On the 30th of May, the Prince, with many misgivings, came to Berlin.  The evening of the next day he had a long interview with Bismarck; it began about nine o’clock and lasted till after midnight.  There is no doubt that this interview was decisive against his chances.  From that time Bismarck was determined that under no circumstances should he succeed, and we shall see that when Bismarck wished for anything he usually attained it.  We would gladly, therefore, know exactly what happened; both Bismarck and the Prince have given accounts of what took place, but unfortunately they differ on very important points, and no one else was present at the interview.  It is clear that the Prince throughout, for the reasons we have named, observed great reserve.  It would undoubtedly have been wiser of him openly to place himself entirely in Bismarck’s hands, to throw himself on the generosity of Prussia, and to agree to the terms which Bismarck offered.  Why he did not do this we have explained.  The conversation chiefly turned on the Prussian demands for the harbour of Kiel and certain other concessions; the Prince expressed himself quite willing to grant most of what was required, but he could not enter into any formal treaty without the consent of the Estates of the Duchies.  When he left the room he seems to have been fairly satisfied with what had been said.  If so he deceived himself grievously.  Scarcely had he gone (it was already midnight) when Bismarck sent off despatches to St. Petersburg, Paris, and London, explaining that he was not inclined to support Augustenburg any longer, and instructing the Ambassadors to act accordingly.  Not content with this he at once brought forward an alternative candidate.  Among the many claimants to the Duchies had been the Duke of Oldenburg and the Czar, who both belonged to the same branch of the family.  The Czar had, at the end of May, transferred his claims to the Duke, and Bismarck now wrote to St. Petersburg that he would also be prepared to support him.  We must not suppose that in doing this he had the slightest intention of allowing the Duke to be successful.  He gained, however, a double advantage.  First of all he pleased the Czar and prevented any difficulties from Russia; secondly, the very fact of a rival candidate coming forward would indefinitely postpone any settlement.  So long as Augustenburg was the only German candidate there was always the danger, as at the Congress of London, that he might suddenly be installed and Bismarck be unable to prevent it.  If, however, the Duke of Oldenburg came forward, Bismarck would at once take up the position that, as there were rival claimants, a proper legal verdict must be obtained and that Prussia could not act so unjustly as to prejudice the decision by extending her support to either.  It was not necessary for anyone to know that he himself had induced the Duke of Oldenburg to revive his claim.