Letter from John George Cooke, London, to Baroness Marie Blaze de Bury, 1859 May 12 : autograph manuscript signed.

Explaining the difficulties he encountered in obtaining a check from an agent in London which delayed the honoring of a bank draft he was handling for her; mentioning the financial setbacks and failures which have devastated the English market and placed him in financial straits and asking her if she thinks "L.N." (Louis Napoleon) is "going to be a great general", adding "The English public is pretty well determined not to meddle or make in the Quarrel [a reference to the current Italian War Independence] - however much sympathy for Italy in abstract prevails"; stating that England has been quietly arming itself as a defensive measure, and concluding "The ruler of France has quite enough on his hands just now - and would gain nothing by an attack on us"; commenting on the status of the "Treaties of 1815" and the consequences of "Our insane Crimean War", and further considering the unwelcome possibility of war with France, "An acquaintance posts from Paris to my partner that a French officer said to him that in four months, the head quarters of the French Army would be Wein, in twelve months, Londres - I trust we will not see that day."