Two Autograph Letters Signed (both 'F. Eber') from Ferdinand Eber ('General Eber'), Hungarian-born 'condottiere-journalist', to fellow Times correspondent Henry Wreford, the second letter discussing Garibaldi, Victor Emmanuel and the Risorgimento.

On 28 February 1885 The Times announced the death of Eber, 'for many years our valued correspondent at Vienna'; and a hundred years later (24 September 1985) the same paper described Eber as 'the condottiere-journalist, General Ferdinand Eber, whose habit of engaging in wars as well as reporting them earned him the displeasure of his masters in Printing House Square'. Both items in good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with slight damage from previous mounting. Both addressed to 'My dear Wreford', and both written in a difficult hand. Letter One: 3pp., 12mo. He has 'received the Corals all safe', but has been 'out of town for the last month so had no opportunity of inspecting them'. He considers them 'beautiful in both colour and shape and above all ridiculously cheap', although he has had 'some difficulty in calculating the 11 fr. 47 ct. in English money. After long and intricate calcuations the nearest I could get was 9 shillings and sixpence'. Turning to The Times, he writes: 'You know at P[rinting]. H[ouse]. S[quare]. they only pay attention to what is of immediate importance so you must not be surprized that they don't care much about Italy at the moment. However I am very much mistaken if they have not to take up the subject very shortly.' He is 'again preparing to go out there and should like to take a run in a private capacity to your part of the world, [i.e. Naples] but I fear I shall not be able to manage it.' Letter Two: 3pp., 8vo. The letter which Wrexford sent 'by a Neapolitan channel' is probably 'lost or has fallen into the wrong hands'. He describes 'a bit of shell' which he is sending him. 'The portrait [of Garibaldi?] is not ready yet', and he will 'send it by [sic] the first opportunity together with the Autograph although it is almost cruel to ask the general for one. [...] We are here busy organizing and arming so you must moderate your craving for stirring . They will come soon enough.' He wishes to correct a rumour: 'I don't know who circulated the news that people here won't have the . In the first instance they want what Garibaldi wants and then independently of this you see the Vogliamo l'Accessione al Regno al Regno costituzionale di Vittorio Emanuelle II on every door and over every shop. All the songs speak of him and Garibaldi. On the contrary the difficulty will probably be to keep them back, for it is important to stick to the <?> Sicily and we will hope soon Naples have risen against a Govt abhorred by every one and are doing what they can to upset it. No one can interfere , while no political question is mixed up with the thing. Let us therefore cast all speculation aside, and wait for events. When Garibaldi <?> an Italian policy on the part of Naples intimate alliances will <?> Italy and Constitution would have been sufficient, now no one would listen to it. Then things were at par now our shares are at premium.' He considered 'going off with a column into the Interior', but has decided to remain 'a little while longer at Palermo'. In a postscript he writes: 'This letter, newspapers and shell go by Agamemnon who will take some days to go there so I prefer sending the letters via Malta.'