On the 5th of July, 1878, the proofs of the first two sheets were sent by the publisher to the Prince in Berlin, and the subsequent ones to Kissingen, where the Chancellor--who was undergoing a cure--remained till the third week in August; then to Gastein, where he again took the waters up to the 16th of September; afterwards to Varzin, and finally once more to Berlin, where I had once more taken up my residence. The proofs were returned to me with the Chancellor’s corrections, for the most part in a few days after they had been despatched by the publisher, in order that I should reproduce the alterations in the copy intended for the printer. No arrangement having been made for their destruction I considered myself at liberty to retain them as a memento of my intercourse with the Prince, and I still preserve them. In some sheets there were no corrections, in others a few, while considerable excisions were made in a number of them--the portions struck out, however, not exceeding in all more than one-fiftieth of the whole. At the same time it was evident that the Prince had read the whole very carefully, as he had corrected even unimportant printer’s errors. My princely censor had justified some of the larger excisions by marginal explanations, and also in the letters sent through the Imperial Chancellerie with which the proofs were accompanied. These refer for the most part to statements made by the Prince respecting personages still living whom he was anxious not to offend. My princely “collaborator” also made occasional short additions to my text. It is hardly necessary to say that all alterations were conscientiously reproduced by me and included in the work. So far everything seemed to be in proper order. Up to his return to Varzin the Prince had apparently no objection to my undertaking beyond those to which he gave expression in the excisions and marginal notes, as well as in the accompanying letters already mentioned, written by his secretary, Sachse, and which might be regarded as disposed of by myself and the printing office. Now, however, some further objections must have occurred to him. On the 27th of September I received the following letter:-- “Varzin, _September 26th_. “My dear Sir,--I take the liberty of sending you herewith the proof-sheets as corrected. My father would like to speak to you once more about the whole work and its contents before you allow it to be published, as he believes that, after verbal communication with him, you may perhaps make a few further abbreviations. Possibly you may be able, at the beginning of next month, to come to Berlin, where my father will be very pleased to see you. In this case I would beg of you to send word a little in advance, to me or to Baron Holstein. We shall be in Berlin from Sunday on. “With the profoundest esteem, “Your most humble, “Count Herbert Bismarck.”