256 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE -XX 



In the evening there was a general assemblage of the 

 members of the conference at a reception given by Jonk- 

 heer van Karnebeek, formerly Dutch minister of foreign 

 affairs, and now first delegate from the Netherlands to 

 the conference. It was very brilliant, and I made many 

 interesting acquaintances ; but, probably, since the world 

 began, never has so large a body come together in a spirit 

 of more hopeless skepticism as to any good result. Though 

 no one gives loud utterance to this feeling, it is none the 

 less deep. Of course, among all these delegates acquainted 

 with public men and measures in Europe, there is con 

 siderable distrust of the intentions of Russia; and, nat 

 urally, the weakness of the Russian Emperor is well un 

 derstood, though all are reticent regarding it. The only 

 open utterances are those attributed to one or two of the 

 older European diplomatists, who lament being sent on an 

 errand which they fear is to be fruitless. One of these 

 is said to have bewailed this mission as a sad ending 

 to his public services, and to have declared that as he 

 had led a long life of devotion to his country and to its 

 sovereign, his family might well look upon his career as 

 honorable ; but that now he is probably doomed to crown 

 it with an open failure. 



May 18. 



At two o clock in the afternoon the conference held its 

 open session at the &quot; House in the Wood.&quot; The building 

 is most interesting, presenting as it does the art and 

 general ideas of two hundred and fifty years ago; it 

 is full of historical associations, and the groves and gar 

 dens about it are delightful. The walls and dome of the 

 great central hall are covered with immense paintings 

 in the style of Rubens, mainly by his pupils ; and, of these, 

 one over the front entrance represents Peace descend 

 ing from heaven, bearing various symbols and, appa 

 rently, entering the hall. To this M. de Beaufort, our 

 honorary president, the Netherlands minister of foreign 

 affairs, made a graceful allusion in his opening speech, 



