[‘I abominate woman in politics’: Sir George Birdwood, Indian administrator and naturalist.] Autograph Letter Signed to [Fagan?], regarding his foundation of Primrose Day, dislike of the Primrose League, and political predictions.]

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 11pp, 12mo, with three of the pages written lengthwise. On three bifoliums. In good condition, folded once. The hurried loose handwriting of this long letter presents a considerable challenge: even the signature (‘Geo Birdwood.’? ‘Gen Birdwood.’?) and the name of the recipient (‘Fagan’?) are doubtful. The letter begins with a reference to the ‘extract from Lady Dorothy Nevills - Reminiscences - given in the cutting from the Globe of yesterday enclosed in your kind note of today’. He states that he had ‘nothing to do with the origination of the Primrose League, & I refused to have anything to do with it when asked to join in its constitution. It was Primrose Day I founded’. The passage which follows is opaque. Later on he states ‘I never wd have anything to do with the League. I abominate woman in politics: & I only joined the League when they conferred on me the Grand Cross of the Order in express recognition of my founding P. D.’ In his opinion ‘the Tariff Reform movement, & all involved in its success - which I fear - is completely [making?] up our old political [?] & after a period of Chaos the country will settle down with quite a new country with new parties which will be as little interested in the England of Gladstone & D’Israeli [?] & Russell - as we are in the world & politics of the moon’