Emperor Frederick's Diary. Publication of Extracts. London, September 28.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 313, 3 November 1888, Page 6

Emperor Frederick's Diary. Publication of Extracts. London, September 28.

A q bis at sensation has been caused in Berlin by the publication in the " Deutche Rund. schau " of extracts from the Emperor Frederick's private diai-y k ept durin g the Campaign from July, 1870, to March, 1871. The editor in publishing the extracts, asserts that he received them from a person to whom the Emperor Frederick gave a copy oi his diai y. The extracts commence on July 13th, just before the beginning ot the Franco-Get man , war. The following extracts show the general tenor ot the dmry : — "July 16th. Tnree aimitrs are being formed. I urn to command the South German, and have therefore a most difficult bask to light with troops that do nob iike us. Prussians, and have not been trained in our school. July IS. — Universal enthusiasm. Germany rising liko one man ; will re-establish unity. August 7. — Frequent detailed conversation with Koggenbach about the likely results oi war inciting to the conviction that alter peace it will be impossible for us to inaugurate new things m a German national sense ; but we are also bound to 'otler the German people something whole and palpable and* hot. We mu&t therefore strike the iron of the German Cabinet while it is still hot." The Emperor Frederick subsequently describes the meeting between Napoleon and the King. "The conversation, as the King intormed me later," he says, "was a& follows: — The King began by saying that as the fortune of war was now turned against the Emperor, and •the.,- latter ottered him hib sword, ho had tome to ask him what were now hid intentions. Napoleon placed his futiue solely in His Majesty's hands. The King replied that he was sorry to see his opponent in such a position, more especially as he was aware it had been no easy task for the Emperor to decide tor war. This remark clearly pleased Napoleon, who protested with warmth that he held only bowed to public opinion when it tesolved on war, upon which the king urged that public opinion nevertheless took this diiection, and 'it was the fault of those whom you made your counsellors.' Touching the diieet object of the meeting, the king inquiied whether Napoleon had any negotiations to propose, bo which the Emperor replied 'No,' remarking that as a prisoner he could exercise no influence on the Government. To the further ques-' tion, where there was this Government, he replied 'In Paris.' The King then turned the conversation to the subject of the Empeior's personal position, and offered him Wilhelmshohe as a residence, which he i mined icttely accepted. Heseemed e&pecially satisfied^ when ,his Majesty observed that he would give him a guard of honour across the frontier. When Napoleon, in course of* further conversation, expres-ed his conjecture that he had had the army of .frederick Charles against him, the king corrected him, and said that 'it was the Crown Prince ot Saxony and I.' To his question, ' Where then was Frederick Charles V the king answered sharply, 'In tronb ol Mebz, with se/en army corps,' With every sign of a painful surpri.se, the Emperor receded a step. A convulsion ot pain passed over his countenance, for it now first came home to him that he had not been opposed b> the entire German army. The King praised the gallantry of the French army, which Napoleon indeed willingly confirmed, bub remarked that it lacked the discipline which so greatly distinguished our army. The Prussian artillery, he said, v< as the first in the world, and his troops had not been able to withstand our fire. The conversation lasted a good quarter of an hour ; when Napoleon caught sight of me, he gave me his hand, while with the other he dried up the biLr tears trickling down his cheeks. Pie referred with much gratitude to the language and generous manner generally with which bhe kintr had received lnni. On my regretting the war had assumed so frighttul y a bloody character, he replied that that was unhappily only too true, and was all the more frightful (juand on n'a pas voula la guerre. We parted with a shake of the hand. On Septembei 3vd, at Douchery, Bismarck visited me. We retain Alsace under German administration, either for the Bund or bhe Empire. " The Imperial idea was scarcely touched. He is only favourable to it on certain conditions. He cautioned me nob to be in a hurry, although I am convinced that it must come to this. Matters are developing in this direction, and can only turn out more favourable in consequence of the victory of September UO. At Veisailles in Prefecture, while contemplating these gaudy State apartments, in which s>o much mischief for Germany was cevised and decided on, the restoration of the Kaiser and bhe Reichstag will be celebrated in this very place. * 'September 30. — To Ferniers, where the King is, I address His Majesty on the Kaiser question, which is now being broached, He thinks there is no prospect of it, and refers me to the remark of Reymond, the Berlin professor, that Imperialism is now prostrate, so that in Germany ior the future there could only be a King of Prussia and Duke of Herzog, of the Germans. Against this I urge that three Kings, of Bavaria, Wurtemberg, and Sairony compel us to express our sympathy with the title of Kaiser. At last his opposition gets weaker. Under date of March Bth appears the following: — " Napoleon quietly seeking a rapprochement with xu-. Moderation ot the peace conditions on promise of a oom anon war against England.' This last extract has simply astounded everybody, as not even his bitterest enemy would have thought him capable of such treachery. The perusal of bhe above extracts which occu,r in ,the diary, and tnemass of military details' and accounts of-* battles, will show that the publication greatly affects Prince Bismarck. Hitherto Frederick, it was supposed, had little to do with the foundation ot the German Empire apart from the military connection, bub the diary, if genuine, points to many occasions when Frederick was consulted by the King, and 1 gives the former a large share in bhe political foundation of the empire. The opinion in Berlin is that the diary has been made public with the view of injuring Bismarck's reputation as the founder of the ompire. Immediately on its publication Prince Bismaick stated that the extracts were apocryphal, and his organs pooh - poohed the diary,, as • a forgery. Since then he has published a long article dealing with various paragraphs published in the " Rundschaw," in which he recommends the criminal prosecution of the editor and publisher of the *' Rundschaw " for revealing State secrets. Numerous persons are mentioned in the Berlin press as having communicated the article, but up to the present its author is shrouded in mystery. {To be continued.)

An attempt has been made to have the historic gallows tree on Hampstead Heath cut down.