hardly been fifteen minutes at the embassy when Count Herbert von Bismarck arrived with greetings and compliments from his father.  He went to see Bismarck the next day, found him at home, and very civil; he was quite friendly, very courteous and “bonhomme, original, and even amusing in his conversation, but with a hard look about the eyes which bodes no good to those who cross his path.”  He had just time to get back to the embassy and get into his uniform for his audience with the Crown Prince (late Emperor Frederick).[1] The Vice Grand-Maitre des Ceremonies came for him in a court carriage and they drove off to the palace—­W. sitting alone on the back seat, the grand-maitre facing him on the front.  “I was ushered into a room where the Prince was standing.  He was very friendly and talked for twenty minutes about all sorts of things, in excellent French, with a few words of English now and then to show he knew of my English connection.  He spoke of my travels in the East, of the de Bunsens, of the Emperor’s health (the old man is much better and decidedly recovering)—­and of his great wish for peace.”  All the plenipotentiaries had not yet arrived.  They appeared only on the afternoon of the 12th, the day before the Congress opened.  Prince Bismarck sent out the invitation for the first sitting: 

[Footnote 1:  The Crown Prince represented his father at all the functions.  Some days before the meeting of the Congress the old Emperor had been wounded in the arm by a nihilist, Nobiling, who Fired from a window when the Emperor was passing in an open carriage.  The wound was slight, but the old man was much shaken and unable to take any part in the ceremonies or receive any of the plenipotentiaries.]

           Le Prince de Bismarck

a l’honneur de prevenir Son Excellence, Monsieur Waddington,
que la premiere reunion du Congres aura lieu le
13 juin a deux heures, au Palais du Chancelier de l’Empire,
77, Wilhelmstrasse. 

                                  “Berlin, le 12 juin 1878.”

It was a brilliant assemblage of great names and intelligences that responded to his invitation—­Gortschakoff, Schouvaloff, Andrassy, Beaconsfield, Salisbury, Karolyi, Hohenlohe, Corti, and many others, younger men, who acted as secretaries.  French was the language spoken, the only exception being made by Lord Beaconsfield, who always spoke in English, although it was most evident, W. said, that he understood French perfectly well.  The first day was merely an official opening of the Congress—­every one in uniform—­but only for that occasion.  After that they all went in ordinary morning dress, putting on their uniforms again on the last day only, when they signed the treaty.  W. writes:  “Bismarck presides and did his part well to-day; he speaks French fairly but very slowly, finding his words with difficulty, but he knows what he means to say and lets every one see that he does.”  No one else said much that first