs G. H. D—

Yours most affectly | E. Darwin

W^m comes tomorrow I am glad to say— I wish he c^d have met Col. Fraser—

The more I see of Bee the better I like her— not that I care for her conversation; but she is nice & reliable all through; & she is quite aware of L's qualities—& so is M^rs Fraser— also she has made herself one of the family as I hope my dear Maude will do.