Letter from Carl Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, place not specified, to Henri Blaze de Bury, 1858 March 16 : autograph manuscript signed with initials.

Saying that Henri's letter of 2-19-18 made a very strong impression on him because it brought out the seriousness of the present moment, causing painful feelings and sinister apprehension in CA. Henri, representing all of French society, said that Christian civilization is disappearing, a feeling that CA himself has had. A moral breakdown is turning certainties into quicksand. Henri's words have confirmed the position that CA must take. He is grateful to Henri because Henri knows the importance of his information and of the importance CA attaches to it. He hopes that his region and his country will not "become a dark victory" that he sees forming. He seems to talk about some kind of important decision/court case in Laon and says that "there is something awful" [in English] and "we rise by being vigiliant" [in Latin--the motto of the order of the White Falcon]. He adds, though, that while some of Henri's words augur a happy future, he hesitates to believe them when he sees governments on his side of the Rhine so involved in pursuing their own interests; the present circumstances lead them to take a common stand against these circumstances and against "certain neighbors" always in search of prey.