We reached Liverpool August 6, and the next day visited the American Legation in London, where we saw all the officials except our Minister, Mr.Motley, who, being absent, was represented by Mr.Moran, the Secretary of the Legation.

We left London August 9 for Brussels, where we were kindly cared for by the American Minister, Mr.Russell Jones who the same evening saw us off for Germany.

Because of the war we secured transportation only as far as Vera, and here we received information that the Prussian Minister of War had telegraphed to the Military Inspector of Railroads to take charge of us on our arrival a Cologne, and send us down to the headquarter of the Prussian army, but the Inspector, for some unexplained reason, instead of doing this, sent us on to Berlin.
Here our Minister, Mr.George Bancroft, met us with a telegram from the German Chancellor, Count Bismarck, saying we were expected to come direct to the King's headquarters and we learned also that a despatch had been sent to the Prussian Minister at Brussels directing him to forward us from Cologne to the army, instead of allowing us to go on to Berlin, but that we had reached and quit Brussels without the Minister's knowledge..