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Mr。　Raffalovitch；　one　of　the　Russian　secretaries　of　the



conference；　who；　as　councilor　of　the　Russian　Empire　and



corresponding　member　of　the　French　Institute；　has　a　European



reputation；　and　urged　him　to　aid　in　striking　out　the　clause　in



the　plan　which　admits　judges　other　than　those　of　the　court。　My



hope　is　that　it　will　disappear　in　the　subcommittee　and　not　come



up　in　the　general　meeting　of　the　third　great　committee。











June　8。







The　American　delegation　in　the　afternoon　discussed　at　length　the



proposals　relating　to　the　Brussels　Conference　rules　for　the　more



humane　carrying　on　of　war。　Considerable　difference　of　opinion　has



arisen　in　the　section　of　the　conference　in　which　the　preliminary



debates　are　held；　and　Captain　Crozier；　our　representative；　has



been　in　some　doubt　as　to　the　ground　to　be　taken　between　these



opposing　views。　On　one　side　are　those　who　think　it　best　to　go　at



considerable　length　into　more　or　less　minute　restrictions　upon



the　conduct　of　invaders　and　invaded。　On　the　other　side；　M。



Bernaert　of　Belgium；　one　of　the　two　most　eminent　men　from　that



country；　and　others；　take　the　ground　that　it　would　be　better　to



leave　the　whole　matter　to　the　general　development　of　humanity　in



international　law。　M。　de　Martens　insists　that　now　is　the　time　to



settle　the　matter；　rather　than　leave　it　to　individuals　who；　in



time　of　war；　are　likely　to　be　more　or　less　exasperated　by



accounts　of　atrocities　and　to　have　no　adequate　time　for　deciding



upon　a　policy。　After　considerable　discussion　by　our　delegation；



the　whole　matter　went　over。







In　the　evening　to　a　great　reception　at　the　house　of　Sir　Henry



Howard；　British　minister　at　this　court。　It　was　very　brilliant；



and　the　whole　afforded　an　example　of　John　Bull's　good　sense　in



providing　for　his　representatives　abroad；　and　enabling　them　to



exercise　a　social　influence　on　the　communities　where　they　are



stationed；　which　rapidly　becomes　a　political　influence　with　the



governments　to　which　they　are　accredited。　Sir　Henry　is　provided



with　a　large；　attractive　house；　means　to　entertain　amply；　and　has



been　kept　in　the　service　long　enough　to　know　everybody　and　to



become　experienced　in　the　right　way　of　getting　at　the　men　he



wishes　to　influence；　and　of　doing　the　things　his　government　needs



to　have　done。　Throughout　the　whole　world　this　is　John　Bull's　wise



way　of　doing　things。　At　every　capital　I　have　visited；　including



Washington；　Constantinople；　St。　Petersburg；　Rome；　Paris；　Berlin；



and　Vienna；　the　British　representative　is　a　man　who　has　been



selected　with　reference　to　his　fitness；　kept　in　the　service　long



enough　to　give　him　useful　experience；　and　provided　with　a　good；



commodious　house　and　the　means　to　exercise　social　and；　therefore；



political　influence。　The　result　is　that；　although；　in　every



country　in　the　world；　orators　and　editors　are　always　howling　at



John　Bull；　he　everywhere　has　his　way：　to　use　our　vernacular；　he



〃gets　there；〃　and　can　laugh　in　his　sleeve　at　the　speeches　against



him　in　public　bodies；　and　at　the　diatribes　against　him　in



newspapers。　The　men　who　are　loudest　in　such　attacks　are　generally



the　most　delighted　to　put　their　legs　under　the　British



ambassador's　mahogany；　or　to　take　their　daughters　to　his



receptions　and　balls；　and　then　quietly　to　follow　the　general　line



of　conduct　which　he　favors。











June　9。







In　the　morning　an　interesting　visit　from　M。　de　Staal；　president



of　the　conference。　We　discussed　arbitration　plans；　Brussels　rules



and　Geneva　rules；　and；　finally；　our　social　debts　to　the　Dutch



authorities。







As　to　the　general　prospects　of　arbitration；　he　expressed　the



belief　that　we　can；　by　amalgamating　the　British；　Russian；　and



American　plans；　produce　a　good　result







During　the　day；　many　members　of　the　conference　having　gone　to



Rotterdam　to　see　the　welcoming　of　the　Queen　in　that　city；　I　took



up；　with　especial　care；　the　Brussels　rules　for　the　conduct　of



war；　and　the　amendments　of　them　now　proposed　in　the　conference；



some　of　which　have　provoked　considerable　debate。　The　more　I　read



the　proposals　now　made；　the　more　admirable　most　of　them　seem　to



be；　and　the　more　it　seems　to　me　that　we　ought；　with　a　few



exceptions；　to　adopt　them。　Great　Britain　declines　to　sanction



them　as　part　of　international　law；　but　still　agrees　to　adopt　them



as　a　general　basis　for　her　conduct　in　time　of　war；　and　even　this



would　be　a　good　thing　for　us；　if　we　cannot　induce　our　government



to　go　to　the　length　of　making　them　fully　binding。







At　six　o'clock　Dr。　Holls；　who　represents　us　upon　the　subcommittee



on　arbitration；　came　in　with　most　discouraging　news。　It　now



appears　that　the　German　Emperor　is　determined　to　oppose　the　whole



scheme　of　arbitration；　and　will　have　nothing　to　do　with　any　plan



for　a　regular　tribunal；　whether　as　given　in　the　British　or　the



American　scheme。　This　news　comes　from　various　sources；　and　is



confirmed　by　the　fact　that；　in　the　subcommittee；　one　of　the



German　delegates；　Professor　Zorn　of　Konigsberg；　who　had　become



very　earnest　in　behalf　of　arbitration；　now　says　that　he　may　not



be　able　to　vote　for　it。　There　are　also　signs　that　the　German



Emperor　is　influencing　the　minds　of　his　alliesthe　sovereigns　of



Austria；　Italy；　Turkey；　and　Roumanialeading　them　to　oppose　it。







Curiously　enough；　in　spite　of　this；　Count　Nigra；　the　Italian



ambassador　at　Vienna　and　head　of　the　Italian　delegation；　made　a



vigorous　speech　showing　the　importance　of　the　work　in　which　the



committee　is　engaged；　urging　that　the　plan　be　perfected；　and



seeming　to　indicate　that　he　will　go　on　with　the　representatives



who　favor　it。　This；　coming　from　perhaps　the　most　earnest　ally　of



Germany；　is　noteworthy。







At　the　close　of　the　session　Sir　Julian　Pauncefote　informed　Dr。



Holls　that　he　was　about　to　telegraph　his　government　regarding　the



undoubted　efforts　of　the　German　Emperor　upon　the　sovereigns　above



named；　and　I　decided　to　cable　our　State　Department；　informing



them　fully　as　to　this　change　in　the　condition　of　affairs。







At　eight　went　to　the　dinner　of　our　minister；　Mr。　Newel　and　found



there　three　ambassadors；　De　Staal；　Munster；　and　Pauncefote；　as



well　as　M。　Leon　Bourgeois；　president　of　the　French　delegation；



Sir　Henry　Howard；　the　British　minister；　Baron　de　Bildt；　the



Swedish　minister；　and　some　leading　Netherlands　statesmen。　Had　a



long　talk　with　M。　de　Staal　and　with　Sir　Julian　Pauncefote



regarding　the　state　of　things　revealed　this　afternoon　in　the



subcommittee　on　arbitration。　M。　de　Staal　has　called　a　meeting　of



the　heads　of　delegations　for　Saturday　afternoon。　Both　he　and　Sir



Julian　are　evidently　much　vexed　by　the　unfortunate　turn　things



have　taken。　The　latter　feels；　as　I　do；　that　the　only　thing　to　be



done　is　to　go　on　and　make　the　plan　for　arbitration　as　perfect　as



possible；　letting　those　of　the　powers　who　are　willing　to　do　so



sign　it。　I　assured　him　and　De　Staal　that　we　of　the　United　States



would　stand　by　them　to　the　last　in　the　matter。







Late　in　the　evening　went　to　a　reception　of　M。　de　Beaufort；　the



Netherlands　minister　of　foreign　affairs；　and　discussed　current



matters　with　various　people；　among　them　Count　Nigra；　whom　I



thanked　for　his　eloquent　speech　in　the　afternoon；　and　Baron　de



Bildt；　who　feels　as　I　do；　that　the　right　thing　for　us　is　to　go



on；　no　matter　who　falls　away。











June　10。







This　morning　I　gave　to　studies　of　the　various　reports　sent　in



from　the　subcommittees；　especially　those　on　arbitration　and　on



the　Brussels　Conference　rules。　Both　have　intensely　interested　me；



my　main　attention　being；　of　course；　centered　on　the　former；　but



the　Brussels　rules　seem　to　me　of　much　greater　importance　now　than



at　first；　and　my　hope　is　that　we　shall　not　only　devise　a　good



working　plan　of　arbitration；　but　greatly　humanize　the　laws　of



war。







At　four　o'clock　in　the　afternoon　met　the　four　other　ambassadors



and　two　or　three　other　heads　of　delegations；　at　the　rooms　of　M。



de　Staal；　to　discuss　the　question　of　relaxing　the　rules　of



secrecy　as　regards　the　proceedings　of　committees；　etc。　The　whole



original　Russian　plan　of　maintaining　absolute　secrecy　has



collapsed；　just　as　the　representatives　from　constitutional



countries　in　the　beginning　said　it　would。　Every　day　there　are



published　minute　accounts　in　Dutch；　French；　and　English　journals



which　show　that；　in　some　way；　their　representatives　obtain　enough



information　to　enable　them；　with　such　additional