We were met by the military automobiles at the station, two soldiers in each auto. I was accosted at the station by a number of wounded English soldiers. It seemed good to hear a little English spoken. One of the soldiers reached out his hand as I passed and said, "How are you?" We were domiciled at the Hotel Europe. The windows were barred with iron shutters excluding light and fresh air. Early the following morning we were treated to the sight of more than one thousand German prisoners, just captured and being taken to the camp at Besancon. This was the birthplace of Victor Hugo, who was born February 26th, 1802. Old Roman ruins were very much in evidence, among them an old Roman citadel and a Roman theatre. By tradition, St. John the Baptist was buried here. We visited the underground water works and the Cathedral of St. Jean and saw in this church many paintings of the Holy Family and other religious representations. There were two immense holes in this cathedral, the result of bombs fired from the German guns in 1914, in the beginning of the war. [Illustration: German Prisoners Passing Through the Village of St. Etienne.] I saw here a girl and a dog hitched to the same cart, hauling a load of vegetables; they both seemed contented. Luncheon was served by the Chamber of Commerce at the Resturant De Besancon. In the evening we were given a banquet at the Besancon Hotel de Ville. Up to this time I had been with the Commission five weeks, but on account of my patriotic utterances in private and my quite apparent sympathy with the French people, was not urged to speak. It had been, however, arranged that I was to talk at Le Creusot, but there was not a representative gathering to talk to there, and this Besancon banquet seemed to be the proper place. After some pressure of other members of the Commission I was requested to speak. This was really the first note of human sympathy sounded. I first spoke in English, which not more than two or three in the audience, outside of the Commissioners, understood, although there were about one hundred present. At the conclusion of my talk it was translated into French by Mr. MacArthur. When he got through I was surrounded by the Frenchmen present and congratulated as well as embraced by practically the entire audience. This address is reproduced by special request of some of the members of the Commission who heard it. Gentlemen:-- I am afraid my aeroplane French will not be understood by our good friends present. I tried it on a number of our Franco-American orators, and they, with one accord, said it was fine and beautiful, but they could not understand a word I was saying. I will, therefore, ask my fellow-traveler and sympathizer, Mr. MacArthur, to read the brief address I have prepared, apologizing through him for the lamentable fact that I speak English only.