Josephine Butler to 'Beloved Friends' [Miss Forsaith and Harriet]

Photocopy of letter. Written from Brislee, Wooler, Northumberland

They are all deeply moved by 'the Russian assault on our fishermen [the Dogger Bank incident, Oct 1904] Has some criticism to make about Maurice Gregory's report to her [see letter of 8 Oct]. He will write as if she had never been to Germany or the Scandinavian countries. She describes how when at Frankfurt she called on the old Baroness de Rothschild, the grandmother of the present grown up generation, who gave her money for the abolitionist cause. She explains how very international their family (the Grey-Butler) are, since they are married into Swiss, Italian, French and German and even Russian (her nephew Arthur Bolton married the daughter of the Baltic Admiral of the Fleet).

Has had news from Charles [her youngest son] that he and his little family are on their way to Vernon, their new and healthy home.

Saturday evening, 29 Oct [1904]

'The Russian assault on our fishermen'

This was what was known as the Dogger Bank incident in Oct 1904 'when the Russian Baltic fleet steaming past the Dogger Bank on its way to the Far East, fired by bight on a Hull trawling fleet which it mistook for torpedo boats, killing or wounding nearly a score of British fishermen' (Ensor England 1870-1914 p 369)

'Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen' This Mission was founded in 1881 by a Mr Ebenezer Mather of Gorleston on Sea, and still continues its beneficent work

'Brislee'

This is the 1st letter addressed from here

'My nephew Arthur Bolton was appointed Russian interpreter in a British man-of-war'

For previous letters giving biographical details of Arthur, see 26 Mar 1884; 10 Jan 1897; 30 Oct 1901

Biog: Maurice Gregory, Mr AJ Balfour, Mrs Terrell, Mr Dyer, Dr Kate Bushnell, Mrs Andrew, The Rothschild Family, Arthur Bolton