"He arrived at Sigmaringen at a moment when the French Government was peculiarly exasperated. It was from him that I learnt the actual spirit and intention in Paris; it was due to him that I published Leopold's renunciation twenty-four hours earlier perhaps than I should have done without his urgent advice. In neutralising the French pretext for war, by making the renunciation public at the right moment, the Franco-Prussian War has, perhaps, become a _popular_, _i.e._, a _German_, war. Any delay on my part would have given the war a dynastic complexion, and the whole of Southern Germany would have left Prussia in the lurch.... Napoleon has brought about the unity of Germany in twenty-four hours." The excitement in Roumania culminated in an attempted revolution in that hot-bed of sedition, Plojeschti, on August 29, when the militia barracks were stormed and a proclamation issued, deposing Prince Charles and appointing General A. Golesku regent _ad interim_. A deputy, Candianu Popesku, at the head of the mob, entered the telegraph office and, revolver in hand, threatened to shoot the clerks, unless they telegraphed the news of the deposition of the Prince to the foreign countries and the larger towns of Roumania. With admirable presence of mind the clerks reported the occurrence to the Ministry at Bucharest instead of complying with the insurgents' demands. A battalion of Rifles under Major Gorjan was immediately despatched to the scene of the insurrection, which they promptly quelled. Both General Golesku and J. Bratianu, who appeared to be implicated in these affairs, were arrested at once, but were soon released by order of Prince Charles, who expressed his conviction that the insurgents had used their names without any authorisation. On being arrested, Bratianu begged that his papers might be left undisturbed, for, as he remarked with a smile, he was "_too experienced a conspirator_" to retain possession of compromising documents. Some twenty persons were arrested in connection with this affair, though, as Prince Charles wrote to his father, it seemed improbable that there was sufficient evidence to convict them. The news of a great battle fought near Sedan caused the wildest excitement in Bucharest, and elaborate arrangements were made to celebrate a French victory. Rumours were current that King William had been taken prisoner with a force varying from 20,000 to 60,000 men, but a telegram announcing the voluntary surrender of the Emperor seemed to point, at any rate, to an undecided action. When the truth became known the greatest consternation prevailed in the Roumanian capital, where, in spite of the earlier German victories, the hope of the eventual success of the French arms had never been quite relinquished. The crowning defeat of the Imperial Army was followed by the flight of the Empress-Regent and the fall of the Napoleonic dynasty.