“It is therefore an entirely unpractical course for those who consider themselves unjustly treated under the orders of the military authorities to direct their complaints to the Ministers of State. They can only demand redress from the military superiors of those against whom they enter complaint. It may therefore be taken for granted that the Chancellor of the Confederation has not considered himself to be in a position to officially express an opinion on the expediency of the course adopted in a single instance, such as that of Jacoby, but has, on the contrary, merely dealt from a theoretical standpoint, with the question whether, during war and in the interest of its successful prosecution, the arrest of individuals whose action in the judgment of the military authorities is injurious to us and advantageous to the enemy is temporarily permissible. “Stated in these general terms, the question can hardly be answered in the negative by practical politicians and soldiers, although they may entertain many scruples both on theoretical and judicial grounds against martial law as a whole. The concrete question, however, whether this right, if it exists, was properly exercised in the case of Jacoby, is as much beyond the competence of the Ministry as, say, the question whether it is necessary or desirable in delivering battle on native soil to set a particular village on fire, or to arrest without legal process a private person at a distance of fifty miles from the battle-field because he is suspected of favouring the enemy. A discussion of the means by which the military commander could be rendered responsible for what the parties concerned may consider a false, hasty or improper course is foreign to our purpose. We have merely been at pains to show that the constitutional attributes of the Ministry do not give it any authority to interfere directly in such cases.” _Friday, October 21st._--The heavy firing which began early this morning increased as the day wore on. We did not allow this to disturb us, however. Various articles were completed, including one on the departure of the Nuncio and other diplomats from Paris. At lunch Keudell stated that the French artillery had destroyed the porcelain factory at Sèvres. Hatzfeldt told us that his mother-in-law, an American lady who had remained in Paris, had sent him good news respecting the ponies of which he had often spoken to us. They were fine and fat. The question was whether she should now eat them. He was about to answer, “Yes, in God’s name!” but he intended to get the price of these animals included in the indemnity to be paid by the French Government.