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PREFACEix offered with regard to Good Offices and Mediation, which, though often confounded, require to be carefully distinguished from each other. On the whole, also, it has been considered preferable to quote treaties and other State-papers in the language

attempting translations into which do not always reproduce with faithIn the earlier fulness the exact thought of the writer. part of the first volume, such endeavours have been made, but, it is to be feared, not always to the satisfaction Instead of merely summarizing of the accurate student. the opinions of text-writers, it has been thought fairer in most cases to give their ipsissima verba, where they are cited in support of statements advanced on their

of the originals, instead of

English,

authority.

The

foreign languages of the various State-

papers are mainly those with which a diplomatist may be expected to have become acquainted in the course of his career, and

if

the general reader is induced by curiosity to extend his knowledge of other European languages than his own, that will be a result not devoid of evident advantage.

" Plus on se familiarise avec les langues etrangeres, plus disparaissent ces preventions, ces haines nationales que la difference des langues ne contribue que trop a entretenir."

Considerable difficulty has been encountered in consequence of the variation in the spelling of names both of persons and places found in authors of diverse nationalities. This is particularly the case with Russian names, which are not written uniformly by French, German and English writers. The plan followed has been to adhere to the orthography which occurs in the original quoted from. This may have its inconveniences, but it has seemed safer than to aim at one consistent transhteration of the Russian alphabet.

Enghsh teachers and professors of the language have not yet agreed upon a single method, but are divided between at least two schools, one of which would employ an invari-