viii TABLE OF CONTENTS 



CHAPTER XXXIX. As MEMBER OF THE VENEZUELAN 

 COMMISSION 1895-1896 



PAGE 



The Venezuelan Commission ; curious circumstances of my nomination to it 

 by President Cleveland. Nature of the question to be decided ; its previous 

 evolution. Mr. Cleveland s message. Attacks upon him; his firmness. 

 Sessions of the Commission ; initial difficulties ; solution of them. The old 

 question between the Netherlands and Spain. Material at our command. 

 Discreditable features of the first British Blue Book on the subject ; British 

 &quot; fair play &quot; in this and in the Behring Sea question. Distribution of duties 

 in the Commission. My increased respect for Lord Aberdeen ; boundary line 

 accepted by him ; striking confirmation of his justice and wisdom by the Ar 

 bitration Tribunal at Paris. Triumph of President Cleveland and Secretary 

 Olney. Men whom I met in Washington. Lord Pauncefote. Secretary 

 Carlisle ; striking tribute to him by an eminent Republican ; his characteris 

 tics. Vice-President Stevenson ; his powers as a raconteur. Senator Gray 

 and Mr. Olney. Visit with the American Geographical Society to Monticello ; 

 curious evidences there of Jefferson s peculiarities; beauty of the place. 

 Visit to the University of Virginia. My increasing respect for the qualities 

 of Mr. Cleveland 117 



CHAPTER XL. As AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY 1897-1903 



Nomination by President McKinley. Light thrown upon his methods by 

 appointments of second secretary and military attache&quot;. Secretary Sherman ; 

 his reference to President Johnson s impeachment. Judge Harlan s refer 

 ence to Dr. Burchard s alliteration. Discussions with the German ambassa 

 dor and others. Change of the American legation into an embassy ; its ad 

 vantages and disadvantages. First interview with Emperor William II ; 

 subjects discussed. His reference to Frederick the Great s musical powers. 

 The Empress ; happy change in the attitude of the people toward her. The 

 Chancellor of the Empire ; Prince Hohenlohe ; his peculiarities ; his refer 

 ences to Bismarck ; his opinion of Germans. Count von Billow, Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs ; resemblances between him and his father ; his characteristics 

 as minister and as parliamentary leader. Ambassadorial receptions ; difficul 

 ties ; mistaken policy of our government regarding residences for its repre 

 sentatives. Change in German public opinion toward the United States since 

 my ministerial days ; its causes ; evidences of it during Spanish War. Mis 

 representations in German and American papers, and their effects; our own 

 culpability as shown in the Fessenden case. International questions; Hai 

 tian theory of the Monroe Doctrine. The Samoan question ; furor consularis; 

 missionary squabbles ; reasonableness of Minister von Billow. Attendance 

 at Parliament ; its characteristics ; notes on sundry members ; Posadowski ; 

 Richter ; Bebel ; Barth. The German Parliament House compared with the 

 New York State Capitol 131 



CHAPTER XLI. AMERICA, GERMANY, AND THE SPANISH 

 WAR 1897-1903 



The Chinese question ; German part in it ; my duties regarding it ; course of 

 President McKinley and Secretary Hay. The exclusion of American insur 

 ance companies ; difficulties. American sugar duties ; our wavering policy. 

 The &quot;meat question&quot;; American illustration of defective German policy. 



