The Bavarian question and the situation at Munich was then discussed. The Chief said: “The King is undecided. It is obvious that he would rather not. He accordingly pretends to be ill, has toothache, keeps to his bed, where the Ministers cannot reach him. Or he retires to a distant hunting-box in the mountains to which there is no telegraph line, nor even a proper road.” Some one having remarked that in the present circumstances he is, after all, the best Bavarian ruler for our purposes, the Chief said: “Yes; if he were to die he would be succeeded by little Otto, whom we have had here. A poor creature, with very little intelligence. He would be entirely in the hands of the Austrians and Ultramontanes. He has ruined himself; that is, if he was ever worth anything.” General Reille’s name again brought up the question of Napoleon’s surrender. “The King thought,” said the Chancellor, “on reading Napoleon’s letter, that it meant more for us than it did. ‘He must at least surrender Metz to us,’ said the King to me. I replied, ‘I do not know, your Majesty; we are not aware what power he still has over the troops.’ The Emperor should not have needlessly surrendered himself as a prisoner, but have made peace with us. His generals would have followed him.” The Minister then again related the incident of the letter Weimar wished to write to the Emperor Alexander; and it appeared that the day before yesterday the Chief had, in a moment of irritation, represented the expressions which he had used in speaking to the Grand Duke as stronger than they actually were. According to the present account, Weimar said, in conclusion, that his only object was a patriotic one. He (the Minister) replied he quite believed that, but it would not make the letter any more useful. The letter has probably not been sent off. The question of the bombardment then came up, and, in connection therewith, the intrigues which are now being carried on by Bishop Dupanloup, and the part he played in the opposition at the Vatican Council. “Women and freemasons,” said the Chief, “are chiefly responsible if our operations against Paris are not conducted as energetically as they should be. Dupanloup has influenced Augusta.... He also wrote me a pile of letters, and took me in to such an extent that I sent them to Twickenham.” (The Chancellor must have meant Chislehurst). “He must be packed off when our people get to Orleans, so that Von der Tann may not be swindled by him.”... “That reminds me,” continued the Chief, “that the Pope has written a very nice letter to the French Bishops, or to several of them, saying that they should not enter into any understanding with the Garibaldians.”