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



Julian　came　in　and　talked　over　our　plan　of　arbitration　as　well　as



his　own　and　that　submitted　by　Russia。　He　said　that　he　had　seen　M。



de　Staal；　and　that　it　was　agreed　between　them　that　the　latter



should　send　Sir　Julian；　at　the　first　moment　possible；　an



amalgamation　of　the　Russian　and　British　plans；　and　this　Sir



Julian　promised　that　he　would　bring　to　us；　giving　us　a　chance　to



insert　any　features　from　our　own　plan　which；　in　our　judgment；



might　be　important。　He　seemed　much　encouraged；　as　we　all　are。







Returning　to　our　rooms；　I　found　Count　Munster。　As　usual；　he　was



very　interesting；　and；　after　discussing　sundry　features　of　the



Russian　plan；　he　told　one　or　two　rather　good　stories。　He　said



that　during　his　stay　in　St　Petersburg　as　minister；　early　in　the



reign　of　Alexander　II；　he　had　a　very　serious　quarrel　with　Prince



Gortchakoff　the　minister　of　foreign　affairs；　who　afterward　became



the　famous　chancellor　of　the　empire。







Count　Munster　had　received　one　day　from　a　professor　at　Gottingen



a　letter　stating　that　a　young　German　savant；　traveling　for



scientific　purposes　in　Russia；　had　been　seized　and　treated　as　a



prisoner；　without　any　proper　cause　whatever；　that；　while　he　was



engaged　in　his　peaceful　botanizing；　a　police　officer；　who　was



taking　a　gang　of　criminals　to　Siberia；　had　come　along；　and　one　of



his　prisoners　having　escaped；　this　officer；　in　order　to　avoid



censure；　had　seized　the　young　savant；　quietly　clapped　the　number



of　the　missing　man　on　his　back；　put　him　in　with　the　gang　of



prisoners；　and　carried　him　off　along　with　the　rest；　so　that　he



was　now　held　as　a　convict　in　Siberia。　The　count　put　the　letter　in



his　pocket；　thinking　that　he　might　have　an　opportunity　to　use　it；



and　a　day　or　two　afterward　his　chance　came。　Walking　on　the　quay；



he　met　the　Emperor　（Alexander　II）；　who　greeted　him　heartily；　and



said；　〃Let　me　walk　with　you。〃　After　walking　and　talking　some



time；　the　count　told　the　story　of　the　young　German；　whereupon　the



Emperor　asked　for　proofs　of　its　truth。　At　this　Munster　pulled　the



letter　out　of　his　pocket；　and；　both　having　seated　themselves　on　a



bench　at　the　side　of　the　walk；　the　Emperor　read　it。　On　finishing



it；　the　Emperor　said：　〃Such　a　thing　as　this　can　happen　only　in



Russia。〃　That　very　afternoon　he　sent　a　special　police　squad；



post…haste；　all　the　way　to　Siberia；　ordering　them　to　find　the



young　German　and　bring　him　back　to　St。　Petersburg。







Next　day　Count　Munster　called　at　the　Foreign　Office　on　current



business；　when　Gortchakoff　came　at　him　in　a　great　rage；　asking



him　by　what　right　he　communicated　directly　with　the　Emperor；　and



insisting　that　he　had　no　business　to　give　a　letter　directly　to



the　Emperor；　that　it　ought　to　have　gone　through　the　Foreign



Office。　Gortchakoff　reproached　the　count　bitterly　for　this



departure　from　elementary　diplomatic　etiquette。　At　this　Munster



replied：　〃I　gave　the　letter　to　the　Emperor　because　he　asked　me



for　it；　and　I　did　not　give　it　to　you　because　I　knew　perfectly



well　that　you　would　pigeonhole　it　and　the　Emperor　would　never



hear　of　it。　I　concede　much　in　making　any　answer　at　all　to　your



talk；　which　seems　to　me　of　a　sort　not　usual　between　gentlemen。〃



At　this　Gortchakoff　was　much　milder；　and　finally　almost



obsequious；　becoming　apparently　one　of　Munster's　devoted　friends；



evidently　thinking　that；　as　Munster　had　gained　the　confidence　of



the　Emperor；　he　was　a　man　to　be　cultivated。







The　sequel　to　the　story　was　also　interesting。　The　policemen；



after　their　long　journey　to　Siberia；　found　the　young　German　and



brought　him　to　St。　Petersburg；　where　the　Emperor　received　him



very　cordially　and　gave　him　twenty　thousand　rubles　as　an



indemnity　for　the　wrong　done　him。　The　young　savant　told　Munster



that　he　had　not　been　badly　treated；　that　he　had　been　assigned　a



very　pleasant　little　cottage；　and　had　perfect　freedom　to　pursue



his　scientific　researches。







On　my　talking　with　the　count　about　certain　Russian　abuses；　and



maintaining　that　Russia；　at　least　in　court　circles；　had　improved



greatly　under　Alexander　III　as　regarded　corruption；　he　said　that



he　feared　she　was　now　going　back；　and　he　then　repeated　a　remark



made　by　the　old　Grand　Duke　Michael；　brother　of　Alexander　II；　who



said　that　if　any　Russian　were　intrusted　with　the　official　care　of



a　canary　he　would　immediately　set　up　and　maintain　a　coach　and



pair　out　of　it。







At　six　o'clock　our　American　delegation　met　and　heard　reports；



especially　from　Captain　Mahan　and　Captain　Crozier；　with　reference



to　the　doings　in　the　subcommittees。　Captain　Mahan　reported　that



he　had　voted　against　forbidding　asphyxiating　bombs；　etc。；



evidently　with　the　idea　that　such　a　provision　would　prove　to　be



rather　harmful　than　helpful　to　the　cause　of　peace。







Captain　Crozier　reported　that　his　subcommittee　of　committee　No。　2



had；　at　its　recent　meeting；　tried　to　take　up　the　exemption　of



private　property　from　seizure　on　the　high　seas　in　time　of　war；



but　had　been　declared　out　of　order　by　the　chairman；　De　Martens；



the　leading　Russian　delegate；　who　seems　determined　to　prevent　the



subject　coming　before　the　conference。　The　question　before　our



American　delegation　now　was；　Shall　we　try　to　push　this　American



proposal　before　the　subcommittee　of　the　second　committee；　or



before　the　entire　conference　at　a　later　period？　and　the　general



opinion　was　in　favor　of　the　latter　course。　It　was　not　thought



best　to　delay　the　arbitration　plan　by　its　introduction　at



present。







In　the　evening　dined　with　Minister　Newel；　and　had　a　very



interesting　talk　with　Van　Karnebeek；　who　had　already　favorably



impressed　me　by　his　clear…headedness　and　straightforwardness；



also　with　Messrs。　Asser；　member　of　the　Dutch　Council　of　State；



and　Rahusen；　member　of　the　Upper　Chamber　of　the　States　General；



both　of　whom　are　influential　delegates。







All　three　of　these　men　spoke　strongly　in　favor　of　our　plan　for



the　exemption　of　private　property　on　the　high　seas；　Van　Karnebeek



with　especial　earnestness。　He　said　that；　looking　merely　at　the



material　interests　of　the　Netherlands；　he　might　very　well　favor



the　retention　of　the　present　system；　since　his　country　is　little



likely　to　go　into　war；　and　is　certain　to　profit　by　the　carrying



trade　in　case　of　any　conflict　between　the　great　powers；　that；　of



course；　under　such　circumstances；　a　large　amount　of　commerce



would　come　to　Holland　as　a　neutral　power；　but　that　it　was　a



question　of　right　and　of　a　proper　development　of　international



law；　and　that　he；　as　well　as　the　two　other　gentlemen　above　named；



was　very　earnestly　in　favor　of　joint　action　by　the　powers　who　are



in　favor　of　our　proposal。　He　thought　that　the　important　thing



just　now　is　to　secure　the　cooperation　of　Germany；　which　seems　to



be　at　the　parting　of　the　ways；　and　undecided　which　to　take。







In　the　course　of　the　evening　one　of　my　European　colleagues；　who



is　especially　familiar　with　the　inner　history　of　the　calling　of



the　conference；　told　me　that　the　reason　why　Professor　Stengel　was



made　a　delegate　was　not　that　he　wrote　the　book　in　praise　of　war



and　depreciating　arbitration；　which　caused　his　appointment　to　be



so　unfavorably　commented　upon；　but　because；　as　an　eminent



professor　of　international　law；　he　represented　Bavaria；　and　that



as　Bavaria；　though　represented　at　St。　Petersburg；　was　not



invited；　it　was　thought　very　essential　that　a　well…known　man　from



that　kingdom　should　be　put　into　the　general　German　delegation。







On　my　asking　why　Brazil；　though　represented　at　St。　Petersburg；



was　not　invited；　he　answered　that　Brazil　was　invited；　but　showed



no　desire　to　be　represented。　On　my　asking　him　if　he　supposed　this



was　because　other　South　American　powers　were　not　invited；　he　said



that　he　thought　not；　that　it　was　rather　its　own　indifference　and



carelessness；　arising　from　the　present　unfortunate　state　of



government　in　that　country。　On　my　saying　that　the　Emperor　Dom



Pedro；　in　his　time；　would　have　taken　the　opportunity　to　send　a



strong　delegation；　he　said：　〃Yes；　he　certainly　would　have　done



so；　but　the　present　government　is　a　poor　sort　of　thing。〃







I　also　had　a　talk　with　one　of　the　most　eminent　publicists　of　the



Netherlands；　on　the　questions　dividing　parties　in　this　country；



telling　him　that　I　found　it　hard　to　understand　the　line　of



cleavage　between　them。　He　answered　that　it　is；　in　the　main；　a



line　between　religious　conservatives　and　liberals；　the



conservatives　embracing　the　Roman　Catholics　and　high　orthodox



Protestants；　and　the　liberals　those　of　more　advanced　opinions。　He



said　that　socialism　plays　no　great　part　in　Holland；　that　the



number　of　its　representatives　is　very　small　compared　with　that　in



many　European　states；　that　the　questions　on　which　parties　divide



are　mainly　those　in　which　clerical　ideas　are　more　or　less



prominent；　that　the　liberal　party；　if　it　keeps　together；　is　much



the　stronger　party　of　the　two；　but　that　it　suffers　greatly　from



its　cliques　and　factions。







On　returning　home　after　dinner；　I　found　a　cipher　despatch　from



the　Secretary　of　State　informing　us　that　President　McKinley



thinks　that　our　American　commission　ought　not　to　urge　any



proposal　for　〃seconding　powers〃；　that　he　fears　lest　it　may　block



the　way　of　the　arbitration　proposals。　This　shows　that　imperfect



reports　have　reached　the　President　and　his　cabinet。　The　fact