In a letter to the Crown Prince of Prussia, thanking him for a communication received through Colonel von Krenski,[11] Prince Charles remarked:

"The revolution in Spain came very much à propos, for France will now be forced to keep quiet. As an old acquaintance I deplore the fate of the poor Queen, but honestly confess it was no more than was to be expected. I should like to see an Orleans or Philip of Coburg ascend the Spanish throne, but on no account a regent put forward by Napoleon! If the Republic is victorious in Spain it will soon break out in France, and at the present time this would be a lesser danger for the development of Germany than the Napoleonic dynasty."

The repeated attacks of Austria, or rather of Count Beust, on the Golesku Ministry and on Bratianu in particular, proved that the retention of the latter might lead to the most serious consequences. The nature of these attacks may be recognised from the misstatements in the Austrian Red Book, which estimated the number of needle-guns sold to Prince Charles at 50,000 instead of 10,000, whilst Roumania was termed an "arsenal" by Count Beust. Shortly after the opening of the Chamber the Ministry resigned, and Prince D. Ghika was entrusted with the formation of a new Ministry. The most prominent member was M. Cogalniceanu, and the Ministry was composed of statesmen belonging to every political party. In a letter to the President Prince Charles praised his programme as truly national, and expressed the hope that he would succeed in effacing all differences of opinion and those intrigues so prejudicial to the interests of the State.

On December 9, 1868, the following letter was received from Prince Charles Anthony:

"The candidature for the Spanish throne has hitherto been discussed only in newspapers; we have not ourselves heard a single word about it, and even should this project be placed more closely before us, I should never counsel the acceptance of this hazardous though dazzling position. Moreover, France would never be able to consent to the establishment of a Hohenzollern on the other side of the Pyrenees on account of our relations with Prussia; nay, it is already swollen with jealousy because a member of that house rules the Lower Danube....

"Bismarck appears to me just now to possess rather less influence in Home questions.... In the Foreign Office, however, he continues undisturbed, although even there he has often to bow to the views of the King."

In a subsequent letter to his son congratulating him on the excellent results of the change in the Ministry, Prince Charles Anthony wrote:

"England, which now possesses a new Ministry, must be managed with tact, for the independence of the Porte is the corde sensible of both Tories and Whigs. If England is convinced that Roumania does not wish to emancipate herself, you will be able to reckon with confidence on England's sympathy and friendship for Roumania."

Since Greece on December 18 declined to accept the Turkish ultimatum, all Greek subjects living in Turkey were informed that they would have to leave the country in fourteen days' time, and a Conference assembled in Paris for the purpose of adjusting the differences of these two nations and preventing a war. Their efforts were crowned with success, for Greece accepted the declaration of the Conference on February 6, 1869.

Count Andrassy, the Hungarian statesman, endeavoured to convince the Roumanian Government that its chief source of danger lay in Russia and that the interests of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy were centred in a strong Roumania, which would be able to oppose a barrier to the Panslavonic element. After offering his services in the way of smoothing over the difficulties which had arisen between the two States, Count Andrassy expressed the opinion that the best solution of the Eastern Question would be a Confederation of the Eastern nations and the creation of various independent States, "to make the West understand that the question could be solved without the influence and beyond the aspirations of Russia."

In reply to a letter of Prince Charles regarding the entente cordiale with Hungary, Prince Bismarck wrote on February 2, 1869, as follows: