e promenade, in order to demand from me,
finally in a very importunate manner, that I should authorise him to
telegraph at once that I bound myself for all future time never
again to give my consent if the Hohenzollerns should renew their
candidature. I refused at last somewhat sternly, as it is neither
right nor possible to undertake engagements of this kind _a tout
jamais_. Naturally I told him I had as yet received no news, and as
he was earlier informed about Paris and Madrid he could clearly see
that my government once more had no hand in the matter.' His Majesty
has since received a letter from the Prince. His Majesty having told
Count Benedetti that he was awaiting news from the Prince, has
decided, with reference to the above demand, upon the representation
of Count Eulenburg and myself, not to receive Count Benedetti again,
but only to let him be informed through an aide-de-camp: That his
Majesty has now received from the Prince confirmation of the news
which Benedetti had already received from Paris, and had nothing
further to say to the ambassador. His Majesty leaves it to your
excellency whether Benedetti's fresh demand and its rejection should
not be at once communicated both to our ambassadors and to the
press." (ii. p. 96.)

212 See Sorel, _Hist. diplomatique de la guerre franco-allemande_
(1875), i. pp. 169-71.

M107 France Declares War

213 In the Reichstag, on July 20, Bismarck reproached the French
ministers for not yielding to the pressure of the members of the
opposition like Thiers and Gambetta, and producing the document,
which would have overthrown the base on which the declaration of war
was founded. Yet he had prepared this document for the very purpose
of tempting France into a declaration of war.

214 Grant Duff's _Diaries_, ii. p. 153. The technical declaration of war
by France was made at Berlin on July 19.

_ 215 Life_, ii. p. 78.

216 "II fallait donner a l'Europe le temps d'intervenir, ce qui
n'empechait pas que vos armements continuassent, et il ne fallait
pas se hater, de venir ici dans le moment ou la susceptibilite
francaise devait etre la plus exigeante, des faits qui devaient
causer une irritation dangereuse.... Ce n'est pas pour l'interet
essentiel de la France, c'est par la faute d