'Conferences of Hanau' going on; in a zealous fashion; all parties
eager for Peace to Kaiser and Reich, and in good hope of bringing
it about. The wish, ardent to a degree, had been the Kaiser's first
of all. The scheme, I guess, was chiefly of Carteret's devising;
who, in his magnificent mind, regardless of expense, thinks it may
be possible, and discerns well what a stroke it will be for the
Cause of Liberty, and how glorious for a Britannic Majesty's
Adviser in such circumstances. July 7th, the Conferences began;
and, so frank and loyal were the parties, in a week's time matters
were advanced almost to completion, the fundamental outlines of a
bargain settled, and almost ready for signing.

"'Give me my Bavaria again!' the Kaiser had always said: 'I am Head
of the Reich, and have nothing to live upon!' On one preliminary,
Carteret had always been inexorable: 'Have done with your French
auxiliaries; send every soul of them home; the German soil once
cleared of them, much will be possible; till then nothing.'
KAISER: 'Well, give me back my Bavaria; my Bavaria, and something
suitable to live upon, as Head of the Reich: some decent Annual
Pension, till Bavaria come into paying condition,--cannot you, who
are so wealthy? And Bavaria might be made a Kingdom, if you wished
to do the handsome thing. I will renounce my Austrian Pretensions,
quit utterly my French Alliances; consent to have her Hungarian
Majesty's august Consort made King of the Romans [which means
Kaiser after me], and in fact be very safe to the House of Austria
and the Cause of Liberty.' To all this the thrice-unfortunate
gentleman, titular Emperor of the World, and unable now to pay his
milk-scores, is eager to consent. To continue crossing the Abysses
on bridges of French rainbow? Nothing but French subsidies to
subsist on; and these how paid,--Noailles's private pocket knows