The publication of the late Emperor's Diary is attributed by
the German Government to Dr. Geffcken, a Professor of Hamburg, known in England through his contributions to some of the magazines. He has been arrested, has been refused bail, and will be regularly tried for betraying the political secrets of the German Empire. The Professor is a Conservative, and was a great friend of the late Emperor, and it seems incon- ceivable that he should have any malignant motive. His defence will be, it is said, that he received the Diary, the authenticity of which is admitted by others who possess copies, direct from the Crown Prince, with instructions to publish it three months after his death. This defence is evidently believed to be true, for Prince Bismarck's journals use it as proof that the Emperor Frederick was an incompetent man ; but the prosecution will allege that, a new Emperor having succeeded, he alone could permit publication. Dr. Geffcken's family are so alarmed that they declare the Professor mad,— a defence which can hardly be wise. If he were acquitted on that ground, the authorities could shut him up for life.
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