It is however important to notice that the first impression made on him by diplomatic work was that of wanton and ineffective deceit.  Those who accuse him, as is so often done, of lowering the standard of political morality which prevails in Europe, know little of politics as they were at the time when Schwarzenberg was the leading statesman.

It was his fate at once to be brought in close contact with the most disagreeable side of political life.  In all diplomatic work there must be a good deal of espionage and underhand dealing.  This was a part of his duties which Bismarck had soon to learn.  He was entrusted with the management of the Press.  This consisted of two parts:  first of all, he had to procure the insertion of articles in influential papers in a sense agreeable to the plans of the Prussian Government; secondly, when hostile articles appeared, or inconvenient information was published, he had to trace the authors of it,—­find out by whom the obnoxious paper had been inspired, or who had conveyed the secret information.  This is a form of activity of which it is of course not possible to give any full account; it seems, however, clear that in a remarkably short time Bismarck shewed great aptitude for his new duties.  His letters to Manteuffel are full of curious information as to the intrigues of those who are hostile to Prussia.  He soon learns to distrust the information supplied by the police; all through his life he had little respect for this department of the Prussian State.  He soon had agents of his own.  We find him gaining secret information as to the plans of the Ultramontane party in Baden from a compositor at Freiburg who was in his pay.  On other occasions, when a Court official at Berlin had conveyed to the newspapers private information, Bismarck was soon able to trace him out.  We get the impression, both from his letters and from what other information we possess, that all the diplomatists of Germany were constantly occupied in calumniating one another through anonymous contributions to a venal Press.

It is characteristic of the customs of the time that he had to warn his wife that all her letters to him would be read in the post-office before he received them.  It was not only the Austrians who used these methods; each of the Prussian Ministers would have his own organ which he would use for his own purposes, and only too probably to attack his own colleagues.  It was at this time that a curious fact came to light with regard to Herr von Prokesch-Osten, the Austrian Ambassador at Berlin.  He had been transferred from Berlin to Frankfort, and on leaving his house sold some of his furniture.  In a chest of drawers was found a large bundle of papers consisting of newspaper articles in his handwriting, which had been communicated to different papers, attacking the Prussian Government, to which he at the time was accredited.  Of Prokesch it is that Bismarck once writes:  “As to his statements I do not know how much you will find