“With much esteem,
“Count W. Bismarck.”
The portion struck out appeared in the third sheet, (page 31, in the first volume of the work as afterwards printed, following the words “einmal zu Grunde gehen,”) and ran: “Then it will be Bang! and snap goes the German Constitution. There might be a repetition of Schwarzenberg’s saying, ‘This arrangement has not stood the test.’” The Prince has also corrected an oversight (Vol. I., p. 12, line 24), striking out the syllable “un,” where I had written “unmöglich” by mistake—evidence of the care with which he had read it through.
On the 18th of July, Count Bill returned more proofs which were accompanied with the following letter:—
“Dear Sir,
“Although my father cannot act as collaborator but must confine himself to a more negative part, suggesting to you the suppression of incorrect or unsuitable passages, he nevertheless requests you to replace the portion within brackets on page 6, by the enclosed, as the latter is more in harmony with the facts.
“With much esteem,
“Count W. Bismarck.”
The enclosure here referred to was dictated to Count Bill, and appears in the book Unser Reichskanzler, Vol. I., pp. 54 and 55.
On the 20th of July further proofs, up to the end of the first chapter, arrived from Friedrichsruh. These again included alterations that had been dictated to Count Bill by his father.