British Embassy St Petersburg December 1905

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Spring_Rice

Debora

 

Dawkins and CASR were students at Oxford together.

Debora

 

Awesome work, Debora!!

 

I agree on most of your suggestions and have edited accordingly, but I can't see the first gap in the second paragraph as Tory.

There were several by-elections in 1904, but no UK general election until 1906. The by-elections might have shifted power to the detriment of the Tories, who were the ruling party, so you might be correct.

 

That's why I said "read it as." To a non-Brit, that was the only thing that seemed to fit. It certainly could be something else.

 

Good work, Deborah!

 

This reminds me of the elves and the shoemaker!

I go to bed and wake up to find it all sorted and neatly wrapped

Awesome people!

ps Major Wheall??

 

Maybe "joined in"?

 

I think maybe it's "passed on", but it's too late to change.

 

Paragraph 2, near the end: the prospect is not "seductive".

You know, I think the word before Karma might be "Tory" (or is that what was meant?)

 

Don't think addressed to "Desmond." CASR's s's are quite different. Anyone have any other ideas?

Debora

 

... like a Buddhist soul...

Debora

 

Paragraph 3: like a "Buddhist" soul

 

You see... two people thinking about the same thing, their thoughts mingling in the ether... bound to come up with the right answer.

 

I'm seeing Desmond too.

As for handwriting, mine's in the running. This is positively clear in comparison.

 

Think all the places in the last paragraph where MOS has Dawn, it is Dawk. Hard to see how Dawkins caused deaths, must have been indirectly, maybe through financial advice given in Egypt or India. Think it's 'whole time now' at the end. I see 'used' rather than 'heard' regarding 'truant soul'.

Bravi, all of you!

 

See the British government changed December 10, 1905, including the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, so newly hired private secretary may have been for him.

 

Could be. Dawk is very likely as his passing had been quite recent. It might help if we knew who the Major was.