part05+-第66部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！





section　in　our　original　instructions　regarding　an　arbitration



tribunal；　and　to　be　allowed　liberty　to　make　changes　in　minor



points；　as　the　development　of　opinion　in　the　conference　may



demand。　The　substitute　which　we　suggested　referred　especially　to



the　clash　between　the　original　instructions　and　the　Monroe



Doctrine。　I　was　very　reluctant　to　send　the　despatch；　but；　on　the



whole；　it　seemed　best；　and　it　was　adopted　unanimously。







In　the　afternoon；　at　five；　the　presidents　of　all　the　delegations



went　to　the　palace；　by　appointment；　and　were　presented　to　the



young　Queen　and　to　the　Queen…mother。　The　former　is　exceedingly



modest；　pretty；　and　pleasant；　and　as　she　came　into　the　room；



about　which　were　ranged　that　line　of　solemn；　elderly　men；　it



seemed　almost　pathetic。　She　was　evidently　timid；　and　it　was；　at



first；　hard　work　for　her；　but　she　got　along　well　with　Count



Munster；　and　when　she　came　to　me　I　soon　brought　the　conversation



upon　the　subject　of　the　〃House　in　the　Wood〃　by　thanking　her　for



the　pains　her　government　had　taken　in　providing　so　beautiful　a



place　for　us。　This　new　topic　seemed　to　please　her；　and　we　had



quite　a　long　talk　upon　it；　she　speaking　of　her　visits　to　the



park；　for　skating　and　the　like；　and　I　dwelling　on　the　beauty　of



the　works　of　art　and　the　views　in　the　park。　Then　the　delegates；



going　to　the　apartments　of　the　Queen…mother；　went　through　a



similar　formality　with　her。　She　is　very　stout；　but　fine…looking；



with　a　kindly　face　and　manner。　Both　mother　and　daughter　spoke；



with　perfect　ease；　Dutch；　French；　German　English；　and　how　many



other　languages　I　know　not。　The　young　Queen　was　very　simply



dressed；　like　any　other　young　lady　of　seventeen；　except　that　she



had　a　triple　row　of　large　pearls　about　her　neck。　In　the　evening；



at　9。30；　the　entire　delegations　were　received　at　a　great



presentation　and　ball。　The　music　was　very　fine；　but　the　most



interesting　thing　to　me　was　the　fact　that；　as　the　palace　was



built　under　Louis　Bonaparte　and　Hortense；　the　main　rooms　were　in



the　most　thoroughgoing　style　Empire；　not　only　in　their



decorations；　but　in　their　furniture　and　accessories；clocks；



vases；　candelabra；　and　the　like。　I　have　never　seen　that　style；



formerly　so　despised；　but　now　so　fashionable；　developed　as　fully。







After　the　presentation　I　met　Sir　John　Fisher；　one　of　the　English



delegates；　an　admiral　in　the　British　navy；　and　found　him　very



intelligent。　He　said　that　he　was　thoroughly　for　peace；　and　had



every　reason　to　be　so；　since　he　knew　something　of　the　horrors　of



war。　It　appears　that　in　one　of　the　recent　struggles　in　China　he



went　ashore　with　eleven　hundred　men　and　returned　with　only　about



five　hundred；　but；　to　my　regret；　I　found　him　using　the　same



argument　as　regards　the　sea　that　Count　Munster　had　made　regarding



the　land。　He　said　that　the　navy　of　Great　Britain　was　and　would



remain　in　a　state　of　complete　preparation　for　war；　that　a　vast



deal　depended　on　prompt　action　by　the　navy；　and　that　the　truce



afforded　by　arbitration　proceedings　would　give　other　powers　time；



which　they　would　otherwise　not　have；　to　put　themselves　into



complete　readiness。　He　seemed　uncertain　whether　it　was　best　for



Great　Britain；　under　these　circumstances；　to　support　a



thoroughgoing　plan　of　arbitration；　but；　on　the　whole；　seemed



inclined　to　try　it　to　some　extent。　Clearly　what　Great　Britain



wants　is　a　permanent　system　of　arbitration　with　the　United



States；　but　she　does　not　care　much；　I　think；　for　such　a　provision



as　regards　other　powers。







There　is　considerable　curiosity　among　leading　members　to　know



what　the　United　States　really　intends　to　do；　and　during　the　day



Sir　Julian　Pauncefote　and　others　have　called　to　talk　over　the



general　subject。







The　London　〃Times〃　gives　quite　correctly　a　conversation　of　mine；



of　rather　an　optimistic　nature；　as　to　the　possibilities　and



probabilities　of　arbitration；　and　the　improvement　of　the　customs



of　war；　but　in　another　quarter　matters　have　not　gone　so　well：　the



〃Corriere　della　Sera〃　of　Milan　publishes　a　circumstantial



interview　with　me；　which　has　been　copied　extensively　in　the



European　press；　to　the　effect　that　I　have　declared　my　belief　in



the　adoption　of　compulsory　arbitration　and　disarmament。　This　is　a



grotesque　misstatement。　I　have　never　dreamed　of　saying　anything



of　the　kind；　in　fact；　have　constantly　said　the　contrary；　and；



what　is　more；　I　have　never　been　interviewed　by　the　correspondent



of　that　or　of　any　other　Continental　paper。















CHAPTER　XLVI







AS　PRESIDENT　OF　THE　AMERICAN　DELEGATION　AT　THE　PEACE　CONFERENCE



OF　THE　HAGUEII







May　25。　This　morning　a　leading　delegate　of　one　of　the　great



European　powers　called　and　gave　me　a　very　interesting　account　of



the　situation　as　he　sees　it。







He　stated　that　the　Russian　representatives；　on　arriving　here；



gave　out　that　they　were　not　prepared　with　any　plan　for　a　definite



tribunal　of　arbitration；　but　that　shortly　afterward　there



appeared　some　discrepancy　on　this　point　between　the　statements　of



the　various　members　of　their　delegation；　and　that　they　now



propose　a　system　of　arbitration；　mediation；　and　examination　into



any　cause　of　difficulty　between　nations。







In　the　evening　our　secretary　spoke　of　the　matter　to　M。　de　Staal；



the　president　of　the　Russian　delegation　and　of　the　conference；



and　was　told　that　this　plan　would；　within　a　day　or　two；　be



printed　and　laid　before　the　whole　body。







This　is　a　favorable　sign。　More　and　more　it　looks　as　if　the　great



majority　of　us　are　beginning　to　see　the　necessity　of　some　scheme



of　arbitration　embracing　a　court　and　definite；　well…contrived



accessories。







The　above…mentioned　discrepancy　between　various　statements　of　the



Russians　leads　me　to　think　that　what　Count　Munster　told　me　some



days　since　may　have　some　truth　in　itnamely；　that



Pobedonostzeff；　whom　I　knew　well；　when　minister　to　Russia；　as　the



strongest　man　of　moral；　religious；　and　social　questions　in　that



country；　is　really　the　author　of　the　documents　that　were



originally　given　to　the　world　as　emanating　from　the　Russian



Foreign　Office；　and　that　he　has　now　added　to　them　this　definite



scheme　for　arbitration。　Remembering　our　old　conversations；　in



which　he　dwelt　upon　the　great　need　of　money　in　order　to　increase



the　stipends　of　the　Russian　clergy；　and　so　improve　their　moral　as



well　as　religious　condition；　I　can　understand　easily　that　he　may



have　greatly　at　heart　a　plan　which　would　save　a　portion　of　the



enormous　expenditure　of　Russia　on　war；　and　enable　him　to　do　more



for　the　improvement　of　the　church。







Dined　at　the　British　legation　with　the　minister；　my　old　friend　of



St。　Petersburg　days；　Sir　Henry　Howard；　De　Martens；　the　real　head



of　the　Russian　delegation；　being　of　the　party；　and　had　a　long



talk　with　the　latter　about　Russia　and　Russians。　He　told　me　that



Pobedonostzeff　is　now　becoming　old　and　infirm；　and　it　appears



that　there　has　been　a　sort　of　cleaning　out　of　the　Foreign　Office



and　the　Ministry　of　the　Interiora　procedure　which　was　certainly



needed　in　my　time。







Later　in　the　evening　we　went　to　a　reception　by　Baron　van



Hardenbroek；　the　grand　chamberlain；　where　I　met　various



interesting　persons；　especially　M。　Descamps；　the　eminent　Belgian



delegate；　who；　in　the　fervor　of　his　speech　yesterday　morning；



upset　his　inkstand　and　lavished　its　contents　on　his　neighbors。　He



is　a　devotee　of　arbitration；　and　is　preparing　a　summary　for　the



committee　intrusted　with　that　subject。　There　seemed　to　be；　in



discussing　the　matter　with　various　delegates　at　this　reception；　a



general　feeling　of　encouragement。







During　the　day　Mr。　Loeher；　a　Berlin　sculptor；　called；　and　carried



me　off　to　see　his　plan　of　a　great　statue　of　〃Peace〃　which　he



hopes　to　induce　the　Emperor　Nicholas　to　erect　in　Paris。　It　seems



to　me　well　conceived；　all　except　the　main　figure；　which　I　could



not　induce　myself　to　like。　In　the　anxiety　of　the　sculptor　to



avoid　any　more　female　figures；　and　to　embody　virile　aspirations



for　peace；　he　has　placed　this　main　figure　at　the　summit　of　the



monument　in　something　like　a　long　pea…jacket；　with　an



insufficient　mantle　at　the　back；　and　a　crown　upon　its　head。







The　number　of　people　with　plans；　schemes；　notions；　nostrums；



whimsies　of　all　sorts；　who　press　upon　us　and　try　to　take　our



time；　is　enormous；　and　when　to　this　is　added　the　pest　of



interviewers　and　photographers；　life　becomes　serious　indeed。











May　26。







At　two　the　committee　on　arbitration　met；　and；　as　it　is　the



largest　of　all；　its　session　was　held　in　the　main　hall　under　the



dome。　The　Russian　plan　was　presented；　and　was　found　to　embrace



three　distinct　features：







First；　elements　of　a　plan　of　mediation；　secondly；　a　plan　for



international　arbitration；　thirdly；　a　plan　for　the　international



examination　of　questions　arising　between　powers；　such　examination



being　conducted　by　persons　chosen　by　each　of　the　contestants。



This　last　is　a　new　feature　and　is　known　as　a　commission



internationale　d'enquete。







The　project　for　a　plan　of　arbitration　submits　a　number　of　minor



matters　to　compulsory　arbitration；　but　the　main　mass　of



differences　to　voluntary　arbitration。







But　there　was　no　definite　proposal　for　a　tribunal；　and　there　was



an　evident　feeling　of　disappointment；　which　was　presently　voiced



by　Sir　Julian　Pauncefote；　who；