The Emperor Frederick’s Diary.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 878, 28 December 1888, Page 9

The Emperor Frederick’s Diary.

We give below some important extracts from tho Emperor Frederick’s Diary ; August 4.—Weissenburg. —Our men (Prussian) behave as if during manoeuvre time in peace, taking advantage of every fold in the ground! and wringing praise of their manner of fightiug from our Bavarian companions. . . . We had two divisions—the foe one, and part of it had only come up during the night, but the advantage of position was all in his favour. Great j übilation ; the dying and wounded raising themselves by the greatest exertion to express their joy. The colour-staffof tho King’s Regiment had been shot through, three of its bearers fell till Sergeant Forster seized them and dashed up tho heights in front of the stormers ; I could not but press to my lips that victorybanner thus so gloriously upheld. On the reverse slope (southern) we found two camps of tentes d'abri with provisions and dinner still untouched ; General Douai’s little dog oreepiug around his master’s dead body ; tha chattering Frenoh doctors knew nothing of the Geneva Convention, having no brassards with the red cross, and crying only, ‘Pro-curez-nous notre bagage.’ The Turcos thorough savages. . . . Frenoh soldiers exclaim tome, ‘ Ah ! vos soldats Pruseiens se battent admirablemont.' August s.—March to France . . . inhabitants afraid of German cannibals ; the ghastly appearance of battlefields ever more horrible ; everywhere traces of hasty retreat. August 6. Worth ; 80,000 French ; I have 100,000 men. MacMahon’s tough resistance, gradual retreat while fighting, was admirable, bub he left me in possession of the field, I could direct the whole. Blumenthal and Gottberg of great assistance to me. At half-past 4 was able to announce our victory to the King. ... A French officer of Cuirassiers said to me, * Ah, Monseigneur, quelle dSfaite, quel molheur ! J’ai la honte d'etre prisonhier, nous avons tout perdu.’ To which I replied, ‘ Vous avez tort de dire d’avoir tout perdu, car aprfes Vous 6tre battu3 comma de braves soldats, vous n’avtz pas perdu l’honuear.' On this the officer remarked, ‘Ah, merci, vous me faites du bien en me traitant de la sorte.’ The officers are surprised at being allowed to retain their swords. A conversation with Roggenbach gave me great relief after the tremendous impressions of this day. Nows of Goeben's victory at Saarbriiok. August 7.—At Koniggratz' the firing not nearly so heavy and continuous ; the-Zouaves shoot well, the others too soon and too high. Our helmet has done good service. Great bitterness against MacMahon; the Emperor is called a vieille femme. MacMahon’s papers taken ; the correspondents of Gaulois and Figaro, captured on the church tower of Worth, state that they are opponents of Ollivier. . . Frequent detailed conversations with Roggenbach about likely results of war. ... I cling to the conviction that after the peace it 'will be impossible for us to inaugurate new things in the German (national) sense, bub we are also bound to offer the

’German people something whole and palpable, and that we must strike the iron of the German Cabinets while it is still hot. Worth the first victory over the Frenoh in opon battle since 1815. August B.—-Advance on the Vosges. French Cuirassiers have shot their officers. . . . One Zouave officer cannot write. August 9. . . . Very remark, able that for some time back the Catholics in Alsace been talking of a war that would happen thi3 year, which, after Germany’s defeat, would be turned to the • disadvantage of the Protestants. . These remarks repeated daily everywhere. . . . Quartered with a Protestant clergyman . . . who wishes for peace, saying that wo were not to blame for the war, and wishing that the Empress (Eugenie) and Ollivier could only come and have a look at these battlefields. MacMahon’s carriage contained an exact map of the Vosges with, all its roads, &c., which proved of great service to us. The baggage of Ducrot, Commandant of Strasburg, inoluded the wardrobes of two women. Great panic and dissolution among the French, who say. they never had to fight with such Boldiers. August 17 and 18.—In Nancy, battles around Metz, feverish excitement; the inhabitants Orleanist. August 20.Meet the King at Pont-k-Moasson; he is crushed with our losses. Council of war ; Moltke quite cool and clear as ever, deter, mined to march on Paris ; Bismarck moderate andby no means sanguine ; our conditions, Alsace and war indemnity. August 23. Seen the King again, who is now firmer ; have difficulty in persuading him to confer the Iron Cross on non-Prussians also. Varyiug news about the whereabouts of the foe ; Moltke thinks he will yet lure him into a mouse-trap (?). Benedetti’s Treaty harms us in England, where they say that without encouragement from Bismarck ha never would have allowed himself to use such language. September I.—Sedan. Count Both* mer says that Napoleon is in Sedan ; and the King in an incredible spirit of ■ jesting asks me what in the world we shall do with him when caught. The white flag hoisted over Sedan, Napoleon is there ; Brousart has seen him and been told that he would send General Reille. . . . A parlemenfcaire comes, and the ,assembled Princes, with Bismarck, Moltke, and Roon, form a circle round the King, -I being next his Majesty. Reille comes, bent but not without dignity, and hands the King the following letter (beginning Monsieur mon frfere text already known). ... After conferring with Biamarok, Moltke, and me, the King dictates to Hatzfeldt (now German Ambassador in London), the draft of our reply, which the King himself, afterwards wrote oat iu his own hand. Difficult to find writing materials; I contribute note-paper stamped with our eagle upon my holster ; pen and ink from the Grand Duke bf 'Saxe-Weimar; two canebottomed chairs form a table, on which Guste'3.t laid~a. HUBaar’s sabretache as a pad. Monsieur moa frere, &c., (text also known). Meanwhile, during writing of letter, I talk with Reille ; amiable and a thorough gentleman ; he was attached to me in 1867 (when in Paris); my sympathy seemed to do him good; the Prince Imperirl not there. When he had gone the King and 1 embraced, the recollection of July 3 forced itself on us ; huge joy of the troops, ‘Nun danket alle Gott.’ I could not restrain the bright tears. September 30.—T0 Ferribrea (where the King is s’ennuye). I address his Majesty on the Kaiser question which is now being broached ; he thinks there is no prospect of it, and refers me to the remark of Du Bois Reymond (a Berlin professor) that Imperialism is now prostrate, so that in Germany;for the .future there could only be a King of Prussia, Duke (Herzog) of the Germans. .Against this I urge that the three Kings (of Bavaria, Wurtemberg, and Saxony) compel us to express our supremacy by the title of Kaiser, and that the thousand-year-old Kaiser or King’s (of the Romans) crown has nothing to do with modern Imperialism. At last his opposition gets weaker. October 9.—Beginning of the bombardment (of Paris). Bavaria willing to join North German Confederation . _. : reserving her army and diplomacy. Bismarck very savage with Schneider (the King’s reader, of whose reminiscences a review lately appeared in the Times) who sends wrong and tactless thlDgs to the.Staatsanzeiger. . . . The King of Wurtemberg ' vrishes to treat with us directly (about-his entry into the North German Confederation), so as to be free from the tutelage, of Bavaria. Bismarck considering the Kaiser question ; tells me he failed in 1866 to get it also treated of then, not believing, as he did not, that there was such a powerful desire among the German people for an Imperial crpwn, and is only afraid of too much Court glitter, on the subject of which I seek to calm his apprehensions. Tho Duke of, Coburg proposes election (of the Kaiser) by all the Sovereign?, who' would take the place of the electors. November 14.—0d0 Russell is to come, the rumours about the Black Sea clause aro confirmed ; it is related that when the treaty was signed in .1856, Palmerston remarked to Brunnow (Russian Ambassador) that it would not last ten years. General Annekoff (is this the buildei of the Transcaspian Railway ?) is coming with a. letter for the Czar; Reuss (Prussian Ambassador in St Petersburg) was only told.of this after the Envoy left, with the request that he would not telegraph the news till the KiDg (of Prussia) had received, tho missive. We telegraph to have the step postponed, but are told that it is too late, as communications of the same sort have gone to Vienna and London. Our representatives are to remain passive; the King is very much put out, telling me that this surprise is beyopd all joke, and that in England it is sure to be regarded as an act of revenge on our part for the sale of arms (by English traders to the Frenoh). Bismarck, however, denies that he was privy to the matter. Conversation with Bismarck about the German question, which he would like to see decided, but, with a shrug of the shoulders, explains all the difficulties, asking what should be done with tho South Germans, and whether I- wish them to be threatened. I reply, ‘ Ja wohl, there would be no danger in doing that; let ua act firmly and imperiously, and you will see I was right in asserting that you have not yet any proper consciousness of your power.’ Bismarck would hear nothing whatever of threats, all the more as such a course, would throw these States into the arms of Austria. Thus, on assuming office (in 1862), he had done so with, the firm resolve to bring about war between Prussia and

Austria, but took very good care not to •peak about his at that time to hia Majesty, or otherwise before ho deemed the proper time come for doing so. Similarly the development ol the German question must be left to time. I replied -that, as representing the future, I could not view such delay with indifference, arguing that it would not be necessary to use force, and that we could quietly wait and watch whether Bavaria and Wurtemberg ventured to join Austria. Nothing was easier, I argued, than to have the Kaiser proclaimed by the majority of German Sovereigns now gathered here, and also to procure their approval ofa Constitution (with supreme head) answering to the just demands of the German people. Suoh a result would be pressure which the Kings (of South Germany) could nob resist. Bismarck rejoined that I stood alone with these views, and that, in order to gain the wishedfor goal, it would be better - to let the Reiohstag take the initiative. On my referring to the sentiments of Baden, Oldenburg, Weimar, and Coburg, he defended himself by referring to the will pf the King. I answered that I knew very well his opposition (Niohtwollen) was alone sufficient to make such a scheme as this impossible of acceptance by bis Majesty, to which he replied that I was reproaching him, and that he knew of quite other persons u ho deserved this. And then again I must in political aueations, he said, take into account the great independence of the’ King himself, his Majesty reading through every-important despatch, and even correcting it. He regretted that the question of the .Kaiser and of an Upper House had been discussed at all, as offenoo had thus faeeu given to Bavaria and Wurtemberg. I said that it was Dalwigk who had broached it. Bismarck averred that my opinions thus expressed could only prove hurtful, saying that the Crown Prinoe should not give vent to views of this kind at all. I at once protested in the most emphatio manner against my mouth being closed in this way, especially as in a question thus affecting the future I felt bound to leave no one in donbt as to my opinion in particular, besides which it lay with hi 3 Majesty alone to instruct me as to matters which I was free to discuss or not, even if it were assumed that I wai not yet old enough to judge for myself. Bismarck said that if the Crown Prince commanded he would act in accordance with his views. I again protested against this, • as I had no commands to give him, whereupon he declared that for his part he would be very glad to make way for any other person whom I might deem more competent than him to conduct affairs ; but that until then he must act upon his own principles to the best of his ability and knowledge of all determining circumstances. We then went on to speak, of detail questions, and finally remarked that I had perhaps spoken in an animated manner (lebhaft geworden), but that I could not be expected to remain indifferent in view of a * world historic ’ opportunity which was being neglected. November 17. —;The King is nervous, as he had at the same time to follow the (political) negotiations and the (military) operations, and must do without amusement of any kind, seeing that his daily guests grow very monotonous. X am well, beginning to read and write * at six o’clock every morning, but later on my time is much broken up. November 18.—. . Delighted with the article in The Times about my letter of thanks to Lindsay ; acting on the principles of my ever-memorable father-in-law, i.qay I succeed in ever welding a chain between two such kin and analogous nations. November 19.—Bismarck is'said to have exclaimed, on the ,x© c ®ipt”°f HortchakofTs note, ‘ The silly fellows have begun four weeks too soon.’ . . . November 23. A moment of exciting combinations. Moltke explains the situation of affairs with the utmost clearness and moderation ; has always considered and calculated everything, and constantly hits the right nail on the head ; but Boon’s shoulder-shrugs and spitting (sic) and Podbielski’s Olympian assurance often influence the King. . . . November 25,—Bismarokinsists upon a bombardment, Blumenthal in a pro memorid to Moltke demonstrates the senselessness of a bombardment which could only .reaoh.the forts, that ought to be taken by-parallels and .storming .... Biamarok has declared that if the Imperial dignity is not soon offered by the Prinoes, the Reichstag cannot be prevented from proposing the measure after the middle of next week at the latest. . . . Bismarck calls upon all members of the Reichstag who are in the field to go to Berlin and vote. November 30, A draft of Bismarck’s for the letter of the King of Bavaria about offering his Majesty the Imperial dignity has been forwarded to Munich. . .. . The King of Bavaria has actually copied the letter and Holnstein is bringing it baok. December 3. Holn&tein arrived. Prince Luitpold hands the document to the King by special command. After dinner Bismarck reads out the letter, which the King finds as inopportune as possible, upon which Bismarck remarked that the Imperial question had nothing to do with the present campaign. As we left the room Bismarck and I shook hands ; to-day Kaiser and Reich have been irrevocably reestablished, and now the interregnum of sixty-five years, the terrible Kaiser-less time, is over. This proud title is a guarantee in itself; we owe this mainly to the Grand Duke of Baden, who has been. . . . incesaantly active in the matter. December 6. . . The King very hurt that Delbruok has read the letter of the King of Bavaria to the Reiohstag. December 9.—Learn about Delbruck’s introductory speech on the Imperial question in the Reichstag, which is excessively weak, dull, and dry; it was pitiable, just as if he had pulled the Imperial crown out of bis pocket wrapped up in an old newspaper ; it is impossible to pat any energy into these people. . The Grand Duke of Baden says .that the apparently empty Imperial title of to-day will develop its full moaning soon enough. December 10. England, which is ever becoming more noticeable. The King is excited about Delbruck's action. ... Ho is afraid of the Reichstag deputation, because it looks as if the Imperial question were initiated by the Reichstag, refuses to receive the deputation until he has the assent of all the States through the medium of the King of Bavaria. At tea there is so little conversation that the half of ns go regularly to sleep. ... December 14.— Anniversary of Prince Albert s (the

Prince Consort’s) doath.-Atemember how he constantly said we must give up the idea of plaving a decisive role without the cooperation of Germany. December 15.Moltke expects Longwy and Mehihres to capitulate, because the commandant declares that he will only bo buried with the last stone. His attitude and method of expressing himself is quite invaluable at such moments. Deoember 16.—The King will hear nothing about receiving the deputies, but is beginning to be more pliable in the matter. December 18. —Hear from the Court Marshal of Prince Charles that to-morrow hie Majesty will give a dinner to the Reichstag deputies. Bismarck says the King wants to receive them beforehand. Long conversation with Simson (now President at the Supreme Court at Leipsic), who is correct and logical. Count Perponcher said to Adalbert, ‘ However, we shall not utilise the Imperial dignity for ordinary occasions, but only at Grand Lour® festivities or ceremonies’ ; to which Adalbert replied, ‘lf the King were to make you a Prince, would you only then wear the title on exceptional occasions?’ Boyen asked what would our King do if the Prussian Diet wore to refuse to allow him to accept the Imperial Crown ? ‘Du gleiohst dem Geist deu du begreiffst.’ Sunday, Deoember 18.—Deeply moved by the reception of the deputies, dignified and good. Observed from Rogge’s sermon that after all stress is laid on it. His Majesty took his stand in the principal saloon in the building, the Princess of the Blood to the right, the reigning Princes to the left. Simson’s masterly speech drew tears from me ; in faot, there was not a dry eye present. The address was then read. The King’s reply followed with some stoppages, for he can no longer read easily without spectacles ; besides, now and again he was obliged to pause from emotion. Then followed the presentation of the deputies; during the entire ceremony firing from Mont Valdrien, outside everything in a blaze. The King was happy when all was over, seemed easy and satisfied. The future position of the Royal Family is still doubtful. * Imperial Highness ’is contrary to my fancy altogether. March 8. —Granville, Triquette, and Hyacinths do justice in their letters to my character, apart from military matters in which the moment ’ decides. _As far _as moral earnestness and political conviction are concerned, they can only be the re. suit of inward ripeness and inward struggles which have to be daily renewed and which ODe must fight out alone. And when I see that my efforts for the oppressed are recogn ised in Germany and by her neighbours in such a way that confidence is felt in my future, that makes me happy. Napoleon quietly seeking a rapprochement with us, moderation of the peace conditions on promise of a common war against England. March 12.—Homewards after almost nine months of separation.