AT THE HAGUE PEACE CONFERENCE: III-1899 303 



ereign who had broken down the conference and brought 

 to naught the plan of arbitration. I took the liberty of 

 telling him what the Emperor said to me regarding the 

 count himself namely, that what the conference was 

 most likely to need was good common sense, and that he 

 was sending Count Minister because he possessed that. 

 This seemed to please him, and I then went on to say that 

 he of all men ought to prevent, by all means, placing 

 the young Emperor in such a position. I dwelt on the 

 gifts and graces of the young sovereign, expressed my 

 feeling of admiration for his noble ambitions, for his 

 abilities, for the statesmanship he had recently shown, 

 for his grasp of public affairs, and for his way of con 

 ciliating all classes, and then dwelt on the pity of mak 

 ing such a monarch an object of hatred in all parts of 

 the world. 



He seemed impressed by this, but said the calling of 

 the conference was simply a political trick the most 

 detestable trick ever practised. It was done, he said, 

 mainly to embarrass Germany, to glorify the young Rus- 

 sian Emperor, and to put Germany and nations which 

 Russia dislikes into a false position. To this I an 

 swered, &quot;If this be the case, why not trump the Russian 

 trick ? or, as the poker-players say, Go them one better, 

 take them at their word, support a good tribunal of arbi 

 tration more efficient even than the Russians have dared 

 to propose; let your sovereign throw himself heartily 

 into the movement and become a recognized leader and 

 power here; we will all support him, and to him will 

 come the credit of it. 



&quot;Then, in addition to this, support us as far as you 

 can as regards the immunity of private property on the 

 high seas, and thus you will gain another great point; 

 for, owing to her relations to France, Russia has not 

 dared commit herself to this principle as otherwise she 

 doubtless would have done, but, on the contrary, has 

 opposed any consideration of it by the conference. 



&quot;Next, let attention be called to the fact and we will 



