AS MINISTER TO GERMANY-1879-1881 547 



persons of Germany, asking them to write their names on them 

 and send them to me as soon as possible. 



Yours truly, 



P.S. Tell them to be sure to write their names in the middle 

 of the pieces, for fear that their autographs may get sewed in. 



My associations with the diplomatic corps I found es 

 pecially pleasing. The dean, as regarded seniority, was 

 the Italian ambassador, Count Delaunay, a man of large 

 experience and kindly manners. He gave me various in 

 teresting reminiscences of his relations with Cavour, and 

 said that when he was associated with the great Italian 

 statesman, the latter was never able to get time for him, 

 except at five o clock in the morning, and that this was 

 their usual hour of work. 



Another very interesting person was the representative 

 of Great Britain Lord Odo Russell. He was full of in 

 teresting reminiscences of his life at Washington, at Rome, 

 and at Versailles with Bismarck. As to Rome, he gave me 

 interesting stories of Pope Pius IX, who, he said, was in 

 clined to be jocose, and even to speak in a sportive way 

 regarding exceedingly serious subjects. 1 As to Cavour, 

 he thought him a greater man even than Bismarck; and 

 this from a man so intimate with the German chancellor 

 was a testimony of no small value. 



As to his recollections of Versailles, he was present at 

 the proclamation of the Empire in the Galerie des Glaces, 

 and described the scene to me very vividly. 



His relations with Bismarck were very close, and the 

 latter once paid him a compliment which sped far ; saying 

 that, as a rule, he distrusted an Englishman who spoke 

 French very correctly, but that there was one exception- 

 Lord Odo Russell. 



At the risk of repeating a twice-told tale, I may refer 

 here to his visit to Bismarck when the latter complained 

 that lie was bothered to death with bores who took his 



1 One of these reminiscences I have given elsewhere. 



