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Dampfer "Prinzess Alice"

Norddeutscher Lloyd
Bremen. 

February 3rd/07

My dear Colonel, 
It seems only a few hours since we sailed from Port Said, still, within a couple of hours, barring accidents, our good ship will be at anchor behind the mote at Colombo.
Many favorable conditions have caused time to pass so pleasantly: good ship, good seas, good company, good eats and good drinks, and, best of all, a contented spirit in harmony with a comforted mind. Should one ask more? When I say that my mind is comforted, I do not mean that it is lulled by indolence nor deadened by dogmas; it is instead, I am glad to say, comforted by thoughts of things already in progress and contemplation of others which seem possible of acquisition. To make the definition more clear I must tell you that particularly during the year just closed, as you know, much of my thought and time was given to weeding out and improving or devising ways of bettering my collection. Various plans from time to time, came into my head and after remaining in for a while flew out again. One thought however, which really had its origin several years ago, when I was spending a day in the British Museum and for the first time had a view of really fine Egyptian art, went through a more or less careful analysis from time to time, last winter and summer, when busy with the weeding and comparing. For, then, more than ever before, I had to consider the chronology of things already possessed. Formerly, and correctly, my question had been what were the aesthetic qualities of things already bought or under consideration for purchase, of course, always having in mind the very important consideration of harmony. Well, the thought so often given attention was should not articles of beauty and sympathy of earlier of earliest origin, especially in glazed stone or pottery, be, if possible, added to my collection. I concluded it was important that they should and continued my buying my every fine specimen of "Racca" or Babylonian glazed ware that proved obtainable. Then came rumors of the doubt arising in certain quarters of the actual rumors of the doubt arising in certain quarters of the actual age of certain specimens attributed to times before Christ. Well, these questions did not effect their beauty and on these grounds all experts agreed, but it was important to know whether they had influenced the early Chinese wares or whether the Chinese wares had influenced those from Racca, Babylon and