534 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-V 



the young prince, with his train, beginning with the gen 

 tlemen, each walked slowly around the interior of the en 

 tire circle, stopping at each foreign representative and 

 speaking to him, often in the language of his own country, 

 regarding some subject which might be supposed to in 

 terest him. It was really a surprising feat, for which, no 

 doubt, they had been carefully prepared, but which would 

 be found difficult even by many a well-trained scholar. 



An American representative, in presenting his letter of 

 credence from the President of the United States to the 

 ruler of the German Empire, has one advantage in the fact 

 that he has an admirable topic ready to his hand, such as 

 perhaps no other minister has. This boon was given us 

 by Frederick the Great. He, among the first of Continental 

 rulers, recognized the American States as an independent 

 power; and therefore every American minister since, in 

 cluding myself, has found it convenient, on presenting the 

 President s autograph letter to the King or Emperor, to 

 recall this event and to build upon it such an oratorical 

 edifice as circumstances may warrant. The fact that the 

 great Frederick recognized the new American Republic, 

 not from love of it, but on account of his detestation of 

 England, provoked by her conduct during his desperate 

 struggle against his Continental enemies, is, of course, 

 on such occasions diplomatically kept in the background. 



The great power in Germany at that time was the 

 chancellor, Prince Bismarck. Nothing could be more 

 friendly and simple than his greeting ; and however stately 

 his official entertainments to the diplomatic corps might 

 be, simplicity reigned at his family dinners, when his con 

 versation was apparently frank and certainly delightful. 

 To him I shall devote another chapter. 



In those days an American minister at Berlin was 

 likely to find his personal relations with the German 

 minister of foreign affairs cordial, but his official rela 

 tions continuous war. Hardly a day passed without some 

 skirmish regarding the rights of &quot; German- Americans &quot; 

 in their Fatherland. The old story constantly recurred 



