Prince Pless praises the Würtemberg troops. They make an excellent impression and come next to our own in the matter of military bearing. The Chancellor agrees but thinks the Bavarians also deserve commendation. He appears to be particularly pleased at the summary way in which they shoot down the “franc-voleurs.” “Our North German soldiers follow orders too literally. When one of those footpads fires at a Holstein dragoon he gets off his horse, runs after the fellow with his heavy sword and catches him. He then brings him to his lieutenant, who either lets him go or hands him over to his superior officer--which comes to the same thing, as he is then set free. The Bavarian acts differently. He knows that war is war, and keeps up the good old customs. He does not wait until he is shot at from behind, but shoots first himself.” In the evening I prepared Bernstorff’s despatch respecting the capture of a German ship in English waters by the French frigate _Desaix_ for our press; also the letter to Lundy on the export of arms from England to France; and finally arranged that our papers should no longer defend Bazaine against the charge of treason, “as it does him harm.” _Wednesday, November 23rd._--This morning I asked Bucher how the Bavarian Treaties were getting on and whether they would not be finally settled this evening. “Yes,” was the reply, “if nothing happens in the meantime--and it need not be anything very important. Could you imagine what it was that recently nearly wrecked the negotiations? The question of collars or epaulettes! The King of Bavaria wanted to retain the Bavarian collar, while his Majesty wished to have it replaced by ours. The Chief, however, finally brought him round by saying: ‘But, your Majesty, if the Treaty is not concluded now, and in ten years’ time perhaps the Bavarians are arrayed against us in battle, what will history say when it becomes known that the negotiations miscarried owing to these collars?’ Moreover, the King is not the worst--but rather the Minister of War.” As I was then called away I could not for the moment unriddle this mystery. I afterwards learned that the question was whether the Bavarian officers should in future wear the badge of their rank on their collars as hitherto, or on their shoulder straps like the North German troops. Bucher having alluded to the strong Republican sympathies which Alten had yesterday displayed, Pless also observed: “Really if we had known what sort of people these Princes were at the time we were discussing the Criminal Code in the Diet we should not have helped to make the provisions respecting _lèse-majesté_ so severe.” The Chief remarked, with a laugh: “Every one of us has already deserved ten years’ penal servitude if all our jibbing at princes during the campaign were proved against us.”