AT THE HAGUE PEACE CONFERENCE: 1-1899 265 



so good, there came a great growth of hope; now comes 

 the usual falling back of many. But I trust that this will 

 not be permanent. Yesterday there was some talk which, 

 though quiet, was none the less bitter, to the effect that 

 the purpose of Russia in calling the conference is only 

 to secure time for strengthening her armaments ; that she 

 was never increasing her forces at a greater rate, es 

 pecially in the southwestern part of the empire and in 

 the Caucasus, and never intriguing more vigorously in 

 all directions. To one who stated this to me my answer 

 simply was that bad faith to this extent on the part of 

 Eussia is most unlikely, if not impossible; that it would 

 hand down the Emperor and his advisers to the eternal 

 execration and contempt of mankind; and that, in any 

 case, our duty is clear : to go on and do the best we can ; 

 to perfect plans for a permanent tribunal of arbitration ; 

 and to take measures for diminishing cruelty and suffer 

 ing in war. 



Meeting Count Miinster, who, after M. de Staal, is very 

 generally considered the most important personage here, 

 we discussed the subject of arbitration. To my great re 

 gret, I found him entirely opposed to it, or, at least, en 

 tirely opposed to any well-developed plan. He did not 

 say that he would oppose a moderate plan for voluntary 

 arbitration, but he insisted that arbitration must be in 

 jurious to Germany; that Germany is prepared for war 

 as no other country is or can be; that she can mobilize 

 her army in ten days ; and that neither France, Russia, 

 nor any other power can do this. Arbitration, he said, 

 would simply give rival powers time to put themselves in 

 readiness, and would therefore be a great disadvantage 

 to Germany. 



Later came another disappointment. M. de Martens, 

 having read the memorandum which I left with him yes 

 terday on the subject of exempting private property, not 

 contraband of war, from seizure upon the high seas, 

 called, and insisted that it would be impossible, under any 

 just construction of the Mouravieff programme, to bring 



