MY RECOLLECTIONS OF BISMARCK-1879-1881 579 



speeches every fool in France would cry out with delight, 

 * ' Mais, voila mon opinion ! ' ' 



Doubtless Bismarck was impressed, for the time being, 

 by Thiers 's skill in negotiation ; but it is perfectly evident, 

 from the recollections of various officials since published, 

 that his usual opinion of Thiers was not at all indicated 

 by his remark above cited. 



Later the conversation fell upon travel ; and, as he spoke 

 of his experiences in various parts of Europe, I recom- 

 mended America to him as a new field of observation al- 

 luding playfully to the city named after him, and suggest- 

 ing that he take his family with him upon a large steamer, 

 and, after seeing the more interesting things in the United 

 States, pass on around the world, calling at the Samoan 

 Islands, on which I had recently heard him speak in 

 parliament. After some humorous objections to this plan, 

 he said that early in life he had a great passion for travel, 

 but that upon his father's death he was obliged to devote 

 himself to getting his estate in order ; that ever since that 

 time his political duties had prevented his traveling much ; 

 and that now he had lost the love of wandering, and in 

 place of it had gained a desire to settle down in the midst 

 of his family. 



He spoke English so perfectly that I asked him how 

 much time he had spent in England. He said, "Very 

 little in fact, only two or three days." He had made but 

 two short visits, one of them many years ago, I think he 

 said in 1842, the other during the exposition of 1862. He 

 seemed much struck with the beauty of England, and said 

 that if his lot had been cast there he would have been very 

 happy as an English country gentleman ; that he could not 

 understand how Englishmen are so prone to live outside 

 of their own country. He spoke of various Englishmen, 

 and referred to Lord Dufferin, who had dined with him 

 the day before, as one of the most abstemious men he had 

 ever seen, drinking only a little claret and water. Upon 

 my speaking of the great improvement which I had noted 

 in England during the last quarter of a century, so that 



