Thursday, January 26th.—The Chief drove off to see the King at 10.30 A.M.
Herr Hans von Rochow and Count Lehndorff dined with us. The Chief talked about Favre: “He told me that on Sundays the boulevards are still full of fashionably dressed women with pretty children. I remarked to him, ‘I am surprised at that. I wonder you have not yet eaten them!’” As some one noticed that the firing was particularly heavy to-day, the Minister observed: “I remember in the criminal court we once had a subordinate official—I believe his name was Stepki—whose business it was to administer the floggings. He was accustomed to lay on the last three strokes with exceptional vigour—as a wholesome memento!” The conversation then turned upon Strousberg, whose bankruptcy was said to be imminent, and the Chief said: “He once told me, ‘I know I shall not even die in my own house.’ But for the war, it would not have happened so soon, perhaps not at all. He always kept afloat by issuing new shares, and the game succeeded, although other Jews, who had made money before him, did their best to spoil it. But now comes the war, and his Rumanians have fallen lower and lower, so that at present one might ask how much they cost per hundredweight. For all that, he remains a clever man and indefatigable.” The mention of Strousberg’s cleverness and restless activity led on to Gambetta, who was said to have also “made his five millions out of the war.” But doubts were expressed on this point, and I believe rightly. After the Dictator of Bordeaux, it was Napoleon’s turn to be discussed, and according to Bohlen, people said he had saved at least fifty millions during the nineteen years of his reign. “Others say eighty millions,” added the Chief, “but I doubt it. Louis Philippe spoiled the business. He had riots arranged, and then bought stocks on the Amsterdam Exchange, but at last business men saw through it.” Hatzfeldt or Keudell then observed that this resourceful monarch used to fall ill from time to time with a similar object.
Morny was then spoken of as having been specially ingenious in making money in every possible way under the Empire. The Chief told us that “when Morny was appointed Ambassador to St. Petersburg he appeared with a whole collection of elegant carriages, some forty-three of them altogether, and all his chests, trunks and boxes were full of laces, silks, and feminine finery, upon which, as Ambassador, he had to pay no customs duty. Every servant had his own carriage, and every attaché and secretary had at least two. A few days after his arrival he sold off the whole lot by auction, clearing at least 800,000 roubles. He was a thief, but an amiable one.” The Chief then, pursuing the same subject and quoting further instances, continued: “For the matter of that, influential people in St. Petersburg understood this sort of business—not that they were willing to take money directly. But when a person wanted something, he went to a certain French shop, and bought expensive laces, gloves or jewellery, perhaps for five or six thousand roubles. The shop was run on behalf of some official or his wife. This process repeated, say, twice a week, produced quite a respectable amount in the course of the year.”
Bohlen called out across the table: “Do, please, tell that lovely story about the Jew with the torn boots who got twenty-five lashes.” The Chief: “It came about in this way. One day a Jew called at our Chancellerie declaring that he was penniless, and wanted to be sent back to Prussia. He was terribly tattered, and he had on in particular a pair of boots that showed his naked toes. He was told that he would be sent home, but then he wanted to get other boots as it was so cold. He demanded them as a right, and became so forward and impudent, screaming and calling names, that our people did not know what to do with him. And the servants also could not trust themselves to deal with the furious creature. At length, when the row had become intolerable, I was called to render physical assistance. I told the man to be quiet or I would have him locked up. He answered defiantly: ‘You can’t do that. You have no right whatever to do that in Russia!’ ‘We shall see!’ I replied. ‘I must send you home, but I am not called upon to give you boots, although perhaps I might have done so. But first you shall receive punishment for your abominable behaviour.’ He then repeated that I could not touch him. Thereupon I opened the window and beckoned to a Russian policeman, who was stationed a little way off. My Jew continued to shriek and abuse us until the policeman, a tall stout man, came in. I said, ‘Take him with you—lock him up till to-morrow—twenty-five!’ The big policeman took the little Jew with him, and locked him up. He came again next morning quite transformed, very humble and submissive, and declared himself ready for the journey without new boots. I asked how he had got on in the interval. Badly, he said, very badly. But what had they done to him? They had—well, they had—physically maltreated him. I thought that when he got home he would enter a complaint against me, or get his case into the newspapers—the Volkszeitung, or some such popular organ. The Jews know how to make a row. But he must have decided otherwise, for nothing more was heard of him.”
When I came down to tea at 10.30 P.M. I found the Chief in conversation with the members of Parliament, Von Köller and Von Forckenbeck. The Minister was just saying that more money would soon be required. “We did not want to ask more from the Reichstag,” he said, “as we did not anticipate that the war would last so long. I have written to Camphausen, but he suggests requisitions and contributions. They are very difficult to collect, as the immense area of country over which we are dispersed requires more troops than we can spare for purposes of coercion. Two million soldiers would be necessary to deal thoroughly with a territory of 12,000 German square miles. Besides, everything has grown dearer in consequence of the war. When we make a requisition we get nothing. When we pay cash there is always enough to be had in the market, and cheaper than in Germany. Here the bushel of oats costs four francs, and if it is brought from Germany six francs. I thought at first of getting the contributions of the different States paid in advance. But that would only amount to twenty millions, as Bavaria will keep her own accounts until 1872. Another way out of the difficulty occurred to me, namely, to apply to our Diet for a sum on account. But we must first find out what Moltke proposes to extort from the Parisians, that is to say, from the city of Paris—for that is what we are dealing with for the present.” Forckenbeck was of opinion that the Chief’s plan would meet with no insurmountable resistance in the Diet. It is true the doctrinaires would raise objections, and others would complain that Prussia should again have to come to the rescue and make sacrifices for the rest of the country, but in all probability the majority would go with the Government. Köller could confirm that opinion, which he did.
Afterwards an officer of the dark blue hussars, a Count Arnim who had just arrived from Le Mans, came in and gave us a great deal of interesting news. He said the inhabitants of the town appeared to be very sensible people who disapproved of Gambetta’s policy, and everywhere expressed their desire for peace. “Yes,” replied the Chief, “that is very good of the people, but how does it help us if with all their good sense they allow Gambetta, time after time, to stamp new armies of 150,000 men out of the ground?” Arnim having further related that they had again made great numbers of prisoners, the Minister exclaimed: “That is most unsatisfactory! What shall we do with them all in the end? Why make so many prisoners? Every one who makes prisoners ought to be tried by court-martial.” This, like many other similar expressions, must doubtless not be taken literally, and applies only to the franctireurs.
Friday, January 27th.—It is said that the bombardment ceased at midnight. It was to have recommenced at 6 o’clock this morning in case the Paris Government was not prepared to agree to our conditions for a truce. As it has ceased, the Parisians have doubtless yielded. But Gambetta?
Moltke arrives at 8.30 A.M., and remains in conference with the Chief for about three-quarters of an hour. The Frenchmen put in an appearance shortly before 11. Favre (who has had his grey Radical beard clipped) with thick underlip, yellow complexion, and light grey eyes; General Beaufort d’Hautpoule, with his aide-de-camp, Calvel; and Dürrbach, a “Chief of the Engineers of the Eastern Railway.” Beaufort is understood to have led the attack on the redoubt at Montretout on the 19th. Their negotiations with the Chief appear to have come to a speedy conclusion, or to have been broken off. Shortly after twelve o’clock, just as we sit down to lunch, they drive off again in the carriages that brought them here. Favre looks very depressed. The general is noticeably red in the face, and does not seem to be quite steady on his legs. Shortly after the French had gone the Chancellor came in to us and said: “I only want a breath of fresh air. Please do not disturb yourselves.” Then, turning to Delbrück and shaking his head, he said: “There is nothing to be done with him. Mentally incapable—drunk, I believe. I told him to think it over until half-past one. Perhaps he will have recovered by that time. Muddle-headed and ill-mannered. What is his name? Something like Bouffre or Pauvre?” Keudell said: “Beaufort.” The Chief: “A distinguished name, but not at all distinguished manners.” It appears, then, that the general has actually taken more than he was able to carry, perhaps in consequence of his natural capacity having been weakened by hunger.
At lunch it was mentioned that on his way here, Forckenbeck saw the village of Fontenay still in flames. It had been fired by our troops as a punishment for the destruction of the railway bridges by the mutinous peasantry. Delbrück rejoiced with us “that at last adequate punishment had been once more inflicted.”
In the afternoon we heard that the Chancellor drove off shortly before 1 o’clock, first to see the Emperor, and then to Moltke’s, where he and Podbielski again met the Frenchmen. The latter afterwards left for Paris, about 4 o’clock, and will return to-morrow at noon for the purpose of completing the capitulation.