— 284 — 
1859 Archives, and doubt very much whether I shall succeed. 
6 2. Our minister here is very obliging, and in doing all that he 
Can, but I suspect that there is no key which will unlock those 
secrets to a protestant. Meantime I am working hard at 
the materials which I brought with me, from other Archives— 
particularly those of Belgium, Holland, Spain and England, 
and have got enough work on my hands to last me for years. 
Nevertheless 1I shall have finished two or three volumes, I 
suspect, before you will have read the first work ). Pray tell 
Madme de B. that 1 hope one of these days she will read the 
work for „old acquaintance sake“. If she objects to reading 
English, there is a German translation—published in Dresden— 
and two French translations, one published in Brussels, the 
other in Paris. Pray forgive this egotism—for it is the 
egotism of friendship, not of vanity. I1 cant help wisbing 
that you would both sometimes recall me to your memory, 
and 1 know no better way than by asking her to sometimes 
read a chapter or two of my writings. I am sure I shall 
never forget her and you—our early friendship, and the to 
me delightful days we have passed together since it is has 
been renewed. I always feel when I am with Fou, as if 
twenty Fears had rolled off my back in one lump, like a 
knapsack, as if my shoes were not covered with the dust of 
the long life's turnpike along which we have been tailing 
since the early days. 
God bless you and yours, my dear Bismarck. May 
Jou prosper and succeed—as Fou deserve to succeed—domi 
militiaegue. Write me half dozen lines, as soon as you con- 
veniently can, 
*) The rise of the Dutch Republic, 3 Bde. 1856; damals arbeitete 
M. an der Bistory of the United Netherlands, die in 3 Bänden 1860 
erschien.