that the President will find it very difficult to govern if he does not make up his mind to lean on the Conservative majority.” _February 20th._--It appears from a report of Arnim’s of the 17th of last month that he has engaged a certain Lindau[9] to furnish him with detailed reports from the French press. In a despatch of the 8th instant, the Ambassador states that Lindau has asked not to be deprived of the assistance of Beckmann (who was probably objected to as a suspicious character, or otherwise unsuitable). Arnim strongly supported this request, “in the interests of the service.” Lindau must have some one at his disposal who would undertake the more compromising portion of the whole arrangement.... Besides, neither Herr Lindau, nor any other official at the Embassy, was in a position to deal with all the material and to furnish full and satisfactory reports on the press, and at the same time to write articles himself for German, Italian, and Russian newspapers. According to Arnim, Lindau also proposed to start a publication for Russia, probably a news agency. _March 3rd._--All these suggestions were rejected by the Chief in a despatch of yesterday’s date. He will have no formal Press Bureau, no Russian news agency, and no influence exercised upon the German papers by the Paris Embassy. I closed my diary at the last-mentioned date to let it rest for some years. The period which I had set myself, on the cessation of my _direct_ intercourse with the Prince, for my further continuance at the Foreign Office was at an end; and this intercourse had not been renewed. I therefore, on the 28th of February, wrote to the Chief, as follows:-- “Most Noble Prince, Most Mighty Chancellor, Most Gracious Chief and Master. “A few days ago I completed my third year of service at the Foreign Office. In connection therewith I venture dutifully to beg that your Serene Highness will allow me to retire from that service at the end of March, and to return, at first, to Leipzig; and at the same time to take into consideration the concluding sentence in the order of the 15th of March, 1870. The sentence in question says: ‘I would add that, in case your present occupation should sooner or later cease, you will be granted an annuity of 1,200 thalers, on condition that you still devote your literary activity to the support of our policy, as you have done during recent years.’ “The employment for which I was engaged here, according to your Serene Highness’s verbal instructions on my presentation to your Serene Highness on the 24th of February, 1870, ceased on the 1st of July, 1871, and with it, gradually, everything in the way of duty that was associated therewith. Notwithstanding this, I have honestly endeavoured to make myself useful; but I must confess to myself that these endeavours would be more fruitful in a different position to that which I now hold.