r not too resolute King and Parliament had at last and in one
particular defied his advice and maintained their own opinion. If
vengeance were to be the order of the day, it might have been expected
to fall on the King and Parliament; but this would have been too direct
a course, and the blow was turned instead against an innocent municipal
council. On the 7th the President appeared before that body, informed
them that his authority was lessened by the publication, that he had
applied to the King for a month's leave of (theatrical) absence, and
must now refuse to fulfil his duties. With this he retired to his own
house, which is under the same roof, leaving the councillors and the
municipality to do what they pleased and drift where they could without
him. It is reported he has since declared his life to be in danger, and
even applied to his Consul for protection. This seems to pass the bounds
of credibility; but the movements of Baron Senfft von Pilsach have been
throughout so agitated and so unexpected that we know not what to look
for; and the signatories of the annexed addresses, if they were accused
to-morrow of a design on the man's days, would scarce have spirit left
to be surprised.

It must be clearly pointed out that this is no quarrel of German and
anti-German. The German officials, consular and naval, have behaved with
perfect loyalty. A German wrote the letter to the paper which unchained
this thunderbolt; and it was a German who took the chair which the
President had just vacated at the table of the municipal board. And
though the Baron is himself of German race, his conduct presents no
appearance of design, how much less of conspiracy! Doubtless certain
journals will so attempt to twist it; but to the candid it will seem no
more than the distracted evolutions of a weak man in a series of panics.

Such is a rough outline of the events to which I would fain direct the
attention of the public at home, in the States, and still more in
Germany. It has for me but one essential point. Budgets have been called
in question, and officials publicly taken the pet before now. But the
dynamite scandal is unique.

If it be unfounded, our complaint is already grave. It was the
President's duty, as a man and as a responsible official, to have given
it instant and direct denial: and since he neither did so of his own
motion, nor consented to do so on our repeated instances, he has shown
that he neither understands nor ye