before her, but this could
only be realized when her officials became more honest. "Honesty among
Russian officials," he thinks, "can only be brought about by many
years of iron severity." Of the difficulty of governing the French
nation, he wrote, when visiting the court of Napoleon III.: "It would
be as impossible to allow the liberty of the press in France as to
admit discussion of the orders given by generals to their armies when
in the field." We have not the advantage of knowing his views on
England and the English on the three occasions, in 1856, 1858, and
1861, when he visited the country in company with the crown prince to
be present at his betrothal and marriage to the princess royal, and
again at the funeral of the prince consort. How highly his opinion as
an authority was esteemed as early as 1867, is seen by an incident
which occurred during the Universal Exhibition, when Count Moltke, in
company with King William of Prussia and Count Bismarck, dined with
Napoleon III. at St. Cloud. Subsequently, the emperor and Moltke
engaged in an animated conversation apart from the rest. At this
moment Marshal Randon, Minister of War, walked across the room, and
the emperor, noticing him, raised his voice, saying, "Come here,
marshal. General Moltke says that with the needle-gun he would be
strong enough to fight even the French army." Marshal Randon drew
near, and, turning toward Moltke, said, in a tone loud enough to be
heard by all in the room, "Pardon me, general; but, in spite of the
high opinion I have of your judgment, I cannot share your belief. I
venture to affirm, that even with the needle-gun, the French army
would not suffer the fate of the Austrian army;" and the conversation
continued without the bystanders being able to follow it. But after
the departure of the King of Prussia and his suite, Napoleon III.,
struck by these words, energetically busied himself in overhauling
the equipment of the French army. He examined various models of guns
that were submitted to him, and among these the Martini rifle, which
he found excellent, but which was after all rejected for the
Chassepot. The making of this gun was pushed forward so actively that
the French army was provided with it by 1870.

[Illustration: Moltke at Versailles, 1870.]

In respect of his literary efforts, as of his military achievements,
Moltke was singularly modest. Herr G. von Bunsen tells us how,
"meeting the general one day at a dinner-party,