No great political action has brought us hither, but the fact that German ships of war are again calling at French harbors is symptomatic, and will certainly be welcomed by you with satisfaction; therefore I could not deny myself the pleasure of giving you this bit of information. I am glad, gracious lady, to take this opportunity to express to you a son’s gratitude for the true comradeship which you have given my father; I know how precious it has been to him and how thankfully he has accepted it. With the request that you present my sincerest regards to your husband, I am Yours most respectfully and faithfully Moritz von Egidy, Lieutenant at Sea Footnote 29: The passage from my eulogy here referred to ran thus: The consciousness that an Egidy was here was such a comforting, strengthening, joyous consciousness. We had him; this possession was like the possession of a check book. If ever assistance, consolation, support were required in a spiritual campaign, in an ethical dilemma, all one had to do was to produce the check book; Egidy was certain to honor it instantly. Always the right word, the unhesitating opinion, nobility pure of dross. Even if there were heard on all sides: “The world is bad, every one thinks only of himself, there is no improvement, there are no clear notions of duty, no straight paths of virtue,” we could always smile calmly and say to ourselves, “That is not true; there is an Egidy here.” Footnote 30: _Die Haager Friedenskonferenz, Tagebuchblätter_, Dresden und Leipzig, E. Pierson. 2d edition, 1901. Price 2 marks. Footnote 31: This might be translated, “You have furnished us straw for our bricks.”—TRANSLATOR. Footnote 32: My niece Maria Louise was with us at The Hague. Footnote 33: He refers to the letter, the composition of which, as decreed by the Interparliamentary Conference of 1894, was intrusted to Chevalier Descamps and H. La Fontaine, and which, at the direction of the Interparliamentary Congress of 1895, was sent to all the governments in the name of the Union. Footnote 34: Nothing of the later limitations of “vital interests” and “honor of the nations.” (Observation of 1908.) Footnote 35: The delegates for the United States of America were Andrew D. White, United States ambassador at Berlin; Seth Low, president of Columbia University; Stanford Newell, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary at The Hague; Captain Alfred T. Mahan, United States Navy; William Crozier, captain of artillery; Frederick W. Holls, lawyer, of New York, secretary to the delegation. Mr. Holls died in 1903.—TRANSLATOR. Footnote 36: The Russian delegates were Von Staal, ambassador at London; Martens, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Vasily, also of the Foreign Department; and five technical delegates.—TRANSLATOR. Footnote 37: