part05+-第103章

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decreed　it；　and　it　was　difficult　to　see　what　other　course　we



could　pursue。　I　trust　that　the　Washington　authorities　will



rectify　the　matter　by　signing　them　both。







We　also　affixed　our　signatures　to　the　first　of　the



〃declarations。〃







At　three　P。M。　came　the　formal　closing　of　the　conference。　M。　de



Staal　made　an　excellent　speech；　as　did　Mr。　van　Karnebeek　and　M。



de　Beaufort；　the　Netherlands　minister　of　foreign　affairs。　To



these　Count　Munster；　the　presiding　delegate　from　Germany；　replied



in　French；　and　apparently　extemporaneously。　It　must　have　been



pain　and　grief　to　him；　for　he　was　obliged　to　speak　respectfully；



in　the　first　place；　of　the　conference；　which　for　some　weeks　he



had　affected　to　despise；　and；　secondly；　of　arbitration　and　the



other　measures　proposed；　which；　at　least　during　all　the　first



part　of　the　conference；　he　had　denounced　as　a　trick　and　a　humbug；



and；　finally；　he　had　to　speak　respectfully　of　M。　de　Staal；　to



whom　he　has　steadily　shown　decided　dislike。　He　did　the　whole



quite　well；　all　things　considered；　but　showed　his　feelings



clearly；　as　regarded　M。　de　Staal；　by　adding　to　praise　of　him



greater　praise　for　Mr。　van　Karnebeek；　who　has　been　the　main



managing　man　in　the　conference　in　behalf　of　the　Netherlands



Government。







Then　to　the　hotel　and　began　work　on　the　draft　of　a　report；



regarding　the　whole　work　of　the　conference；　to　the　State



Department。　I　was　especially　embarrassed　by　the　fact　that　the



wording　of　it　must　be　suited　to　the　scruples　of　my　colleague；



Captain　Mahan。　He　is　a　man　of　the　highest　character　and　of　great



ability；　whom　I　respect　and　greatly　like；　but；　as　an　old　naval



officer；　wedded　to　the　views　generally　entertained　by　older



members　of　the　naval　and　military　service；　he　has　had　very



little；　if　any；　sympathy　with　the　main　purposes　of　the



conference；　and　has　not　hesitated　to　declare　his　disbelief　in



some　of　the　measures　which　we　were　especially　instructed　to



press。　In　his　books　he　is　on　record　against　the　immunity　of



private　property　at　sea；　and　in　drawing　up　our　memorial　to　the



conference　regarding　this　latter　matter；　in　making　my　speech　with



reference　to　it　in　the　conference；　and　in　preparing　our　report　to



the　State　Department；　I　have　been　embarrassed　by　this　fact。　It



was　important　to　have　unanimity；　and　it　could　not　be　had；　so　far



as　he　was　concerned；　without　toning　down　the　whole　thing；　and；



indeed；　leaving　out　much　that　in　my　judgment　the　documents



emanating　from　us　on　the　subject　ought　to　contain。　So　now；　in



regard　to　arbitration；　as　well　as　the　other　measures　finally



adopted；　his　feelings　must　be　considered。　Still；　his　views　have



been　an　excellent　tonic；　they　have　effectively　prevented　any



lapse　into　sentimentality。　When　he　speaks　the　millennium　fades



and　this　stern；　severe；　actual　world　appears。







I　worked　until　late　at　night；　and　then　went　to　Scheveningen



almost　in　despair。











July　30。







Returned　to　The　Hague　early　in　the　morning；　and　went　on　again



with　the　report；　working　steadily　through　the　day　upon　it。　For



the　first　time　in　my　life　I　have　thus　made　Sunday　a　day　of　work。



Although　I　have　no　conscientious　scruples　on　the　subject；　it　was



bred　into　me　in　my　childhood　and　boyhood　that　Sunday　should　be



kept　free　from　all　manner　of　work；　and　so　thoroughly　was　this



rule　inculcated　that　I　have　borne　it　in　mind　ever　since；　often



resisting　very　pressing　temptation　to　depart　from　it。







But　to…day　there　was　no　alternative；　and　the　whole　time　until



five　o'clock　in　the　afternoon　was　given　to　getting　my　draft



ready。







At　five　P。M。　the　American　delegation　came　together；　and；　to　my



surprise；　received　my　report　with　every　appearance　of



satisfaction。　Mr。　Low　indicated　some　places　which；　in　his



opinion；　needed　modification；　and　to　this　I　heartily　agreed；　for



they　were　generally　places　where　I　was　myself　in　doubt。







My　draft　having　thus　been　presented；　I　turned　it　over　to　Mr。　Low；



who　agreed　to　bring　it　to…morrow　morning　with　such　modifications；



omissions；　and　additions　as　seemed　best　to　him。　The　old　proverb；



〃　'T　is　always　darkest　just　before　daylight；〃　seems　exemplified



in　the　affairs　of　to…day；　since　the　kind　reception　given　to　my



draft　of　the　report；　and　the　satisfaction　expressed　regarding　it；



form　a　most　happy　and　unexpected　sequel　to　my　wretched　distrust



regarding　the　whole　matter　last　night。











July　31。







The　American　delegation　met　at　eleven　in　the　morning　and



discussed　my　draft。　Mr。　Low's　modifications　and　additions　were



not　many　and　were　mainly　good。　But　he　omitted　some　things　which　I



would　have　preferred　to　retain：　these　being　in　the　nature　of　a



plea　in　behalf　of　arbitration；　or；　rather；　an　exhibition　of　the



advantages　which　have　been　secured　for　it　by　the　conference；　but；



between　his　doubts　and　Captain　Mahan's　opposition；　I　did　not　care



to　contest　the　matter；　and　several　pages　were　left　out。







At　six　in　the　afternoon　came　the　last　meeting　of　our　delegation。



The　reports；　duly　engrossed；namely；　the　special　reports；　signed



by　Captain　Mahan　and　Captain　Crozier；　from　the　first　and　second



committees　of　the　conference；　the　special　report　made　by　myself；



Mr。　Low；　and　Dr。　Holls　as　members　of　the　third　committee；　and　the



general　report　covering　our　whole　work；　drawn　almost　entirely　by



me；　but　signed　by　all　the　members　of　the　commission；were



presented；　re…read；　and　signed；　after　which　the　delegation



adjourned；　sine　die。











August　1。







After　some　little　preliminary　work　on　matters　connected　with　the



winding　up　of　our　commission；　went　with　my　private　secretary；　Mr。



Vickery；　to　Amsterdam；　visiting　the　old　church；　the　palace；　the



Zoological　Gardens；　etc。　Thence　to　Gouda　and　saw　the



stained…glass　windows　in　the　old　church　there；　which　I　have　so



long　desired　to　study。











August　3。







At　8。30　left　The　Hague　and　went　by　rail；　via　Cologne　and



Ehreinbreitstein；　to　Homburg；　arriving　in　the　evening。











August　5。







This　morning　resumed　my　duties　as　ambassador　at　Berlin。







There　was　one　proceeding　at　the　final　meeting　of　the　conference



which　I　have　omitted；　but　which　really　ought　to　find　a　place　in



this　diary。　Just　before　the　final　speeches；　to　the　amazement　of



all　and　almost　to　the　stupefaction　of　many；　the　president；　M。　de



Staal；　handed　to　the　secretary；　without　comment；　a　paper　which



the　latter　began　to　read。　It　turned　out　to　be　a　correspondence



which　had　taken　place；　just　before　the　conference；　between　the



Queen　of　the　Netherlands　and　the　Pope。







The　Queen's　letterwritten；　of　course；　by　her　ministers；　in　the



desire　to　placate　the　Catholic　party；　which　holds　the　balance　of



power　in　the　Netherlandsdwelt　most　respectfully　on　the　high



functions　of　his　Holiness；　etc。；　etc。；　indicating；　if　not　saying；



that　it　was　not　the　fault　of　her　government　that　he　was　not



invited　to　join　in　the　conference。







The　answer　from　the　Pope　was　a　masterpiece　of　Vatican　skill。　In



it　he　referred　to　what　he　claimed　was　his　natural　position　as　a



peacemaker　on　earth；　dwelling　strongly　on　this　point。







The　reading　of　these　papers　was　received　in　silence；　and　not　a



word　was　publicly　said　afterward　regarding　them；　though　in



various　quarters　there　was　very　deep　feeling。　It　was　felt　that



the　Dutch　Government　had　taken　this　means　of　forestalling　local



Dutch　opposition；　and　that　it　was　a　purely　local　matter　of



political　partizanship　that　o