AT THE HAGUE PEACE CONFERENCE: III-1899 297 



not contraband, before the conference, these gentlemen 

 being especially devoted to such a measure. 



All went off very well, full interchange of views took 

 place, and the general opinion was that the best way 

 would be for us, as the only delegation instructed on the 

 subject, to draw up a formal memorial asking that the 

 question be brought before the conference, and sending 

 this to M. de Staal as our president. 



Curious things came out during our conversation. 

 Baron de Bildt informed me that, strongly as he favored 

 the measure, and prepared as he was to yote for it, he 

 should have to be very careful in discussing it publicly, 

 since his instructions were to avoid, just as far as pos 

 sible, any clash between the opinions expressed by the 

 Swedish representatives and those of the great powers. 

 Never before have I so thoroughly realized the difficult 

 position which the lesser powers in Europe hold as re 

 gards really serious questions. 



More surprising was the conversation of Count Miin- 

 ster, he being on one side of me and Mr. van Karnebeek on 

 the other. Bearing in mind that the Emperor William, 

 during his long talk with me just before I left Berlin, 

 in referring to the approaching Peace Congress had said 

 that he was sending Count Minister because what the con 

 ference would most need would be &quot;common sense, &quot; 

 and because, in his opinion, Count Minister had &quot;lots of 

 it,&quot; some of the count s utterances astonished me. He 

 now came out, as he did the day before in his talk with 

 me, utterly against arbitration, declaring it a &quot;humbug,&quot; 

 and that we had no right to consider it, since it was not 

 mentioned in the first proposals from Eussia, etc., etc. 



A little later, something having been said about tele 

 graphs and telephones, he expressed his belief that they 

 are a curse as regards the relations between nations; 

 that they interfere with diplomacy, and do more harm 

 than good. This did not especially surprise me, for I 

 had heard the same opinions uttered by others ; but what 

 did surprise me greatly was to hear him say, when the 



