THE ANGLO-GERMAN SITUATION

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 48, 25 August 1904, Page 2

THE ANGLO-GERMAN SITUATION

SOME CURIOUS NKW DEVELOPMENTS. A PARTIAL ENTENTE. - SINISTER VATICINATIONS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 16th July. It is more tlinn a little curious how three separate events, npparently unconnected among themselves, should yet have coincided at this present juncture, with tho effect of leaving public opinion conwiderably befogged. In the first placo a sort of provisional or general entente hns been arrived at between England and Germany, and embodied in a written treaty.' This treat}', however, while it mny be gratifying as an ox pi ess ion of friendly feeling between two great nations, does not practically go beyond a mere affirmation 'of general principles. the vexed questions upon which trouble might arise between the two Powers ar« carefully excluded from direct mention in the new treaty. It should be noted, however, that this was very much the course pursued in the case of England and France. First there came a general' impression of agreement und friendship which was hailed as a preliminary step to something better, but which, hb in the Germun cumc, studiously avoided anything like definite specification. But it xvub followed up by a fairly satisfactory ' detailed treaty approved by both nations, unfortunately, however, still lncking official signature through a difficulty in respect of some details concerning the Newfoundland Fisheries. So it mny be hoped that tho documents just signed by England and Germany may be the precursor of better things, as happened in the ens© of France. Simultaneously with the publication of this Anglo-German treaty came the visit of the German fleet to Plymouth. This, of course, was made tho occasion of a great local and naval function. Tho visitors had the moat cordtul possible welcome ; they exprcMwd the most cordial possible sentiments toward England nnd tho British fleet, nnd they imvo just departed amid n gush of eflusive loave-tnking. That wns nil right. But what does seem to most people to be n proceeding of a signally indiscreet character wo» the, entire frankness with which all the Plymouth defeuccH nnd fortifications and preparations for wnr were. thrown open to the. eager nud minuto inspection of these naval visitors, whose very rnison d'etre is admittedly tho iqt«ntion of future hostilities against this country.. In vie.w of tho stringency with which visit* of Englishmen to Continental fortifications br naval ports are hedged round by all the local authorities, it must have come aa n still gruuter surprise to our German guests than it did to the public, who re*cT of it in thoir newspapers, to find nil our secret things in the way of naval and militnry matters flung open to the free examination nnd unrestrained futuro u»c of the nation whose future hostile intentions have been most frankly admitted. It is, of course, pomible thnt some adequate explanation may underlie this extraordinary departure from otncinl reticence on such a subject, but really, unless the true object were in »ome way to mislead the visitors and to draw them off on a wrong scent, the proceeding does appear one of amazing fatuity. In the absence of any adequate explanation I can merely record the fact itself. But what adds materially to tho strangeness of' the Affair, .and, indeed, of tho whole Anglo-Gorman situation, is that simultaneously with the other two incidents just noted, thero occurred a third — the publication in Berlin and the eagerly delighted public reception of a, new poli-tico-military perman romance, whoso title i« "Tho World-wide War," or "German Drcamti," it» aubject being- undisguiscdly set forth ns thnt which hnd previously been expressed by a modification of the ancient formula which wus me motto of the Punic WaA, "Delenda cat Cnrthngo," which now appears as "Delenda est Britannia." Ixit me quote a translated paragraph from this remarkable book: "Russia and France stand together to do battle with England. And tho German people feel thnt the time has come in which they should take part in the struggle. As regards the side on which they shnll tnke their stand there can bo no uncertainty. Our people have long been exasperated by the intrigues nnd covetousnesa of England. Deeper and more powerful than any other feeling in the breast of man is the love of righteousness, and this sense of righteousness has been profoundly wounded by England's policy. It only needs one word from the Kaiser to stir the soul of the German ppoplo to its deepest depths,, and to light a flame of overpowering enthusiasm which shnll put nn