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infinitely　better。







Besides　this；　the　piece　was；　in　general；　grotesquely



unhistorical。　It　exhibits　Robespierre's　colleagues　in　the



Committee　of　Public　Safety　as　noisy　and　dirty　street　blackguards。



Now；　bad　as　they　were；　they　were　not　at　all　of　that　species；　nor



did　their　deliberations　take　place　in　the　manner　depicted。



Billaud…Varennes　is　represented　as　a　drunken　vagabond　sitting　on



a　table　at　the　committee　and　declaiming。　He　was　not　this　at　all；



nor　was　Tallien；　vile　as　he　was；　anything　like　the　blackguard



shown　in　this　piece。







The　final　scene；　in　which　Robespierre　is　brought　under　accusation



by　the　Convention；　was　vastly　inferior　to　the　same　thing　in



〃Thermidor〃；　and；　what　was　worse；　instead　of　paraphrasing　or



translating　the　speeches　of　Billaud…Varennes；　Tallien；　and



Robespierre；　which　he　might　have　found　in　the　〃Moniteur；〃　Sardou；



or　rather　Irving；　makes　the　leading　characters　yell　harangues



very　much　of　the　sort　which　would　be　made　in　a　meeting　of　drunken



dock　laborers　to…day。　Irving's　part　in　this　was　not　at　all　well



done。　The　unhistorical　details　now　came　thick　and　fast；　among



them　his　putting　his　head　down　on　the　table　of　the　tribune　as　a



sign　of　exhaustion；　and　then；　at　the　close；　shooting　himself　in



front　of　the　tribunal。　If　he　did　shoot　himself；　which　is



doubtful；　it　was　neither　at　that　time　nor　in　that　place。







But；　worst　of　all；　the　character　of　Robespierre　was　made　far　too



melodramatic；　and　was　utterly　unworthy　of　Irving；　whom；　in　all



his　other　pieces；　I　have　vastly　admired。　He　completely



misconceives　his　hero。　Instead　of　representing　him　as；　from　first



to　last；　a　shallow　Rousseau　sentimentalist；　with　the　proper



mixture　of　vanity；　suspicion；　and　cruelty；　he　puts　into　him　a



great　deal　too　much　of　the　ruffian；　which　was　not　at　all　in



Robespierre's　character。







The　most　striking　scene　in　the　whole　was　the　roll…call　at　the



prison。　This　was　perhaps　better　than　that　in　Sardou's



〃Thermidor；〃　and　the　tableaux　were　decidedly　better。







The　scene　at　the　〃Festival　of　the　Supreme　Being〃　was　also　very



striking；　and　in　many　respects　historical；　but；　unless　I　am



greatly　mistaken；　the　performance　referred　to　did　not　take　place



as　represented；　but　in　the　garden　directly　in　front　of　the



Tuileries。　The　family　scene　at　the　house　of　Duplay　the　carpenter



was　exceedingly　well　managed；　old　Duplay；　smoking　his　pipe；



listening　to　his　daughters　playing　on　a　spinet　and　singing



sentimental　songs　of　the　Rousseau　period；　was　perfect。　The　old



carpenter　and　his　family　evidently　felt　that　the　golden　age　had



at　last　arrived；　that　humanity　was　at　the　end　of　its　troubles；



and　that　the　world　was　indebted　for　it　all　to　their　lodger



Robespierre；　who　sat　in　the　midst　of　them　reading；　writing；　and



enjoying　the　coddling　and　applause　lavished　upon　him。　And　he　and



they　were　to　go　to　the　guillotine　within　a　week！







Incidentally　there　came　a　little　touch　worthy　of　Sardou；　for；　as



Robespierre　reads　his　letters；　he　finds　one　from　his　brother；　in



which　he　speaks　of　a　young　soldier　and　revolutionist　of　ability



whose　acquaintance　he　has　just　made；　whom　he　very　much　likes；　and



whose　republicanism　he　thoroughly　indorsesone　Buonaparte。　This



might　have　occurred；　and　very　likely　did　occur；　very　much　as



shown　on　the　stage；　for　one　of　the　charges　which　nearly　cost



Bonaparte　his　life　on　the　Ninth　Thermidor　was　that　he　was　on



friendly　terms　with　the　younger　Robespierre；　who　was　executed



with　his　more　famous　brother。







On　the　whole；　the　play　was　very　disappointing。　It　would　certainly



have　been　hissed　at　the　Porte　St。　Martin；　and　probably　at　any



other　Paris　theater。







June　1。







Having　left　London　last　evening；　I　arrived　at　The　Hague　early



this　morning　and　found；　to　my　great　satisfaction；　that　the



subcommittee　of　the　third　committee　had　unanimously　adopted　the



American　plan　of　〃seconding　powers；〃　and　that　our　whole　general



plan　of　arbitration　will　be　to…day　in　print　and　translated　into



French　for　presentation。　I　also　find　that　Sir　Julian　Pauncefote's



arbitration　project　has　admirable　points。







The　first　article　in　Sir　Julian's　proposal　states　that；　with　the



desire　to　facilitate　immediate　recourse　to　arbitration　by　nations



which　may　fail　to　adjust　by　diplomatic　negotiations　differences



arising　between　them；　the　signatory　powers　agree　to　organize　a



permanent　tribunal　of　international　arbitration；　accessible　at



all　times；　to　be　governed　by　a　code；　provided　by　this　conference；



so　far　as　applicable　and　consistent　with　any　special　stipulations



agreed　to　between　the　contesting　parties。







Its　second　provision　is　the　establishment　of　a　permanent　central



office；　where　the　records　of　the　tribunal　shall　be　preserved　and



its　official　business　transacted；　with　a　permanent　secretary；



archivist；　and　suitable　staff；　who　shall　reside　on　the　spot。　This



office　shall　make　arrangements　for　the　assembling　of　the



tribunal；　at　the　request　of　contesting　parties。







Its　third　provision　is　that　each　of　the　signatory　powers　shall



transmit　the　names　of　two　persons　who　shall　be　recognized　in



their　own　country　as　jurists　or　publicists　of　high　character　and



fitness；　and　who　shall　be　qualified　to　act　as　judges。　These



persons　shall　be　members　of　the　tribunal；　and　a　list　of　their



names　shall　be　recorded　in　the　central　office。　In　case　of　death



or　retirement　of　any　one　of　these；　the　vacancy　shall　be　filled　up



by　new　appointment。







Its　fourth　provision　is　that　any　of　the　signatory　powers　desiring



to　have　recourse　to　the　tribunal　for　the　settlement　of



differences　shall　make　known　such　desire　to　the　secretary　of　the



central　office；　who　shall　thereupon　furnish　the　powers　concerned



with　a　list　of　the　members　of　the　tribunal；　from　which　such



powers　may　select　such　number　of　judges　as　they　may　think　best。



The　powers　concerned　may　also；　if　they　think　fit；　adjoin　to　these



judges　any　other　person；　although　his　name　may　not　appear　on　the



list。　The　persons　so　selected　shall　constitute　the　tribunal　for



the　purpose　of　such　arbitration；　and　shall　assemble　at　such　date



as　may　be　most　convenient　for　the　litigants。







The　tribunal　shall　ordinarily　hold　its　sessions　at　；　but　it



shall　have　power　to　fix　its　place　of　session　elsewhere；　and　to



change　the　same　from　time　to　time；　as　circumstances　may　suggest。







The　fifth　provision　is　that　any　power；　even　though　not



represented　in　the　present　conference；　may　have　recourse　to　the



tribunal　on　such　terms　as　may　be　prescribed　by　the　regulations。







Provision　sixth：　The　government　of　is　charged　by　the



signatory　powers；　on　their　behalf；　as　soon　as　possible　after　the



conclusion　of　this　convention；　to　name　a　permanent　council　of



administration；　at　；　composed　of　five　members　and　a



secretary。　This　council　shall　organize　and　establish　the　central



office；　which　shall　be　under　its　control　and　direction。　It　shall



make　such　rules　and　regulations　as　may　be　necessary　for　the



office；　it　shall　dispose　of　all　questions　that　may　arise　in



relation　to　the　working　of　the　tribunal；　or　which　may　be　referred



to　it　by　the　central　office；　it　shall　make　all　subordinate



appointments；　may　suspend　or　dismiss　all　employees；　and　shall　fix



their　salaries　and　control　their　expenditure。　This　council　shall



select　its　president；　who　shall　have　a　casting…vote。　The



remuneration　of　the　members　shall　be　fixed　from　time　to　time　by



accord　between　the　signatory　powers。







Provision　seventh：　The　signatory　powers　agree　to　share　among　them



the　expenses　pertaining　to　the　administration　of　the　central



office　and　the　council　of　administration；　but　the　expenses



incident　to　every　arbitration；　including　the　remuneration　of　the



arbiters；　shall　be　equally　borne　by　the　contesting　powers。







From　a　theoretical　point　of　view；　I　prefer　to　this　our　American



plan　of　a　tribunal　permanently　in　session：　the　judges；　in　every



particular　case；　to　be　selected　from　this。　Thus　would　be　provided



a　court　of　any　odd　number　between　three　and　nine；　as　the



contesting　powers　may　desire。　But　from　the　practical　point　of



view；　even　though　the　Russian　plan　of　requiring　the　signatory



powers　to　send　to　the　tribunal　a　multitude　of　smaller　matters；



such　as　those　connected　with　the　postal　service；　etc。；　is　carried



out；　the　great　danger　is　that　such　a　court；　sitting　constantly　as



we　propose；　would；　for　some　years；　have　very　little　to　do；　and



that　soon　we　should　have　demagogues　and　feather…brained



〃reformers〃　ridiculing　them　as　〃useless；〃　〃eating　their　heads



off；〃　and　〃doing　nothing〃；　that　then　demagogic　appeals　might　lead



one　nation　after　another　to　withdraw　from　an　arrangement



involving　large　expense　apparently　useless；　and　in　view　of　this



latter　difficulty　I　am　much　inclined　to　think　that　we　may；　under



our　amended　instructions；　agree　to　support；　in　its　essential



features　as　above　given；　the　British　proposal；　and；　with　some



reservations；　the　code　proposed　by　the　Russians。







Among　the　things　named　by　the　Russians　as　subjects　which　the



agreeing　powers　must　submit　to　arbitration；　are　those　relating　to



river　navigation　and　international　canals；　and　this；　in　view　of



our　present　difficulties　in　Alaska　and　in　the　matter　of　the



Isthmus　Canal；　we　can　hardly　agree　to。　During　the　morning　Sir



Julian　came　in　and　talked　over　our　plan　of　arbitration