disregard Firth's truce, and break through in spite of him. I cannot tell you how much this step of Pollen's has annoyed me. It is really making Firth the master of the situation; and just at the moment when all our plans seemed converging to success. It is certainly most trying to our patience. I live in the hope that the current of events will have swept their miserable negotiations out of the way, and hurried matters on to a point beyond their control. (Signed) W.F.