From Elizabeth Missing Sewell's Journal, 15 July 1870, from Eisenach: 'War [apparently the Franco-Prussian war] is actually declared. We heard the news this morning as we were at breakfast in the [italics]Salle[end italics]. Some one (I think it was the master of the hotel) came up and laid before me a printed slip of paper. I had just been talking about railway trains, and thought this had something to do with them. When I read it you can understand the surprise.'