it; and
her property; she having sold half her interest in
the investigating judge ordered the provisional arrest and
detention of Mrs. Longinot to. I was able to secure the
release of the lady after she had been in prison for about
a fortnight. She now writes to this Legation to say that
she is still being persecuted, and that unless she can get a
"corroboration of an English Court of Law" that she is the
proper guardian of her children, she will be "robbed of all
her possessions". I sent the Legal Adviser of this Legation
to see her while she was under arrest. In spite of the very
confused and hysterical letters which she has written to
this Legation during the last few months the Legal Adviser
considered her to be in a normal condition of mind,30 far as
he could judge. He thinks, however, that the authorities
in insisting on an intervention in her family affairs were
probably genuinely afraid lest the interests of her children
were suffering. This is also the opinion of the Ministry, who
stated in a Note of March 5th, that intervention was
necessary because secording to the looal Court
financial circumstances and questions of property of the
family were very confused and were the subject of litigation
while at the same time the mother appeared to be neglecting
the education of the children, and moreover, a lawsuit
against her was proceeding. I am inclined to think there may
be reason for the action of the judicial authorities, especial
ly as by Austrian law a woman has not the right to control
the property of minors.
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the
5. The point, however, on which I am anxious to be
advised is whether or no I should inform the Austrian
Government/