Berlin Town (part 1 of 7)

Berlin Town

From the above it will be seen that the town has made an increase in its population of 372 from 1790 to 1890, 100 years. Our greatest number was in i860, of IT 06, when the town was filled with small shops. The decrease since is attributable to the concentration of the shoe business in large establishments using improved machiner>^

The valuation increased from 1 784 to 1 884 $96, 1 47 ; it reached its maximum in 1890 of $519,711. As taken from the Assessors* books of 1 894, the number of male polls was 251; female, 7 (right to vote on school matters); dwelling houses, 231 ; horses, 271 ; cows, 555; sheep, 28; neat cattle, other than cows, 72; swine, 94; acres of land assessed, 7,642}. The most marked change in the stock on farms has been the substitution of horses for oxen in farm work; but three or four yoke of oxen are now kept in town. Sheep husbandry and pork fattening have of late decreased in volume.

Source changes here: from An English Wife in Berlin; a Private Memoir of Events, Politics, and Daily Life in Germany Throughout the War and the Social Revolution of 1918, by Blücher Von Wahlstatt, Evelyn Mary Stapleton-Bretherton, Fürstin Von, published 1920; 109,754 words in this source stream.

Berlin Town

August 1914. - Shall I ever forget those last three days in England? We were in the country staying with my family, and had to hurry back to London at the first rumours of war. My husband went straight to the Embassies, and negotiations were at that moment going on between the Ambassadors and Sir Edward Grey. All had great hopes of an arrangement.

Then Sir Edward Grey appealed to the House, and for twenty-four hours nothing definite came out, whilst the crowds outside and the *'man in the street" were growing more and more impatient. The Press, issuing "Specials" every hour, was helping to work up popular feeling; and then suddenly the dreadful news came.

We had been told that immediately war was declared the Ambassador and party would leave at once, and that we must be in readiness. The Banks were closed for four days in succession to prevent a panic, which made everything more difficult for us. Late on Tuesday afternoon, the 4th of August, we got notice to be ready to leave quite early on Thursday morning. I was so stunned by the suddenness of it all, that I cantiot recall clearly what took place after that, but I remember how my family came up at once to be with me to the last, Rowland and Edith Feilding arranging everything for us, packing up our house, dispersing the household, in fact doing everything to save us trouble, they themselves being just as worried by what it meant in the future to them ; and then my brother Vincent, my sister Freda and her husband and my sister-in-law Bertha, all came to bid us farewell. Luckily when I had parted from my parents three days before, none of us realized the seriousness of the situation.

All the time friends kept coming in to say good-bye, and tried to cheer us, one way or another. One friend, wishing to warn us, frightened me terribly; he said: **Mind that your passports are absolutely in order, as some people returning to England were held up, and the men of the party were taken out and shot before the women's eyes." The thought of the risks we might be going to face made me ill with terror, as although we were going with the Embassy, we were not members of it^ and they could not promise to take entire responsibility; and I knew that our passports were not in order.

I could not bear the thought that my husband should be in such danger for a single moment. I went straight to the Foreign Office and saw Sir William Tyrrell, whom I knew very well, and told him my fears. He was not very reassuring. He laughed it off, however, and said* "The Dutch frontier is said to have been invaded by the Germans, and one cannot answer for the safety of any German travelling through Holland in consequence." He told me they were at that moment cabling through to The Hague to ascertain whether it would be safe or not.

That evening a telephone message came to say: *'Be prepared to leave at 7.30 to-morrow morning," and so it had to be done. Our passports were not put in order properly until we were absolutely on the voyage en route for the Hook.

The last evening passed quickly. My brothers and sisters came in, and my brother Vincent had been to the Foreign Office to inquire about the safety of our voyage. He brought back the most consoling news I had had that day, having heard it said that the English vessel conveying the German Ambassador would be the safest spot in Europe throughout the following day. This ship, however, was not to prove so entirely safe as one was led to suppose.

Flight From London, Aug. 19 14 3

We rose at four o'clock in the morning, and at six o'clock we left the house, Baron Kiihlmann, who lived close by, sending for our luggage and servants to go with his. I could not help being amused when I remembered the disappointment of little Pat, the page-boy, at my husband not departing in full-dress uniform, the only proper way of making an exit according to him. "I know he has a German uniform, for I unpacked it myself on July 1st," he insisted to the maid. I am afraid, however, that his wishes were impracticable anyhow, as my husband, not having served in the German army, possessed no military uniform.

My sister-in-law accompanied us to the station. Whilst driving to Liverpool Street, even at that early hour, we saw placards and papers everywhere announcing German disasters and 3500 Germans killed. The scene at the station I shall never forget, with 250 Germans and their luggage congregated on the platform, and the special train in readiness. The Austrian Ambassador and many of the Embassy members came to see us off, and we all had our various friends with us.

The Ambassador and Ambassadress (Prince and Princess Lichnowsky) arrived at the last minute and got straight into the train, the Ambassadress quite heartbroken, and making no attempt to hide her grief. The train steamed out of the station amidst a hushed silence, people on the platform weeping, and the men with hats off standing solemnly silent. It was as if a dead monarch was being borne away.

The journey from London to Harwich was uneventful, but our arrival there was even more impressive than the scene at the London station. Soldiers and sailors were drawn up at attention, and the Admiral came to meet the train and escorted us to the boat through the lines of men all saluting as we passed. And we met with such civility from the Admiral and every one that it was difficult to realize we were going out of this country to become its bitterest enemy.

I could not face the departure of the ship, and went down to hide myself in the cabin. I could not look upon the shores of my beautiful England fading from sight, not knowing when I should see it again, nor what would happen, or who would be missing from there, before I returned. The Ambassador and Ambassadress stood on deck, receiving salutes, until there was no more to be seen, and then all went down to luncheon.

It was a beautiful day, with the sea like glass, and under other circumstances we should have enjoyed the voyage. We had one adventure which might have led to disastrous results. About four or five miles away from the mouth of the Thames we sighted a flotilla of British torpedo boats. From the distance it was one of the most impressive and threatening sights I have ever seen. "How vicious it looks !'* said the Ambassador, and that just describes it.

And now for our adventure. Three shots were fired at us, one coming within thirty yards of our bow. Most of us did not realize what was going on until afterwards, or we should have been terrified. But we heard a whizzing in the air, and ran to the side to see what had happened, and then the boat was stopped. The Captain explained afterwards that the whole thing was due to carelessness. The Foreign Ofiice had wired that morning to the English Fleet to say that a vessel would be conveying the Ambassador to the Hook, and that it would fly the German flag on the main-mast and the Union Jack at the stern. The Union Jack, it was said, was too small, and had not been seen by the flotilla, and so they stopped us. Speaking to us about it afterwards, the Captain said : *T soon hauled down the German flag. Another little mistake like that could send all on board to Kingdom Come." He then proceeded to tell us of the sinking of a German minelayer on that very spot the night before, hence the caution of the British flotilla.

Flight From London, Aug. 1914 5

found that I was English, and a sister-in-law to one of the Admirals whom he knew well, he became most friendly and sat in our cabin for a long time, giving us his views on the war, etc. He also promised to take some letters back to England for me, and to send a wireless message to my family to say we had arrived safely as far as the Hook.

We reached the Hook about 5 o'clock, and found a special train waiting for us, which conveyed us eventually straight to Berlin without a single change, which was one of the greatest distinctions and luxuries that we could possibly have had. For I heard from our friends afterwards of the discomforts of their journeys. The very highest in the land were subject to delays and irregularities when not attached to the Embassy. Some of them, it seemed, were turned out every hour to make place for troops, and had to show their passports, sometimes ten or twenty times a day, and were crowded into third-class carriages without any regard for their first-class tickets and their passports. All had to give way to the troops which were hastening to the front.

We had many interesting conversations during the journey. The sadness and bitterness of all these Germans leaving England struck me intensely. Here we are, they say, being dragged away from the country that has been our home for years, to fight against our best friends. They all blamed the officials in Berlin, who had, they said, grossly mismanaged the negotiations. It had been an obsession in some of the German officials' minds for years past, that Russia meant to attack them. "Well then," said someone of the party, "why not wait until they do it? Why commit suicide to avoid being killed?"

As we crossed the frontier, the people began to recognize our train, and we got quite a reception from the village girls along the route. They came and stood outside our windows and sang national war songs and patriotic hymns, and at one or two stations they presented a bouquet to the Ambassadress.

Passing us in an almost continuous stream on the other way were the trains full of troops, shouting, laughing, singing, and waving their hands, intense joy and excitement depicted on their faces. The Germans are indeed a warlike race. I have, at last, seen them stirred out of their morose dulness, and what I used to think their everlasting heaviness. The thing that impressed us most was the absolute order and expeditiousness of everything and everybody en route, especially as soon as we had crossed the border.

Our train journey was slow, but absolutely comfortable, and we reached Berlin safely on the evening of the 8th. It was impossible not to be impressed with the immense enthusiasm prevailing all along the line. No less than 66 troop trains had passed the day before, yet there was no disorder, we were not kept waiting longer than half an hour at one station, and refreshments were handed out to soldiers and civilians everywhere gratis.

Berlin", August 9, 191 4. - Dazed and stunned as I am by the awful events of the last week, I will try and keep some diary of our experiences, jotting them down more or less consecutively as they happen. The thunderstorm which has broken so suddenly over England and Europe has altered the whole tenour of our lives, and whirled us away into an exile which I hope will be but a short one. Everything has come so unexpectedly that I wake up in the morning saying to myself that it was only a bad dream; but the hard reality soon forces itself on my outer view again, and I have to grapple with the situation as well as I can.

Berlin, August 1914 7

Sitting in my pretty shaded room in the Esplanade Hotel, right in the middle of Berlin, I can see the Esplanade terrace looking gay and festive with summer guests in the hotel garden, flanked by beautiful old trees in the background, and although I cannot hear the words I know what every one down below is speaking of. Across my brain floats a confused vision of swiftly moving scenes, like an imperfect cinema film ; white cliffs and blue waters, anxious-eyed travellers, yellow cornfields and groups of sunburnt peasants, women pausing in their work and staring with hand-shaded eyes, as again and again we were forced to stop to let the never-ending procession of troop-filled trains hurry by on their way to the West; shouts of enthusiasm, fluttering of handkerchiefs, bursts of song, flushed eager faces of soldiers, field-grey uniforms, white-robed girls and women with the Red Cross on their arms, offering food and drink to the thirsty men. And all this, which might seem to be some great national festival, means but the entry of death and foul disaster.

There is a great coming and going in the hotel. Already I have met several acquaintances all breathless and feverish to hear the latest bit of intelligence from the War Office.

Amongst the faces I saw were those of Prince and Princess Victor Wied, old acquaintances. He is lame, and is therefore only doing night-watch at the Castle; his wife is a pretty woman of 23. They are full of anxiety as to his brother's fate, the King of Albania, who has been deserted by all foreign Powers, and must be absolutely stranded. People here don't seem to have much pity for him ; they look upon him as an adventurer forced into the role of a would-be king by his wife's ambition.

On my arrival last night I was so worn-out that I went straight to bed; but my husband, who went at once to see his cousins. Count and Countess F. Larisch, and deliver some documents, had long talks with them as well as with Prince Miinster. He came back with papers and a whole bunch of news. The Germans have already forced events, and advanced so quickly that one can hardly grasp the facts as one hears them. I almost felt a physical blow when I heard of the fall of Liege. The German point of view is that if they don't get their troops into Belgium, the English and French armies will be there before them, so that it is a toss-up who is first. People are contemplating the first encounters on the French borders with horror. The modern untried weapons of war, they say, exceed the conjectures of the most sanguinary imagination. Two hundred aeroplanes have been dispatched from here yesterday. I hear a whole Russian brigade has been already captured by the Germans, and seventy deserters came over to the German lines, complaining bitterly of the hardships and ill-treatment they had to endure during the mobilization. I wonder if it is true that Paris is in a wild state of panic and demoralization ? I try to grasp what all this means, my chief feeling being one of intense sorrow and pain that England has entered the lists and against Germany. I dare not think of all the complications which may arise in this case for me, my nearest and dearest there fighting face to face with friends and relations here.

Horrible particulars keep coming in of the taking of Liege. The Germans had reverses at first, it seems. The losses on both sides are enormous. Four thousand Belgians have been taken prisoner, and a quarter of the Belgian army, they say, has been annihilated. The Germans have lost 1500 dead or wounded, and already officers known to us have fallen. General Bulow was shot by mistake by his own sentry. Young Count Arnim-Boitzenburg has been killed in a patrol.

Countess Larisch spent the whole morning with us. Our conversation was very sad, but it was good to have an old friend to talk to. The excitement and enthusiasm all over the city are enormous. The Kaiser is the most adored man of the moment, and during a great speech he delivered the other day on the balcony of the castle, in spite of the people standing densely thronged together, the silence was so great that one might have heard a pin fall. Certainly the whole nation are backing him this time, and if he has been criticized for his actions in the past, this war-cry is making him the most popular man in Germany. His six sons have already left for the front. Prince Eitel-Fritz is to command the first Life-Guards, whose privilege it is always to be first at the front and to lead the whole Army. It means certain death, they say, and yet he went off smiling, and gave a dinner the night before, when he and his guests were in the most boisterous spirits.

Countess Larisch's two younger brothers are leaving for the French front to-night. Countess Henckel's husband has already gone, and a lady has just been in to see me who came straight from parting from her only son, a boy of 21. She described how heartrending were his excitement and delight at going off with the rest, and how she could hardly hide her grief when beaming with pride he showed her the little metal disc with his name on it, which every soldier wears for identification in case of being killed.^ Seeing all this anxiety around me, I felt my own fears to be selfish, and ask myself, how could I bear the separation from husband and sons in the same proud spirit of heroism? In fact this seemingly unfeeling heroism often puzzles me. There is hardly any thought of life and love and relations in the young men going away, but a sort of reckless joy in the certainty of the near death awaiting them.

At dinner I sat between Prince Wied and Major Langhome, the Military Attache to the American Embassy. The latter advised me to wear an American badge in the street, and not talk English there. Notices forbidding the language are being posted up. From him I learnt *This boy was killed within a month.

of the extraordinary spy-fever prevailing here as everywhere. People are being arrested all over the country, and the most harmless individuals are accused of being spies if they look the least different from their neighbours. Continual mistakes are being made, which often lead to fatal results for the victims.

The English Embassy were treated very badly, and I was told that an Englisliman had been lynched by the crowd for having called out *'Down with Germany." The hotel proprietor, however, assured me that Berlin is safer than it ever was before, as all the Russian spies had been seized and taken away to the country to be shot. What a carnage, if it were true! He says numbers of them disguised as German officers go about carrying bombs. Personally I disbelieve such stories.

I have heard that poor young Count Amim was one of the first to fall at an outpost skirmish at Liege; he was only 21, an eldest son, who would have succeeded to enormous wealth and estates.

One of the chief things that strike me so far is the bitter resentment which the whole nation seems to feel at England's entering the war. It is a f>eeling that increases hourly. I cannot understand this absolute revulsion, when I think of the almost exaggerated expressions of admiration and affection which were so widely spread formerly. It seems to have changed in a night, and although a few individuals try to be moderate, they cannot; and to be "English'' is synonymous with ''blackguard" in the eyes of most people. There still seems to be a flickering spark of hope in some of the papers here that England may be only pretending to come in. They emphasize the wish of the English nation to remain neutral, and maintain that it was a few ministers who have done all the mischief, and that the English Socialists could still prevent further intervention, if they really wanted to, even at the stage things have already reached.

Berlin, August 1914 11

Exactly what was the real cause of the war no one seems to know, although it is discussed night and day. One thing grows clearer to me every day: neither the people here nor there wished for war, but here they are now being carried off their legs with patriotism, at seeing so many enemies on every side. It is said in England that Germany provoked the war, and here they emphatically deny it. To me it seems that Europe was thirsting for war, and that the armies and navies were no longer to be restrained. Certainly here, the militarists grew weary of the long lazy peace as they called it, and if the Kaiser had not proclaimed war, he would have been in a precarious position. There are two men at the head of affairs : one is called stupid and the other dangerous. The dangerous one has won the day, and brought the war to a head. Lord Northcliffe seems to be responsible

I have just been reading the story of the German mine-layer. It is not one to be proud of, it seems to me. The mines were laid absolutely in the roadstead outside the Thames. This is not considered fair play, and will cause much bitterness on the other side. It has already sunk the English destroyer Amphion, and God only knows how many mines she was able to lay before she was sunk herself.

Sunday, August 9, 19 14. - To-day we went to Mass at II o'clock in the Hedwig Kirche, which is a fashionable meeting-place for smart Berlin, where it is accustomed to congregate on the steps every Sunday to gossip over the news. I could not help comparing it with my last remembrances in February just six months ago. Then every one had a laugh or joke on his lips. We were all dressed in our best, discussing the last Court Ball, or the latest scandal, criticizing and abusing our neighbours, and bent on enjoying life to the full. Now the women were sad and quiet, with none of the vivacious sparkle of other days ; they only welcomed us with a pressure of the hand, tears often pouring down their faces. There were the Hohenlohes, the Reischachs, the Ratibors, the Sierstorpffs; and poor little Princess Ratibor, who, the last time we met her, was the leading spirit in a gay romping set at a large shooting party, had all one side of her face plastered up, having been shot by mistake by their own Polish peasants when motoring to the station. Their car had been suspected of being one of the many hostile automobiles which are said to be driving all over Germany filled with gold and spies. Another of the dangerous myths current amongst the people.

This afternoon Count Oppersdorff came in to see Gebhard and talk things over. He was pretty optimistic, and thinks that things cannot last ten weeks. Afterwards Gebhard went to see Baron Jagow, whom he found terribly harassed and anxious, and was able to enlighten him, and through him many others, as to the difficult position England had been in. Prince Miinster then came, and together they went over the situation thoroughly, and were both agreed that it is almost impossible to make the officials and military authorities here regard the situation from an impartial point of view, or realize that England could not *Vith honour'* leave France in the lurch. People here maintain the contrary. "England could have remained neutral. Her guarantees to France were of a strictly defensive character, and the French action was clearly offensive, as they commenced bombing at the frontiers even while negotiations were in progress, whilst Russia hurried on mobilization before they had been finished." In any case they maintained that England could have assumed an armed neutrality, ready to intervene should there be any danger of France being crushed.

I have to keep my opinions to myself, but I long to say to them that perhaps England did not come in until Belgium's neutrality had been violated.

Berlin, August 1914 13

If one hears what the Austrians and Bohemians have to say, one might think that the German Government was throwing dust in the world's eyes. They maintain that Austria was incHned to word the ultimatum to Serbia leniently, not for the sake of Serbia, but because they were wide awake enough to see that the grievance must be localized, if Europe was to be saved an appalling war; but the German Government (if not the Emperor himself) worded it in such a way that there was no loophole for escape. On the inevitable becoming known, people here got into a panic, and they felt they must make terms with England at any price; so the ^'feelers,'' the bribes, were put into play, and Baron Kiihlmann's proposal to England took place, that if England kept out of the war Germany would promise to leave the French coast alone. Could England choose any other course than the one she pursued ? Good, they say ; but could we do otherwise than stand by Austria, when Russia insisted on mobilization ?

Several English people came in to tea, and one lady gave an account of how she had just seen a spy caught in the street. He had been dressed as a woman, and had been hooted by the mob to the police-station, had made one last desperate struggle to escape, and was shot. I cannot help wondering myself if all these ''spies" that are being persecuted in the streets are not often the most innocent people in the world. All the inherent qualities of cruelty and ferocity seem to be aroused in mankind

Gebhard has had another long and interesting talk with Prince Miinster and Prince Pless. The latter is going to headquarters with the Kaiser, near the seat of war, but no one at present seems to know where that is. Prince P. has promised to try and influence the Kaiser and make him comprehend the English side of the question in keeping their word to the French. The Kaiser cannot recognize the necessity of it; his shock and surprise were genuine when he reaHzed what England was doing; he had not thought it possible. To his friends standing near him he said : 'To think that Nicholas and Georgie should have played me false ! If my grandmother had been alive, she would never have allowed it."

Popular hatred here is centred on the shade of King Edward VII. ; he is supposed to have been the moving spirit in forming the encirclement of Germany.

The more I hear things discussed from the German standpoint, the more astonished I am at the fighting character of the Germans. They take to war as a duck takes to water, to judge at least by the eager faces of the people in the streets and their talk. One would almost think that this terrible outbreak was a long-hopedfor chance of showing their inherent qualities of bravery and manliness, coupled with a military genius which is unequalled among other nations. No one seems to be enthusiastic about the war in England, to judge by the papers. The English are a peaceful, unsoldierly merchant folk, and money is the standpoint of the average man; and the possibility of the Bank Act being suspended prevents any false glamour of war dazzling 'his sense of law and order. He does not care about the German, but neither does he hate him; and as his country is not in immediate danger, he will not catch fire so easily. Germany, on the other hand, is persuaded that if she refuses to fight, hordes of French and Russians will be overrunning the land in a few weeks, if not days.

The marvellous military organization is, I must confess, overpowering; everything goes off without a hitch. Within a few days 70 Army Corps were in the field, every train full of troops starting and arriving to the minute. This means, with trebled corps of war-time, some 5,600,000 men already at the frontier. One thing that strikes me in the new German masculine being is the improvement in his looks since the field-grey uniform has been introduced. The German as a rule has no style ; he usually looks as if he had a bad tailor; but put him in uniform and he looks smart at once.

Blue skies and a burning sun, and involuntarily one thinks of the happy harvest-time of other years, and now death is reaping its ghastly red harvest, and already the newspapers seem printed in blood. The details of the Russian reverse are too horrible to dwell on. A whole battalion of 900 men killed in the space of a few moments. It seems that really the best thing to be hoped for is one huge decisive battle between the French and the Germans, which might put an end for ever to the bloodshed.

As for England, I hardly dare imagine what may happen. It is a constant dread to me to think of all those I love being in danger and anxiety. One can do nothing as a woman but remain passive and look on, although on a perfect rack of torment. The German navy won't be able to do much harm, as it is shut up in the Baltic, so that we shall have no huge naval disasters. I suppose, however, one great sea battle will have to take place, although the German navy own they won't have a chance against the English on the open sea.

Berlin, ^August 10, 19 14. - I feel I must take up some work, for this passive waiting is too much for my nerves. So I have been to see Princess Pless about Red Cross work. I met Countess Sierstorpff, Princess Jane Lynar, and Count Hochberg there. We all went to a Klinik, to hear Dr. Hiss lecture on first aid. Princess Pless is already fully trained, and is bent on going to the front, as soon as the wounded begin to arrive. Princess Lynar and I have decided to get attached to some Lazarett in Berlin, where the lighter cases will be brought later on.

On parting with the Pless party, Count Hochberg said : "Good-bye; the war will be over in two months, and you and I will be meeting again in England." I smiled at this cheerful prophecy \ it is the thing I am praying for night and day.

Berlin, August 1 1, 19 14. - To-day I went to the police station to get my passport, as until now it has been impossible for me to be out in the streets alone without an American badge. It is now forbidden to speak English through the telephone or in any public place.

Gebhard met Baron Kiihlmann downstairs (the late Secretary of the Germany Embassy in England). He travelled over with us. He was very much upset, for he had just changed a lot of money for travelling to headquarters at the front, when a telegram arrived ordering him to go to Stockholm this evening, as the German minister has utterly broken down, owing to the great strain on his health of the last few weeks.

The fall of Liege is an accomplished fact, and people have ceased being astonished at it. They are burying on with the victorious troops which are already in Namur. This seems to have been an act of unprecedented strategy and valour, only field-guns being used. In three days the town capitulated. People say that the Belgians fight badly, and that the army is utterly demoralized. Already ghastly rumours are being spread of cruelty to Belgian civilians, and their ill-treatment of the wounded German soldiers. The Austrian and German Armies have united on the Eastern frontier, and the Russian Army is being driven into Bessarabia.

Berlin, August 1914 17

Countess Sierstorpff brought me an introduction for attending one of the first-aid courses which are to commence to-morrow. I shall be glad to take up some systematic work which will distract my attention from the gruesome details of the newspapers. One piece of news, however, did me a good deal of good to-day; it was from some German refugees who have just arrived in Berlin, and who assured me that all England is against the war, and a regular propaganda is being spread against it.

Berlin, August 12, 191 4. - This morning I went off to the Bethanien Krankenhaus, where my nursing course is being held. It took a long time getting there, but it is a magnificent place. It is so big, it is almost like a town in itself, and perfectly modem and up-to-date in every respect. We were about thirty ladies attending the course, and Count Hochberg the only man. I did not hear the names of all the ladies. I sat next to Princess Ernst Giinther, the Emperor's sister-in-law. The doctor is one of the cleverest and best-known men in Berlin. He lectured splendidly, demonstrating all his remarks on a small boy. The nurses told us they are

In the evening there is usually a large gathering of friends in the lounge of the Esplanade. We are an international collection of birds of passage, united by a common feeling of suspense and anxiety. There were Prince and Princess Wied, he expecting orders to go off any moment, and Prince and Princess Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Prince H. is leaving for the front to-morrow night. He is a cousin to King George, and looks and is English in every way. Prince Stolberg was also of our party, besides Countess Seherr-Thoss and her parents.

We talked of the size of the different armies, and they said that the German army has refused 1,300,000 volunteers, as not being required at present. The French army up to now is 3,000,000, and the Russians are putting 6,000,000 into the field. The famous escape of the cruiser Goeben was freely discussed; her adventures have been really marvellous, and Germany is greatly elated, as anything like getting the best of England in a naval tug-ofwar sends their spirits up with a run.

Whilst dining with Count Ballestrem at the "Astoria," to our great amazement Baron Roeder and his wife suddenly walked in. We had heard that they were in Switzerland, unable to get here. They are very old friends of ours. He has been the Master of Ceremonies in Berlin for many years, and is a confidant of the Kaiser. She is English. She has two daughters married, one to a German, and one to an Englishman, and they are fighting on opposite sides.

We were delighted to meet again, so often in the past we had agreed with one another on the difficulties of marrying a man of another nation; how one's patriotism gets trodden upon, and how the thorns prick us in both countries at once. Their journey seems to have been appalling, and lasted eight days instead of twenty-four hours, as they were continually being turned out of the trains they were in, and finally arrived in an empty troop-train which was in the most filthy condition possible.

Berlin, August 14, 1914. - The Austrian Diplomatic Corps from St. Petersburg have arrived at the Esplanade, en route for Vienna. They are all very depressed at leaving so many friends behind them. We are expecting the Austrian Embassy also from London in a day or two. They are all friends of mine. I wonder if they will bring me any letters from home.

Three young counts have suddenly turned up here too ; they were stopped at Southampton, on their way from Washington, but were allowed to proceed on their way after having satisfied Scotland Yard that they were not spies. Of course I accosted them with eager questions about England, and what they told me has reassured me in some measure. What relieved me most was to hear that the English Expeditionary Force has not yet left, and cannot arrive before to-day or to-morrow. Please God, they will arrive too late for the great battle going on. We have heard nothing certain for the last fortyeight hours, but as no news means bad news nowadays, we believe some great fight is taking place.

The Emperor left this morning for headquarters at the seat of war. None knows where it is, not even the Empress. He was attended by a few of^cials. Baron Jagow amongst them. He was very solemn and pensive and would express no opinion to any one, and refused to see any one a few days before leaving. It is being said that he has gone to Mainz, and that a big battle is being fought at Namur.

Augtisf 17, 19 1 4. - Attended my lectures with many others. Am learning a great deal. We practise bandaging and putting splints on one another. Wounded have already arrived, but it must be fearful at the front. Sixty more nurses have been telegraphed for.

news that her husband was mortally wounded, and went off at once to see him. He had died meanwhile, and the poor woman got shot herself passing through a village on the frontier. They leave two small orphan children.

Every one is admiring the Empress as woman and mother. She has six sons and one son-in-law going into danger, and in the midst of preparations for departure she was the calmest and most cheerful of every one, and helped to pack things with her own hands. Every newspaper sets her up as an ideal for German women, willing to ofifer everything and without complaint for the weal o'f the Fatherland. But I think a poor woman who offers her only son is even more to be pitied and praised.

Berlin, August 21, 1914. - Great news, the fall of Brussels! Fierce joy reigns everywhere. The bells ring out in the moonlight air, there are shouts and cries of pride and gladness in the streets, and people embrace one another, frantic with delight. The Pope is dead, the poor old man. It is certain that the shock of the fearful outbreak of war hastened his end.

Berlin, August 23, 19 14. - I am beginning nursing in earnest, and have taken up work at the Franciscan sanatorium, where the sisters are all nuns. To-day I wore uniform for the first time, and I shall assist at some difficult operations soon.

Berlin, August 24, 19 14. - This new work prevents my mind from dwelling too constantly on the sadness of the times. I see so much suffering that I feel my own home-sickness is almost a sin in comparison to the pain there is in the world; and as I hope and believe things cannot go on like this much longer, I must try and fight against it. There are already many wounded in Berlin; in one hospital Germans and Belgians can be seen peaceably smoking and chatting together at the windows, whilst the people bring them improvised offerings of flowers, cigarettes, etc. Amongst the Russian wounded, so many have been observed to have slashes over their heads that they were asked the reason, and said their officers had hit them with their swords to make them advance.

Berlin, August 26, 19 14. - On returning from my hospital work to-day, I nearly fainted with joy at seeing a letter from my mother lying on my dressing-table. It is the first news I have received from home, and on the fact becoming known, every one came to congratulate me, as if I had performed some special feat. No one else had heard from England yet, but I knew my mother would manage to get news through in some way, for in the most difficult situations she has never failed her children yet. I remember how my brother, who died in Africa, used to tell us that when he was once up country for a year on the Gold Coast, whenever a native runner was seen in the distance his brother officers used to turn laughingly to him, saying : ^There's your runner bringing your weekly letter from your mother, lucky

What a terrible thing the new Krupp 42-inch mortar is. It was kept very secret until now.^ It is so powerful, they say, that it can destroy any modern fort with a few shells, and smashed three forts round Liege in half an hour.

There are gloomy reports from the East Front. The Russians are well into East Prussia, and we hear dreadful stories of their cruelty to the population there. General v. Pritzelwitz has been recalled for his blunders, and a

General Hindenburg, quite an old man, has taken his place. They say he knows every inch of the ground in East Prussia, and the German troops are again getting the upper hand. A great battle is raging in Poland. The Austrians have the chief work there, and all my best friends and many of my husband's relations are fighting there. Last night. Princess Rosa Hohenlohe brought her son to introduce to me. He is such a handsome youth, only seventeen years old, and 6 feet 2 inches tall. He looked so radiant in his new uniform, at the thought of soon going out to the front, that it made me quite sad to see him. I asked his mother why she did not try to keep one so young back for some time. She answered that the temptation was indeed great, but thai no mother would be forgiven if she showed weakness at a time like this; so that although her heart was breaking, she must keep up a smiling face.

Berlin, August 31, 1914. - This morning there were details of the naval engagement near Heligoland. Both sides fought gallantly, and the papers here add especial thanks to the English for the way they saved so many of the German crews from drowning. There seems to be much more chivalry shown on sea than on land, where the troops are mowing one another down like dried grass.

Berlin, September i, 19 14. - To my horror, another English defeat has been reported at St. Qoientin. I hear they have been driven back at Maubeuge and Mons, and I can hardly think of it without tears. I have made out a list of my relations and friends, and sent them to the doctors in the frontier towns, asking them to let me know if their names are on the lists. I mean to find out some way of getting news, in spite of all regulations to the contrary. The German papers all say the English fought splendidly, but are wanting in training and discipline, and ... I hold my tongue at this criticism and only say that England has often begun a campaign with reverses, but in the end she is indomitable.

Berlin, September 1914 23

Berlin, September 2, 19 14. - To-day I went out to the Griinewald to see the arrival of trains full of wounded, in the hope that I might see some English and help them, but it turned out to be a false report, and they were only transport trains carrying troops from the Western Front to Russia. There was a tremendous reception, but the troops looked too weary to respond to it, very different from those of a short time ago. The railway carriages were all decorated with flowers, and to my intense indignation stuffed-out figures of men dressed in the uniforms of English Grenadier Guardsmen were fastened on to some of the trucks. I am haunted with the thought of who may have worn just one of these uniforms.

From Baroness Roeder's windows we watched some of the victorious regiments with their captured guns march past. There was music, with captured Russian, French, and English flags, and poor weary Cossack horses dragging the guns. I heard details of the defeat of the French and English at St. Quentin. Baron Reischach, who had been there, said that the English cavalry had been caught in a French stampede and had been forced to retire. The infantry had been overwhelmed in spite of their efforts at resistance. I heard that at the roll-call after the battle, only three men of one battalion answered the call.

The Zeppelins are said to be creating a panic all over Europe, but even here many people say they are not fair warfare. A woman may not carry arms, and is shot if she tries to defend herself; yet a bomb from a Zeppelin can kill her and her children any day.

Berlin, September 4, 1914. - Again news of German successes everywhere. Everything seems to fall at their approach. They are nearing Paris rapidly. Nothing is talked of night and day but the expected entry there. The Russian hordes are being driven like cattle into the lakes and morasses of East Prussia. Hindenburg is marvellous, they say.

In the midst of all the tragedy of to-day, very funny things too sometimes happen. I called on a Mrs. D., an English lady who is detained here, and who is very nervous and depressed in consequence. When I arrived at the hotel she was in bed, and whispered to me, ''Shut and lock the door, and speak very low ; I have got something to show you," whereupon she pulled from under her pillow a copy of the Daily Mail, already three weeks old. I could not help bursting out laughing, to think we had come to rejoicing over an old copy of the Daily Mail.

I think I shall hear these words ringing in my ears to my dying day. The whole life in the Germany of to-day seems to move to the rhythm of this tune. Every day troops pass by my window on their way to the station, and as they march along to this refrain, people rush to the windows and doors of the houses and take up the song so that it rings through the streets, almost like a solemn vow sung by these men on their way to death. There is no doubt the whole nation is worked up to a frenzy of patriotism which is sometimes very moving, and at other times very aggravating, as they are incapable of comprehending the mentality of any one to whom ''Das Vaterland" is not the one country worth living and dying for in the world. They are fighting against a world of devils, they say, and have risen like one man to do it.

We lunched with Herr and Frau Solf. He is the Colonial Minister, and is intensely depressed at the loss of the German colonies, Samoa, etc. I laughingly told him to cheer up, as according to the newspapers here, he would soon have the English ones too, as Germany intended forcing England on to her knees, if only to save the colonies. He assured me he would be satisfied to get back his own alone.

Berlin, September 1914 25

Berlin, September 6, 19 14. - Countess Lorl Oppersdorff, one of my best friends, has just arrived from Russia, after a ten days' journey alone with her maid. She had heard endless abuse of Germany, and of the atrocities of the troops. In fact, every country is circulating the most appalling stories of the brutaHty of the enemy; and here one hears horrible details of the cruelty of the French and Belgian women towards the German troops. Thank God I have not yet heard a single word breathed of this kind about the English soldiers, although the general view is that they are as innocent of military science and strategical tactics as the babe unborn. The only thing they do say about the English is that they are using dum-dum bullets, which inflict most horrible wounds.

I asked a German officer whether the prevailing reports of the cruelty of the German soldiers to the Belgian population were true, and he told me they were much exaggerated, but that in Aix there were thirty officers lying at that moment in hospital, with their eyes put out by women and children in Belgium. The troops who hear these things go mad with rage, and revenge their comrades by burning and killing as they pass through the land. This sounds to me quite incredible.

Berlin, September 7, 19 14. - The last few days I have met so many people and heard so many different reports, that I hardly know what to believe or think. On Sunday last we met the Henckels, Larisches, Hohenlohes, etc., and in the afternoon Countess Doda Oppersdorff (the beautiful Polish wife of Count Oppersdorff) came in and brought Baron Goldsmith Rothschild from the German Embassy in England, with Count Talleyrand, whose relations are all in Paris. Count Talleyrand says that Zeppelins are not really so alarming as people think, and that a bomb from a Zeppelin could not hit a Dreadnought. Zepplins are only of use in bombarding towns, and no single one could get across to London, and that it is quite impossible for the German fleet to do any damage to the EngHsh Channel fleet. But on the other hand I have authentic evidence that a Krupp gun is being constructed which can shoot from Calais to^ Dover. That is why the troops are being hurried up there. One oflicer even asserted that in a fortnight German troops will be in England. I don't believe that this is as easy as they think.

Berlin, September 7, 19 14. - On making further inquiries, I have heard that the Germans cannot bombard London, as it is an unfortified town. Many letters arrive now unopened from home, some very old.

This morning quite early I received a telegram from one of my sisters, asking for news of a young cousin of ours, who is missing from the English Expeditionary Force. I had been inquiring every day to see if any relations' names were on the lists of the wounded, but now I wired to every hospital on the Rhine, entered his name at every centre, and went to the War Office personally. Every one is kind and sympathetic in helping us to trace him, but we have heard nothing as yet. Princess Pless is helping me. She has relations fighting on the other side. I have just had a note from her saying she has been to see some of the English prisoners, and she will take me with her next time if possible.

Berlin, September 8, 19 14. - I was sitting working together with Princess Hohenlohe to-day. She was just talking about her son, and saying how relieved she was that he was not going out until October, as the fighting on the Russian Fronts is too horrible for words, when the door opened and he came in, looking so handsome and young in his uniform. Every one asked him how he had managed to get leave so suddenly from Potsdam, and he answered laughing that he had managed to get a halfholiday, and had come to spend it with her. I at once guessed the reason, and retired to leave them alone. My husband and I again met him in the evening and draw- ing us aside he said, "I am really going straight to the front to-morrow, as the losses amongst the officers in my regiment are fearful. We young ones have to replace them. I have not told my mother; I want to spare her the parting."

Berlin, September 9, 19 14. - Maubeuge has been taken, one of the strongest French fortresses. It was a tremendous fight, they say, and for the first time I hear unqualified praise of the English. They are said to have fought magnificently, and only surrendered when everything was in flames. No news yet of my cousin. He is never out of my thoughts, and we spend our days inquiring for him.

To-day we heard a piece of news which interested us. Old Prince Bliicher, my father-in-law, has been turned out of his island of Herm. It has been seized and confiscated by the English Government, and articles of all sorts are being printed about the Prince in the English

The mothers and wives here seem only to exist in trying to catch a glimpse of their men-relatives who pass to and fro between France and Russia, as troops are secretly being withdrawn from the West Front, things are so bad in Russia. The sidelights I get of the war are often terrible. Numbers of regiments are being sacrificed wholesale ; and a General whom every one is naming will, they say, be brought before a court-martial for sending a whole battalion to certain death, only to clear the way for the other troops. Another German battalion has been decimated by its own side, being mistaken for the enemy. Human life seems to be absolutely valueless nowadays, and as all speed-limit has been taken off the military motor cars, they fly along so fast that people are being killed all over the country.

From the many jokes being made at the expense of the Highland kilt, I judge that some Scotch regiments must have been captured, and this will be a help to me in tracing out the whereabouts of my acquaintances. I have heard nothing of my cousin up to now, as it is forbidden to give the names of the wounded at the military hospitals. I can only glean news by making friends with the doctors.

Berlin", September ii, 1914. - The chief themes of conversation are the "German atrocities" and the English dum-dum bullets, both of which each country denies. The Germans declare they were never brutal unless in selfdefence, but the stories one hears of the brutality of certain German regiments to the Belgian civilians I fear I know are partly true, and then on the other hand Prince A. Salm, writing to a relation, says he saw with his own eyes two Belgian girls of 16 and 12 years old mutilating a wounded German in an absolutely indescribable manner.

The first wet day since our arrival; every one depressed in consequence. People are hinting at a serious defeat somewhere, as the flags have been ordered to be taken away from the streets.

At the Adlon Hotel this morning I talked to Count Talleyrand and Baron G. Rothschild. They have relations in all countries, so that their sympathies are very broad. They declare that the English have defeated the Germans on the left flank outside Paris.

Berlin, September 12, 19 14. - No news means bad news, and nothing is heard of the operations round Paris. Another panic is being caused by the doubts as to America's neutrahty. She is financing France, it seems, and this is a great shock to Germany, although President Wilson has published a letter expressing his readiness to intervene in both countries for peace. The new Pope too has expressed his views in the same way. I hope that this will all tend towards opening up negotiations, but people here talk so much of the Freemasons* war, and of the society being so strong everywhere, that the Pope will be ignored.

Berlin, September 18, 1914. - Strange that we hear so little of the fighting round Paris. We have all been expecting to hear of their triumphant entry every day. The fighting, they say, is very hard, and there are tremendous losses on either side, but I am beginning to think the tide has turned against the Germans, hence this sudden silence.

Most of our friends are very international, so that our conversation often grows doubtful, as our sympathies are very divided. Indeed we feel torn in two sometimes with anxiety and the conflict of our feelings.

Princess Miinster, who is English by birth (sister to Lord Kinnoull), writes in the same strain, as her son is fighting here, and her cousin on the other side. She is helping me to make inquiries for my relation. My application to the Empress through Countess Brockdorff to see the English prisoners has been refused, as the regulations have become stricter. We all know why, although it is supposed to be a great secret. Princess Pless is said to have visited some prisoners without permission. As she came away she was heard to say, *'Keep up your spirits,'' which has been interpreted into a hope for the English gaining the war, and has caused much bitterness amongst the Anglophobians here. It seems to me to have been a very harmless remark.

We have at last discovered means of buying the Times, and have bought up as many old numbers as we can get. And at last we can see what the English are really doing or thinking. It is as if a thick curtain dividing us from the outside world had suddenly been drawn aside, giving us a glimpse of it.

What curious reports are being circulated in England. Great French and Russian victories are being mentioned ; the French are said to be already in possession of the frontier towns; the Russians are said to be quite near Berlin; whilst Berlin is in flames, and in a state of starvation, panic, and revolution.

How shall we ever know the truth in any country? Some people tell me that the German official telegrams are incorrect, but I believe their sins are more of omission than of commission. How I dread the sight of the casualty list in the Times. I shudder each time I read it, but it is a tremendous help to me, as in this way I am able to learn the names of all the regiments that have been sent out, and the whereabouts of their engagements, so that I can give every information when inquiring at the Central Office for missing or wounded. Good news from home so far.

Berlin, September 20, 1914. - We lunched with a party of big finance magnates to-day. The conversation turned on the Emperor, and his visions of gaining the supremacy of the world by destroying the British fleet by means of submarines and Zeppelins. I don't believe for a moment that he will ever gain this end, but Germany has more and better submarines than England, and the magnificent English Dreadnoughts could do little against them. Lord Charles Beresford (or Sir Percy Scott) was quite right when some years ago he begged England not to continue spending money on big battleships, but to build more submarines, as therein lay the future safety or danger of the sea.

One of the ladies of the party was the wife of one of the commanders of the camps. She commented on the extraordinary difference in the characters of the military prisoners. According to her, the French and Russians are dirty and never wash themselves, and loaf about grumbling all day. The English are clean and smart, and always cheerful, and, as she added, they can be kept

Berlin, September 1914 31

I should hke some day to write the praises of the English prisoners, just from what I have heard from Germans who have visited the camps or been in command of them.

"You cannot make an English officer grumble or complain," said one German officer to me. **If he does not like a thing, well, he bears it in a dignified way or else he turns it off into a joke. Nothing makes some of our German officers more mad with rage than when they go and shout out their commands in the highly dictatorial manner some of them have, and find that the command is only received with a chorus of laughter from the English officers."

To-day I took some copies of our precious Times to show to Princess Pless. Alone together, we threw off our mask of passive waiting, and confessed to one another our burning interest in England and the English. In society we are always being watched in a so-called friendly suspicious manner, but here we are free to express our innermost thoughts.

We lunched with the new Austrian Ambassador and his wife, Prince and Princess G. Hohenlohe. The great topic of interest was the destruction of the three English cruisers by the German submarine. What a terrible thought it is, the picture of those splendid ships with their gallant crews slowly sinking without having been able to defend themselves in any way. Only 700 of 2000 men were saved. Here there is great rejoicing, but I feel sick at heart.

American, has to-day arrived in Berlin from England, where she has been with her children since the outbreak of the war. From her we hear graphic descriptions of England, and gather how little they know of the real state of affairs here. She said that the English papers reported Berlin to be in a state of famine and revolution, so she had brought provisions with her for three weeks and two huge sacks of flour. Of course she was very much laughed at for this. Of the German victories nothing was known, General Hindenburg's campaign in East Prussia never having been mentioned in the English press. She accounted for it by the fact that all the telegrams come from Petrograd, and the Russians let nothing through. On my asking her, ''Does no one in England know the truth?" she replied that a few days

Office, who had just been ordered abroad to fill up the gap left by some officer, and on her congratulating him and asking him if he were not delighted to be going out, he answered, ''No, I belong to the Foreign Office, and therefore unfortunately know the truth and that there is no reason for congratulation." She also said that she had spoken to a well-known newspaper correspondent, who was writing optimistic articles for the Times. She remarked that the day's news looked very well for England, and he had replied, "I think it all looks damned bad, but we must never let that be known."

Last week some 800 English women from here went home, and one of them wrote to me shortly afterwards and said (in cipher) that Kitchener had muzzled the Press, and that it is fearfully strictly censored.

Berlin, October 1914 33

Berlin, September 30, 19 14. - The Hohenlohes have left Berlin. We shall miss them dreadfully, having been always together for the last six weeks. Their boy has not been in an engagement so far.

I am doing regular hospital work and spend all my mornings in the operating-room, where civilians as well as soldiers are treated. It is heart-rending to see so many fine strong men maimed and crippled. Helping thus, the terrors of war seem to be brought nearer to our eyes. They are such nice men too, with nice manners, and are so grateful for a word of kindness, and so thoughtful for each other's sufferings. As I help to bandage them, I always feel inclined to ask if they have been killing or torturing women and cripples, for they look as if they could hurt nobody. I refrain, however. I am perhaps happiest in my doubts.

Berlin, October i, 1914. - People are beginning to realize gradually that some great mistakes have been made in the West, and that if France had recognized the position, things might have become very serious for this country. As it was, Germany had time to hurry up reinforcements from Belgium. General von Kluck went forward too fast, with no reserves behind him, and part of his army was cut off.

Berlin, October 2, 19 14. - I had tea at the American Embassy, and met the whole American clan there. They refuse now to send letters or telegrams to England, on the ground that it is not neutral. People who have been staying in England gave me various news, as, for instance, the great precautions that are being taken against Zeppelins. One lady said she was staying at The Hague when Captain Nicholson from one of the three sunk cruisers was brought in. He was unconscious, but recovered afterwards. He described the sinking as a very fine naval feat, the submarine having come two hundred miles from its base, and being in imminent danger the whole time.

Berlin, October 3, 1914. - Count Talleyrand has brought me some illustrated London papers with pictures of the airship patrols for defending the coasts against Zeppelins. Only a few days ago the military officials here asked for a hundred volunteers for an action that would mean certain death. Every one guessed Zeppelins for England. They got the hundred men within one day. They intend trying to blow up the London docks and the Woolwich Arsenal, I am told.

The military and naval authorities here are very candid in their criticisms of the relative strengths of the different countries. They say the moral effect the British troops have had on the French since their arrival is marvellous, as the French were demoralized; also that the French and English aeroplanes are better than the German.

Berlin", October 4, 191 4. - We lunched at the Carlton Hotel with the Roeders, Lori Oppersdorff, and Baron Jagow, the Chief of the Police. Every one is expecting the fall of Antwerp. Prince Miinster came in the afternoon with fresh lists of wounded and missing English officers, and told us that he was considered to have pro- English sympathies because he had tried to do an act of kindness to some English officers who are prisoners of war. He had been given leave to visit the English officers, but it had been postponed on account of Major Yate having escaped. This poor officer was recaptured and thereupon committed suicide, but he spoilt the chances of more liberty for the other officers thereby.

Beblin, October 9, 1914. - Antwerp has fallen! The news came early this morning. Again great public rejoicings. Bells ringing, houses flagged, cannon firing, and the people drunk with exultation. How things will end if the Germans go on piling up successes I don't know.

Berlin, October 1914 35

hopes of the Allies outflanking the German right wing are dispersed. My own feelings are chiefly of distress and dismay, when I see all the thanksgivings celebrated here.

Berlin, October 12, 19 14. - Sometimes one's feelings are hurt beyond description. On the evening of the fall of Antwerp, there was a large dinner party at the Esplanade. We were present. It had become an understood thing among us that during this time of anxiety and suspense no one should wear smart decollete evening dress. However, some of the outside guests did not know our rule, or if they did they ignored it, and one lady arrived in a very transparent low-necked dress, suitable for a grand ball in the height of the season. Some one remarked : *'You are very smart to-night, madame." *'Yes," she said, with a beam of pleasure. "I put this on to celebrate the fall of Antwerp; but wait until you see the dress I am keeping for the day when England is beaten."

General Moltke, they say, has resigned, owing to illhealth according to public accounts, but in reality it seems that great differences have arisen between him and the Kaiser. Moltke wanted to make straight for Calais. If he had done this, people here affirm that Germany would have won the war already, as if the German army had reached the coast before the English arrived there, the French would have been defeated. It seems, however, that the Kaiser's personal vanity and his weakness for theatrical pomp and show got the upper hand. He countermanded Moltke's orders, and insisted on the troops making for Paris, which he hoped to enter at the head of his victorious army. It is being whispered here that this defeat on the Marne may prove the decisive turning of the war, and the greatest misfortune for Germany, in spite of her successes everywhere else.

Berlin, October 13, 1914. - We had a very animated discussion at dinner last night. A German diplomat was present, and we almost fell out on the everlasting subject of which nation was the chief cause of the war. I, being of English birth, can only see the facts from the English point of view. My husband tried to explain that the mistake had been made years ago, when Germany refused the offer of an alliance with England, and continued enlarging her navy. I believe it was under Prince Billow's regime. However, our German diplomat still maintained that Russia is entirely responsible for the outbreak, egged on by France and England. Of course we ended up by some one saying, *'Well, what about Bethmann's 'scrap of paper'?" To which the diplomat was in an ecstasy of delight at being able to retort, ''Lord Salisbury must have been of the same opinion when he said in one of his speeches that 'Agreements were made to be broken.' "

We gradually left this dangerous ground, for I suppose the question will never be satisfactorily answered, and discussed the different qualities of the soldiers of the belligerent nations. I was glad to notice that the Germans made a point of praising the behaviour of the English officers and men. They admired their equipment and splendid physique, and their dogged determination in face of odds. Several stories were related of their kindness to the wounded and captured. These remarks did a great deal towards comforting my wounded pride and the pain I have felt at the English reverses at St. Quentin and Maubeuge. I have never yet heard of any tales of cruelty on the part of my countrymen.

Derneburg, October 1914 37

Talking to some wounded soldiers the other day, I asked them what had turned the tide of luck in the Marne battle. They said it was the number of fresh English troops that had told. They had arrived in all sorts of vehicles, and he himself had seen London street omnibuses arriving on all sides, still with their gay advertisements painted on them. They looked as if they had come over from Piccadilly without a stop. I thought the man was imagining this, but an officer has corroborated this story, and told me they were so unprepared in all these matters that they took any conveyance ready to hand.

Berlin, October 14, 19 14. - The victory of Tannenberg will go down to posterity as one of the most marvellous of modem times. Some of the horrors of it are so ghastly that an eye-witness, an officer, who has just returned from there, says it will live in his dreams to his dying day. The sight of thousands of Russians driven into two huge lakes or swamps to drown was ghastly, and the shrieks and cries of the dying men and horses he will never forget. So fearful was the sight of these thousands of men, with their guns, horses and ammunition, struggling in the water, that, to shorten their agony, they turned the machine-guns on them. But even in spite of that, there was movement seen among them for a week after. And the mowing down of the cavalry brigade at the same time, 500 mounted men on white horses, all killed and packed so closely that they remained standing. The officer says that this sight was the ghastliest of the whole war.

Derneburg, October 16, 1914. - Here I am arrived and settled at Derneburg, Prince Miinster's place near Hildesheim, Hanover. I travelled with Princess Miinster and her niece. Countess Marie Platen, who is staying most beautiful old castle, which was once a monastery. It is surrounded by a park with lovely trees and woods, and a lake in front, and hills in the distance. It is like suddenly being transplanted back to one of the old beautiful homes in England, and the life we lead here is thoroughly English. We go for long walks in the woods, and visit the stables, gardens and farm. The servants are all the old-fashioned sort of deferential loyal country people, and the village consists of the wives and children of the men working on the estate ; and we just go round daily, talking to them and asking them news of their relations who are in the war. After the strenuous life of gossiping and society in Berlin this is like reaching a haven of rest, and it is difficult to realize that there is such a fearful thing as war going on in the world.

We are not altogether idle, however. Princess Miinster and I get numberless letters and telegrams daily from quite unknown people in England and elsewhere, imploring us to send news of their relations. Directly we get such a wire or letter, we have to begin pulling the strings, which means no end of writing. We have to send the names in to the governors of each prison, and to the head doctor of each hospital at which we think he is likely to be. We are not allowed to be told who is in these places, and are only told who is not there.

The authorities are most loth to give any information, and so we try to extract it from them by various roundabout routes; but it takes a long time, and we always feel sorry for those anxious relations waiting for the answer. But if we dare to show too much interest and anxiety, we are told we are pro-English at once.

Derneburg, October i8, 19 14. - There are ninety men gone to the war from these two little villages alone, therefore the whole place is in a state of waiting suspense. Yesterday the poor village doctor got a post-card to say his son had been killed in action at the siege of Antwerp. Only the day before he had had a letter from him,

Derneburg, October 19 14 39

The gardener has just returned wounded, and we have been having a most interesting conversation with him. He had been out since the beginning, and to outward appearance looks a most effeminate, soft little creature; yet he has been through continual hardships for the last two and a half months, mostly in Belgium. He said he had never experienced any franc-tireur trouble, and where he was, the German soldiers behaved in an orderly way, and paid for everything they took in the villages. And in the Belgian hospital where he was, nothing could have been more peaceful or comfortable, and the English, French, Belgians and Germans had all their meals together, and sat and smoked together in a most friendly fashion, and that there was no real hate among them.

One hears of such fearful horrors from those returning. One young German wounded officer, who had been spending his convalescence here, said that his regiment had been practically annihilated by their own side, through a mistake of his Colonel's. It was in Belgium, and they had arranged to scour a wood in silence, two different regiments from different sides, during the night. The Colonel, forgetting the arrangement that it was to be done in silence, suddenly shouted a word of command, and this was understood to be the signal to fire on the enemy. And then one regiment simply mowed down the other in the pitch dark, and the noise was so fearful that no one could hear the shouting to "cease fire" imtil it was too late. One regiment practically ^ceased to exist, except for this young officer and about forty men. He was in such a state of collapse from the horrors of the recollection that he was nearly out of his mind.

Count Freddie Miinster, Prince Miinster's son, also had a horrible experience of the same sort, but escaped unharmed. He and his regiment were patrolling, and had to ride through a village which, when they entered it, appeared to be deserted. All the blinds were down, every window and door apparently shut, and not a soul to be seen. Suddenly the clock struck three, and at that moment a volley of bullets poured from every window, and the patrol had to gallop away into a wood, where they came under the fire of their own artillery, and suffered much loss before the mistake was discovered.

Derneburg, October 29, 19 14. - The Germans declare that not only are black troops being sent against them, but that the English convicts are being set loose on them, that they recognize them by the ''blue convict brand" on their arms. If I tell them the English do not brand their convicts, and these are only tattoo marks, they won't believe me. Also they assert that many of the British soldiers carry knives with a special twist in them, meant to scoop out the eyes of the wounded Germans. When I tell them that these are knives carried by the sappers to cut their way through the forests, etc., they only shrug their shoulders and tell me I am pro-English.

The ever-increasing number of reports of cruelty and bullying towards English prisoners is making me quite desperate. Thank God, Gebhard is joining me to-day, and we will set to work in good earnest to try and get to the roots of the matter. We are sending accounts of brutality to the Foreign Office here, and I intend getting them reported at Headquarters, so that the perpetrators may be run to ground and punished, if not now, after the war.

them parcels, and altogether try to do something to brighten their lives a little bit. It is, however, very difficult to reach the wounded prisoners, as communication is almost impossible owing to the disorganization

The news becomes daily more and more desperate, and things are not going well for Germany. They have been driven back by the Russians in Poland, and on the West the English have made such a magnificent stand that the German advance along the coast and to Calais has proved a most stupendous undertaking, and they have made very little progress.

The description of the fighting is too horrible to write about, and I cannot think of it. Here the papers say that the English losses are in four figures, and that whole regiments have been mown down by the German big guns, and that the trenches have been stormed and there has been hand-to-hand fighting.

The English naval guns are covering the coast. They are even firing into Ostend, which causes much comment here, as they say Ostend is an unfortified town; and there are hundreds of English inhabitants there whom the German commander had to ask to leave, to protect them against their own guns. That is what is told us here.

Derneburg, November 1914. - ^The chief topic at present is the defeat of the Russians at Lodz; it is said to be an enormous victory for Germany.

They are all beginning to be anxious about Italy, which apparently becomes more war-like and unneutral every day. But Germany sounds as confident as ever, though she has changed her tone a little. Now they say that they never had any intention of going to Calais, or that they have given up the idea, but personally I know they find it a more difficult task than they expected. One of my "candid friends" told me that the English have flooded the country, and that was what really turned them back. To use his own expression: "We had provided for twenty contingencies, but this was the twenty-first."

They may get there yet, but whether they deny wanting it or not, my personal opinion is, and it is shared by many, that the possession of Calais is the one great object of the war now from the Emperor's point of view. I think he has set his heart on this more than on anything else in the world.

They have given up the idea of landing in England, and I don't think the highest authorities ever really thought it would be possible. They kept up the idea, as the population enthused more about this than about anything else, and it was the ambition of most of the soldiers fighting in the West. The authorities say candidly that they only contemplated it seriously just after the fall of Antwerp, when everything seemed to be playing into their hands, and they thought they could make an unexpected dash along the coast. They had the transports ready, so it is said. The Zeppelin raids also have been a slight disappointment to Germany. They had been waiting for the fogs, and then expected to make a demonstration on the English coast, or near London. But I personally think that the shutting up of civilians in England in concentration camps has something to do in preventing this.

Berlin", December 19 14. - On our return to Berlin at the end of November we were startled by the announcement that Sir Roger Casement had arrived there. The wonder was how an Irishman, and an ex-Consul of the English Government, could have found his way here. But we were more interested than most, as we knew him well. He had been in Africa with my husband, and we had also seen a good deal of him in London at various times. We knew his anti-English feelings well, and his rabid Home Rule mania, but we did not expect it to have taken this intense form of becoming pro-German.

Berlin, December 1914 43

However, he had not been here many days before he came to see us. He told us the whole story, which can be read in any newspaper, of how when war broke out he went over to America, and there spent his time working among the Irish-Americans, advising them to go home, not to enlist for England, etc., telling them that England was only sending their countrymen to their death, and that in the future the only reward they would get was a promise of Home Rule which they had no intention of fulfilling.

His efforts were, I suppose, crowned with some success, as eventually he determined to make his way into Germany to try and work up the Irish prisoners against England. His adventures on the journey are well known, and on his arrival in Norway, the British Minister, Mr. Finlay, offered a reward to any one who would bring him into their hands. Sir Roger, however, after a great deal of correspondence with some of his acquaintances in the Foreign Office in Berlin, was eventually allowed to enter Germany, and was then given free access to the prison camps where the Irish prisoners were.

My husband went to him shortly after his arrival and tried to show him what a false position he had put himself in, and that he had better leave the country as quickly as possible, but It was no use. So after that we refused to see him or have anything more to do with him. When we first saw him, he was most enthusiastic and certain of success, his Idea being to try and make the Irishmen promise that if they were free they would not fight for England, and would use their influence to prevent recruiting in Ireland. He was not really successful anywhere. In fact, he soon became offended, because he said the Berlin Foreign Office, did not trust him enough. We hinted to him that no one ever really trusted a traitor, at which he was greatly Incensed, protesting that he was not that ; and he was hardly less so when others, trying to soften down the name, called him an Irish rebel. He did not like that either.

be summed up in the answer he got from one very raw Irishman whom he asked whether he did not hate England. The Irishman's reply was : ''Well, we may hate England, but that does not make us love Germany."

One bit of good news amidst the prevailing gloom. I have just been able to send a telegram to Lord Edmund Talbot through the Red Cross, to say that his son, who has been missing for some weeks, is now in hospital near Lille. How I came to obtain this information was as follows. I was hurrying through the hall of the Esplanade Hotel when an officer stopped me and said, "Excuse me, but are you not related to Lord Edmund Talbot?" On my replying that I was, he said, *T am Count Welsczek, and a few days ago I was fortunate enough to be able to render first aid to his son, Captain Talbot of the nth Hussars. I and some brother officers were riding through a lane on the outskirts of Lille, when we were attracted by something moving in the ditch, which on nearer inspection we discovered to be a wounded English officer lying covered in mud and quite unconscious. We administered restoratives, and he soon revived enough to be taken to a hospital. The first remark he made, in his semi-conscious state, when being picked out of the ditch, was, T should like to have a bath, I'm so muddy' " ; at which they all laughed very much, saying how like an Englishman it was to prefer having

Speaking of this relation reminds me of a great adventure, no less than a visit to my cousin Captain TrafYord, who is a prisoner at Crefeld. I have never written about it, as I was told to keep it a secret so as to prevent others asking for the same privilege.

It was indeed a very notable event my being allowed to see him, as the barrack regulations are extremely rigid on this point, and ladies are not supposed to be admitted at all. That an exception was made in my case was only due to the intervention of General v. Bissing, who smoothed away all the difficulties and gave me leave to enter. And although I am perfectly conscious of all the rumours of his harshness which are current in the outside world, I shall not easily forget this spontaneous act of kindness to me.

I found my cousin looking very well and in quite good spirits, in spite of the hardships he had gone through during his three weeks at the front, and also in spite of the discomforts I knew he must be experiencing in the camp. But as I was not allowed to speak to him alone, I could not really learn much about the true state of affairs at Crefeld, and it was a great trial to me and my husband to have to get up and go away as the clock struck the appointed hour, without being sure of being allowed to come again and not being able to do more in the way of adding comforts and luxuries for him and other officers, who we knew had arrived there with nothing but what they stood up in; however, the commander and other officers at the camp were most courteous to us, and I have since realized what a great concession it was my being allowed to go there at all. One lives to learn to be thankful for small mercies in these days.

Berlin, March 191 5. - My husband is now regularly attached to the hospital train equipped by the Knights of Malta. This Order is very ancient, and purely religious in character, almost equivalent to the Knights of St. John in England. Its present members are still recognized in Austria as possessing sovereign rights in that country. The German branches in Silesia and on the Rhine are recognized as corporations for voluntary "Ambulance Service in War Time.'' Its organization is autonomous, and distinct from the Red Cross Society under the regulations of the Hague Convention. It is recognized by all the belHgerent countries and is under the protection of international law.

both for honorary knights and knights of justice, the latter being required to take the vow of celibacy. The Austrian Order has equipped no less than seven ambulance trains during the war, whilst the German branches have two trains running, the Silesian and the Rhenish- Westphalian.

I felt very proud as I saw him start off on his first journey, wearing his smart new uniform with the Red Cross band on his arm. It was a comfort too to know what a good work he was undertaking, when he might have been setting off on such a different errand. I feel rather ashamed now of a somewhat bitter remark I made one day to a friend whose husband was at the front, and who came with me to see G. off. ''Don't you feel proud of him ?" she said, and I answered : "Yes, indeed I do, and thank God he is going out to cure and not to kill." I rather regretted it when I saw the tears come into her eyes as she said: ''But think of me, having to see my husband off to the West, to be one of those who are forming the human wall round our country to prevent so many enemies entering, to wipe us off the earth."

Berlin, April 191 5. - Glancing back over the last six months - one of the few things that really impressed themselves on my memory was the sinking of the ^Blucher by the English on January 24.

How well I remember the proud moment when, six months after my marriage, the Emperor sent for me in the middle of a Court ball in Berlin and asked me to launch the new cruiser Blucher. How well I remember his words as he smilingly said to me: "I expect you will get into trouble with your English relations if you launch my battleships, now won't you?" His wellknown charm of manner attracted me so much, as it does all others. And then, four months after that date, we went to Kiel, and in the presence of Prince Henry of Prussia and the Princess, and General von der Goltz and others, I made my first German speech and broke the

Berlin, April 19 15 47

After the ceremony we went up to the castle for luncheon with Prince and Princess Henry of Prussia (she being sister to the Czarina of Russia and an English princess). We talked England, England, England - she telling us every little anecdote she could think of about her happy days at Windsor with old Queen Victoria, and how she and her sister had so intensely enjoyed rummaging in the old curiosity shops in the town of Windsor, saying laughingly: "We enjoyed mostly getting bargains of old bits of furniture, etc., which we had our suspicions had begun life in the castle itself, and had been looted' by servants at different periods, and found their way into these shops.''

Among this party for the launching was my sister Freda, who had come out from England with us for it, and since then she is married to Admiral Charlton, who is now at the Admiralty ; and, who knows? maybe he was the very man who controlled this particular episode in the naval warfare!

The Blilcher had, from the very beginning, ranked as an antiquated man-of-war, and was the slowest unit in the fleet. So it was arranged that she should be chosen to bear the brunt of battle, and stay behind to be sacrificed if necessary, to give the others time to retreat.

The captain of the Blilcher, when rescued out of the water, was taken to Edinburgh, and on his way there, got into conversation with the English naval officer in command of the guard over them. The German officer had told him that an Englishwoman had launched the Blilcher, and that her photograjph had gone down in the ship. "Yes," answered the English naval officer, "I happen to know all about it, as the lady is my sister-inlaw. My name is Throckmorton." It is curious how small the world is.

have been leading an existence apart, cut off from all communion with my surroundings. My brother Wilfred's death at Ypres, of which I received news in November, seemed to render all the old familiar intercourse impossible. Now I am beginning once more to see people a little.

In Holy Week (the week before Easter) my husband was away on one of his journeys with the Lazarett-Zug, and Count and Countess Larisch (Fritzi and May) asked me to go and stay with them here in Berlin, as I was quite alone.

It was a homelike, peaceful time, and did me much good. May and her three little girls and I used each morning to go to Mass at the little Convent Chapel attached to the hospital at which I used to nurse. There we met Countess Henckel and her daughters, Princess Lowenstein with her children, and Countess Tattenbach, all cousins and connections. We used to meet outside the church-door twice each day, discussing the same news. It was like living in a little peaceful world of our own, in the centre of this big city, and this life of religion had a very soothing effect on my harassed nerves.