Life of Henry Reeve, vol 2 | Page 4

certainly well qualified to do the article. But he made
such a mess of it; in fact, treating Eldon, Ellenborough, &c., and other
obstacles to law reform not introductory, but, as I understand, making a
whole article upon that. The consequence has been that the whole has
failed, and this most valuable opportunity been lost of having the Tory
journal's adhesion to law reform now. It is barely possible they may
take it up hereafter. But surely the natural place for this statement is the

'Edinburgh Review,' and I should feel great comfort for the good cause
if I thought you would thus help us. The matter in Sir E.'s book renders
it very easy to show what has been done of late years.
Poor Tocqueville is one day a little better, another a little worse; but I
have little or no hope of his getting through it.
Shortly after this Lord Brougham made a flying visit to London. A note
in the Journal is:--
_February 26th_.--I dined at Lord Brougham's, and met Dr. Lushington,
Lord Glenelg, Lord Broughton; all--with our host--over 80.
But the state of Tocqueville's health continued, for Reeve, the most
engrossing personal consideration, and just at this time the deadly
malady took a favourable though delusive turn. Tocqueville--says M.
de Beaumont [Footnote: Gustave de Beaumont: _Oeuvres et
Correspondance inédites d'Alexis de Tocqueville_ (1861), tome i. p.
116.]--hoped for the best. 'How could he do otherwise when all around
him was bursting into life? and so he kept on his regular habits, his
schemes, his work. He read, and was read to; he wrote a great many
letters, and devoured those which he received in great numbers. There
was not one of his friends who did not receive at least one letter from
him during the last month of his life.' The following is his last letter to
Reeve. The writing is painfully bad, the letters often half formed, or
crowded one on top of another; even the orthography is imperfect; but
the words and ideas flow in full volume.
Cannes. le 25 février.
Cher Reeve,--Il y a un siècle que je ne vous ai écrit. Je n'étais pas libre
de le faire. Le mois de janvier tout entier s'est passé au milieu de la
crise la plus douloureuse. Je ne crois pas qu'il y ait aucun mois de ma
vie qui mérite mieux que celui-là d'être marqué d'une croix noire dans
l'histoire de mon existence privée. Jetons dans l'oubli, s'il est possible,
des jours et surtout des nuits si cruels, et bornons-nous à demander à
Dieu de n'envoyer rien de semblable désormais, soit à moi, soit à mes
amis. Depuis trois semaines j'occupe février à réparer les méfaits de

janvier. Je vais aussi bien que possible: mes forces sont en grande
partie revenues. Les bronches semblent en voie de guérison rapide.
Ainsi n'en parlons plus.
I have just been reading an excellent article on the Catacombs, in the
'Edinburgh Review.' It is a subject which has always interested me, but
very likely I should not have begun with this particular article if I had
not known it was by you. Circourt wrote to me about it, and so
deprived me of the pleasure of finding it out for myself, which I think I
could have done. But, in any case, the article is exceedingly
interesting ... Though I have been enjoying myself in following you
underground, what is now going on on the earth's surface calls for close
attention. I am here hard by one of the old military roads which have
led into Italy from time immemorial, as at this day. I hear that great
preparations are being made all along the valley of the Rhone and the
neighbouring country. What I am sure of, because it is taking place
under my very eyes, is, that the railway from Marseilles to Toulon is
being pushed forward at an unheard of rate. It is the only link wanting
to complete the chain of communication between Brest, Cherbourg,
Paris, and Toulon. There was no expectation of this railway being
finished before the middle of summer; but now it is understood that it
will be ready within a few days--an instance of doing the impossible.
Such efforts presuppose some great object which it is desired to
accomplish at once.
I am told, perhaps incorrectly, that Prussia has decided to remain
neutral--at first, at any rate; and, by the same authority, that Russia will
be neutral, but in a spirit friendly to France. This would be very serious;
for Russia gives nothing for nothing. If it is so, the Emperor's project
would appear less silly. It would explain how an ambitious prince,
whose throne is tottering, who is bound to excite the admiration of
France and to gratify the national vanity,