BOOKS.

THE BISMARCK MEMOIRS.•

THE scandalous, as well as the political, curiosity of Europe will be amply gratified by the publication of these volumes of secret history. Dr. Busch's diaries will be as fruitful a source of information to a future age as the voluminous records of Procopius proved to Gibbon; the future historian will depict the reign of the Emperor William from the journals of the secretary of Bismarck, much as the historian of Lausanne described the wars of Justinian from the chronicles of the secretary of Belisarius. The passages which Gibbon (with real or affected modesty) was compelled to leave veiled in the decent obscurity of a learned language, the translator of Dr. Basch has indicated by dashes and asterisks. "Once I am dead you can tell everything you like, absolutely everything you know," said Bismarck. Dr. Busch has speedily availed himself of the permission, and the omissions are few.

To those who are not acquainted with the methods by

• Bismarck some Secret Pages of his History. Beioa a D.ary kept by Dr. Norits Busch. S rola. London : Macmillan and Co. i30s.)

which the German Press is corrupted or directed, these volumes will come as a surprising revelation; for nearly twenty-five years Dr. Busch was (with some short intervals). in daily and familiar communication with the Chan- cellor, and was employed by him solely in watching and "inspiring" the newspapers. "I intend to get you to write. notes and articles for the papers from such particulars and instructions as I may give you, for, of course, I cannot. myself write leaders." As a matter of fact, many articles were actually dictated by Bismarck, and newspapers will discover, for the first time, the identity of their illustrious, contributor. The elaborate organisation which Bismarck devised, for using newspapers for political purposes, is a. compliment to the power of the Press; but it is strange to- observe the depths to which a great statesman was habitually compelled to stoop. All this Dr. Busch describes with the moat entire frankness, and the reader lays down the last volume with mixed amazement at the iron determination of the statesman, the splendid aim for which he worked, his perfect unselfish- ness, and, on the other hand, his unscrupulous brutality, his malignant spitefulness, and the baseness of his diplomatic methods. Bismarck was a veritable pupil of Frederick the Great ; and we may hesitate to envy the country which has. endured the rule of two such masters.

In the present review we must endeavour rather to describe the contents than to reproduce the substance of these lengthy volumes. The first is concerned with the Franco-German War. Dr. Busch, who accompanied Bismarck, gives a most.

graphic account of all he saw and heard. We are transported

alternately from the field of battle to the dinner-table of the. Chancellor. Since the Life of Johnson was published, we doubt whether any Boswell has so conscientiously recorded his notes and observations. The second volume deals chiefly with Bismarck's life in the Wilhelmstrasse and German. politics. The third volume covers the death of the Emperor Frederick and the period of Bismarck's retirement to Friederichsruh. Bismarck, we need hardly say, is treated by. our author as an idol,—a hero who can do no wrong. But in,

spite of this adulation, or perhaps rather on account of it, the worst side and basest attitude of the great Chancellor are often. apparent. His methods of provoking France to war, his share, in tampering with the famous Ems telegram, his utter contempt for those who assisted in postponing the, bombardment of Paris, are recorded in his own words.. The latter parts of the book are filled with his intrigues.

against the Emperor Frederick, the old Empress Augusta>.

and the influence of the English Royal Family on the politics of Germany. It was the Empress Frederick who inspired Bismarck's special animosity, being " always an, Englishwoman, a channel for English influence, an instrn-• ment for the furtherance of English interests." Bismarck.

resisted the Battenberg marriage as an attempt of Queen. Victoria to estrange Russia from Germany. Here is a specimen of what Bismarck confided to Dr. Busch; there ie. much more in the same style :-

" The question now is as to the marriage of the Battenberger to Princess Victoria, which the Queen of England has in view.. Three years and more ago, under the old master, it was actively promoted by her daughter, the present Empress, at first in secret. As soon as I then heard of it I made representations to the• Emperor, verbally and in writing. He allowed himself to be con- vinced by the reascns I adduced, and refused to give his consent,, although she said the Princess loved him. Of course, he is a. handsome man, with a fine presence ; but I believe her nature is such that she would accept any other suitor, providing he were• manly. Moreover, that is entirely beside the question. We must. look at the political objections and dangers. The old Queen is fond of match-making, like all old women, and she may have selected Prince Alexander for her granddaughter because he is a brother of her son-in law, the husband of her favourite daughter, Beatrice. But obviously her main objects are political—a per-. manent estrangement between ourselves and Russia—and if she were to come here for the Princess's birthday there would be the greatest danger that she would get her way. In family matters she is not accustomed to contradiction, and would immediately bring the parson with her in her travelling-bag and the bride- groom in her trunk, and the marriage would come off at once.. Probably the Battenberger, too, would have been here by this time if I had not stepped in, for they are in a mighty hurry over there in London."

For England and the English, Bismarck, as we know, had neither love nor admiration. Lord Beaconsfield is described.

as the Queen's cunning old Semitic adviser. Of Mr. Glad- stone he says :—" Professor Gladstone perpetrates one piece.

of stupidity after another. He has alienated the Turks; he commits follies in Afghanistan and at the Cape, and he does not know how to manage Ireland. There is nothing to be done with him." Indeed, almost the only Englishman who does not share the venomous abuse showered on his countrymen is Mr. Odo Russell, afterwards Lord Ampthill :—

"The Chancellor, speaking of his friend Dietze, talked of his natural inborn heartiness,—politesse du coeur. Abeken asked if that term was originally French, as Goethe uses it—HOJlichkeit des Herzens? 'It must come from the German, I fancy.' It cer- tainly does,' replied the Chief. ' It is only to be found amongst the Germans. I should call it the politeness of good-will—good nature in the best sense of the word, the politeness of helpful benevolent feeling. You find that amongst our common soldiers, although, of course, it is sometimes expressed rather crudely. The French have not got it. They only know the politeness of hatred and envy. It would be easier to find something of the kind amongst the English,' he added ; and then went on to praise Odo Russell, whose pleasant natural manner he greatly appreciated. 'At first one thing aroused a little suspicion against him in my mind. I have always heard and found that Englishmen who know French well are not worth much, and he speaks quite excellent French. But he can also express himself very well in German.' "

Of good stories, in the sense of anecdotes which can be re- membered, there are singularly few ; and when Dr. Busch announces "a lovely story which the Chancellor told me," it is usually how he lighted his cigar in some place where smoking is forbidden, or succeeded in making some one else drunk. Here are specimens of table-talk selected at random :—

" During dinner the subject of William Tell' was introduced, f cannot now remember how, and the Minister confessed that, even as a boy, he could not endure that character ; first, because he shot at his own son, and secondly, because he killed Gessler in a treacherous way. 4 It would have been more natural and noble to my mind if, instead of shooting at the boy, for after all the best archer might hit him instead of the apple, he had immedi- ately shot down the Governor. That would have been legitimate wrath provoked by a cruel command. But the lurking and skulking is not to my taste. It is not the proper style for a hero, not even for franctireurs.' "

" In the course of the conversation, which turned on mythology, the Chief said he could never endure Apollo, who flayed Marsyas li out of conceit and envy, and slew the children of Niobe for similar reasons. He is the genuine type of a Frenchman, one who cannot bear that another should play the flute better than, or as well as, himself.'"

"He had a pleasant recollection of fresh-river lampreys, of which he could eat eight or ten; he then praised schniipel, a kind of whiting, and the Elbe salmon, the latter being a happy mean between the Baltic salmon and that of the Rhine, which is too rich for me.' With regard to bankers' dinners, nothing is considered good unless it is dear—no carp because it is com- paratively cheap in Berlin, but zander (a kind of perch-pike) because it is difficult to carry. As a matter of fact I do not care for these, and just as little for lampreys, of which the flesh is too soft for me. But I could eat marena every day of the week. I almost prefer them to trout, of which I only like those of a medium size, weighing about half-a-pound. The large ones that are usually served at dinners in Frankfurt, and which mostly come from the Wolfsbrunnen near Heidelberg, are not worth much. They are expensive, and so one must have them. That's also the way at Court with oysters. They don't eat any in England when the Queen is present, as they are too cheap there.'"

" There were cognac, red wine, and a sparkling Mayence wine DII the table. Somebody mentioned beer, saying that probably

we should be unable to obtain it. The Minister replied That is no loss ! The excessive consumption of beer is deplorable. It makes men stupid, lazy, and useless. It is responsible for the democratic nonsense spouted over the tavern tables. A good rye whiskey is very much better.' "

This is an old story, and, we believe, wrongly attributed to Bismarck :-

"One day the Count was walking in the Summer Garden at St. Petersburg, and met the Emperor, with whom, as a Minister in high favour, his relations were somewhat unreserved. The two, after strolling on together for awhile, saw a sentry posted in the middle of a grass plot. Bismarck took the liberty to ask what he was doing there. The Emperor did not know, and questioned the aide-de-camp, who was also unable to explain. The aide-de-camp was then sent to ask the sentry. His answer was, 'It has been ordered,' a reply which was repeated by every one of whom the aide-de-camp inquired. The archives were searched in vain—a sentry had always been posted there. At last an old footman remembered that his father had told him that the Empress Catherine had once seen an early snowdrop on that spot, and had given instructions that it should not be plucked."

So far we have dealt with the lighter portions of the book. The serious student of recent history will find some new light thrown upon the relations of Bismarck and the old Emperor William, and the speediness with which the enthusiasm of the Chancellor's followers at the present Emperor's accession evaporated. The causes of the rupture between the old Chancellor and the young Emperor are traced. These are Bismarck's reflections :—

" Things have gone more rapidly than I imagined they would. I thought he would be grateful if I remained with him for a few years, but I find that, on the contrary, he is simply longing with his whole heart to get rid of me in order that he may govern alone—with his own genius—and cover himself with glory. He does not want the old Mentor any longer, but only docile tools. But I cannot make genuflexions nor crouch under the table like a dog. He wants to break with Russia, and yet he has not the courage to demand the increase of the army from the Liberals in the Reichstag. I have succeeded in winning their confidence in St. Petersburg and obtain proofs of it every day. Their Emperor is guided by my wishes in what he does and in what he refrains from doing. What will they think there now ? And also other expectations which I cannot fulfil, together with the intrigues of courtiers, rudeness and spying, watching with whom I hold inter- course ! My retirement is certain. I cannot tack on as a tail to my career the failures of arbitrary and inexperienced self-conceit for which I should be responsible."

Dr. Busch has rescued from oblivion or destruction some remarkable letters which were preserved among Bismarck's private correspondence. But these, as well as the numerous extracts from inspired newspapers, are chiefly material for historians. He has drawn a most remarkable picture of a great statesman ; but we cannot say he has added to the reputation of his hero. With this we must resign the work to the diligence and curiosity of the patient reader.