272 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-XXI 



enable us to elaborate a plan for the meeting above re 

 ferred to, and I obtained permission from the president, 

 M. Leon Bourgeois, to defer the presentation of our 

 scheme until about the middle of next week. 



Just before the session of the main committee, at which 

 the Russian plan was received, I had a long and very 

 interesting talk with Mr. van Karnebeek, one of the lead 

 ing statesmen of the Netherlands, a former minister of 

 foreign affairs, and the present chief of the Dutch delega 

 tion in the conference. He seems clear-headed and far- 

 sighted, and his belief is that the conference will really 

 do something of value for arbitration. He says that men 

 who arrived here apparently indifferent have now be 

 come interested, and that amour propre, if nothing else, 

 will lead them to elaborate something likely to be useful. 

 He went at considerable length into the value of an inter 

 national tribunal, even if it does nothing more than keep 

 nations mindful of the fact that there is some way, other 

 than war, of settling disputes. 



A delegate also informed me that in talking with M. 

 de Staal the latter declared that in his opinion the pres 

 ent conference is only the first of a series, and that it is 

 quite likely that another will be held next winter or next 

 spring. 



In the evening I made the acquaintance of Mr. Mar 

 shall, a newspaper correspondent, who is here prepar 

 ing some magazine articles on The Hague and the con 

 ference. He is a very interesting man on various 

 accounts, and especially at present, since he has but just 

 returned from the Cuban campaign, where he was fear 

 fully wounded, receiving two shots which carried away 

 parts of the vertebral column, a bullet being left in his 

 body. He seems very cheerful, though obliged to get 

 about on crutches. 



May 27. 



In the morning, calls from various people urging all 

 kinds of schemes for arbitration and various other good 



