GERMANY. 



GERST ACKER, FRIEDRICII. 355 



On September 5th the Emperor Alexander 

 of Russia, accompanied by the Czarevitch and 

 Grand-dukes Nicholas and Vladimir, arrived 

 in Berlin, where his Premier, Prince Gort- 

 chakoff, was awaiting him. On the next day, 

 the Emperor of Austria, accompanied by Prime- 

 Minister Count Andrassy, arrived. The fes- 

 tivities in honor of the two emperors were on 

 the grandest scale, but, of the conferences 

 which were held between them with their 

 prime ministers, no information whatever 

 was given to the public. Prince Bismarck, in 

 his reply to a deputation of the magistrates 

 of Berlin presenting him with the honorary 

 diploma of citizenship of Berlin, remarked 

 that by means of the festive events of the last 

 few days confidence in the endurance of peace, 

 which was nearly as valuable as peace itself, 

 would be strengthened. The high persons 

 who had met in Berlin would not leave with 

 disappointed expectations. No one had come 

 with wishes that could not be -acceded to by 

 the others. The meeting had not been called 

 forth by aggressive "intentions against any 

 power, or in any direction whatsoever. The 

 amicable personal interview of the Emperors 

 would strengthen the confidence of friends in 

 a lasting peace, and clearly show to enemies 

 the difficulties they would have to encounter 

 in order to disturb that peace. Count Moltke, 

 upon whom the city of Berlin had likewise 

 conferred the honorary diploma of citizenship, 

 also pointed out in his speech that the main 

 point in connection with the imperial meeting 

 was the increase of confidence in peace, in 

 which, and with justice, the nation considered 

 the chief importance of the event ^ lay. The 

 official and semi-official papers of'the three 

 Governments fully agreed in asserting that 

 the three monarchs had joined hands to main- 

 tain peace among the nations, and that the 

 most beneficial results might be expected, 

 from the conference. 



On September 18th, 19th, and 20th, the 

 bishops of the German Empire, including the 

 Bishop of Strasbourg, assembled at Fulda, and 

 there agreed upon the publication of a me- 

 morial on the situation of the Catholic Church 

 in Germany, which was hailed by the Catho- 

 lics of all countries of the world as a most 

 powerful defence of Catholic interests, while, 

 on the other hand, it visibly widened the 

 breach between the Catholic bishops and the 

 Government. On the part of the Catholic 

 clergy and the numerous Catholic societies 

 which held their numerously-attended Gen- 

 eral Assembly at Breslau, the views of the 

 bishops met with a cordial response ; on the 

 other hand, the congress of the Old Catholics, 

 which was held at Cologne on September 20th 

 and the following days, and which was at- 

 tended by Anglican bishops of England and 

 the United States, by the Old Catholic (Jan- 

 senist) Archbishop of Utrecht in Holland, and 

 by several prominent priests and laymen of 

 the Church of Russia, indicated that this 



movement was not likely to die out very soon, 

 but that it would seek to consolidate itself by 

 the election of Old Catholic bishops. The 

 semi-official Provincial Correspondent of Ber- 

 lin remarked, on the memorial of the German 

 bishops, that now, "after the bishops have 

 arbitrarily attempted to define the limits of 

 ecclesiastical affairs, and to extend those limits 

 according to their own pleasure, it has become 

 the imperative duty of the Government, by 

 concise and inviolable laws, to regulate the 

 limits of matters which do not solely apper- 

 tain to the Church, but which are connected 

 with civil life and the state." 



The award of Emperor "William in the San 

 Juan boundary question was delivered to Lord 

 Odo Russell and Mr. Bancroft on October 23d. 

 The decision merely states that the German 

 Emperor, having taken the opinion of his ex- 

 perts and jurists, decides that the Haro Canal 

 boundary-line is most in accordance with ex- 

 isting treaties. The experts and jurists whose 

 view was eventually indorsed, were Herr 

 Grimm, Vice-President of the Supreme Court; 

 Judge Goldschmidt, of the German Tribunal 

 of Commerce at Leipsic ; and Dr. Kiepert, 

 Professor of Geography at Berlin. 



On the 1st of October the time expired dur- 

 ing which the inhabitants of Alsace and Lor- 

 raine were permitted to choose either the 

 French or German nationality. According to 

 an official statement, the number of those who 

 registered their names with the German au- 

 thorities as choosing French nationality was 

 164,633. Of this number, 38,000 really emi- 

 grated, thus making their option valid, be- 

 sides about 12,000 Frenchmen domiciled in 

 Alsace-Lorraine, who left after March 2, 1871. 

 The petitions of many Alsatians to have the 

 conscription postponed for several years hav- 

 ing been refused, the first regular conscription 

 took place in November. It proceeded quietly, 

 nearly the full complement of 5,200 men be- 

 ing enlisted. 



GERSTACKER, FEIEDKICH, a German trav- 

 eller and novelist, born in Hamburg, May 16, 

 1816; died in Vienna, June 2, 1872. He was 

 the son of an actor, was destined to a commer- 

 cial career, and was apprenticed to a commer- 

 cial house in Cassel. But, having been from 

 early childhood accustomed to an active, out- 

 door life, he did not take kindly to the con- 

 finement of the warehouse, and resolved to 

 emigrate to America. For two years (1835- 

 '37) he studied, diligently, social economy, to 

 fit himself for his new life, and then embarked 

 at Bremen for New York, where he arrived 

 with a very light purse, and at a time of severe 

 financial distress. After residing in New 

 York for several months he was forced by his 

 poverty to accept whatever occupation offered 

 itself, and he was successively fireman on a 

 steamboat, deck-hand, farmer, silversmith, 

 wood-cutter, merchant, and hostler. After 

 many vicissitudes, and after travelling through 

 most of the States of the Union, he returned to 



