interrupted here by a dissentient observation from Dr. Wekerle, I told
him that if he, Wekerle, could bring corn into Austria I should be the
first to support his point of view, and that with pleasure, but so
long as he stood by his categorical denial, and insisted on his
inability to help us, we were in the position of a man on the third
floor of a burning house who jumps out of the window to save himself.
A man in such a situation would not stop to think whether he risked
breaking his legs or not; he would prefer the risk of death to the
certainty of the same. If the position really were as stated, that in
a couple of months we should be altogether without food supplies, then
we must take the consequences of such a position. Dr. von Seidler
here once more took up the discussion, and declared himself entirely
in agreement with my remarks.

"During the further course of the debate, the probability of a
definitive failure of the Austro-Polish solution in connection with
the Ukrainian peace was discussed, and the question was raised as to
what new constellation would arise out of such failure. Sektionschef
Dr. Gratz then took up this question. Dr. Gratz pointed out that the
Austro-Polish solution must fail even without acceptance of the
Ukrainian demands, since the German postulates rendered solution
impossible. The Germans demanded, apart from quite enormous
territorial reductions of Congress-Poland, the restriction of Polish
industry, part possession of the Polish railways and State domains, as
well as the imposition of part of the costs of war upon the Poles. We
could not attach ourselves to a Poland thus weakened, hardly, indeed,
capable of living at all, and necessarily highly dissatisfied with its
position. Dr. Gratz maintained that it would be wiser to come back to
the programme already discussed in general form; the project, by which
United Poland should be left to Germany, and the attachment of
Roumania to the Monarchy in consequence. Dr. Gratz went at length into
the details of this point of view. The Emperor then summed up the
essence of the opinions expressed to-day as indicating that it was
primarily necessary to make peace with Petersburg and the Ukrainians,
and that negotiations should be entered upon with Ukrainia as to the
division of Galicia. The question as to whether the Austro-Polish
solution should be definitely allowed to drop was not finally settled,
but shelved for the time being.

"In conclusio