moved; morning and evening the various ships' boats are
seen practising for the coming races. Entertainments have already begun.
The officers of each German ship diligently apply themselves to the
entertainment of the officers of the ship or ships assigned them, while
the crews of our vessels accept similar hospitalities from the crews of
theirs. These days also witness the arrival of the other numerous
fleets--Denmark with two cruisers and four torpedo-boats; England with
six battle-ships, two large cruisers, and two torpedo-boats, and two
yachts; France with the _Hoche_, _Dupuy de Lome_, and _Surcouf_; the
Italians with nine vessels of all classes; Holland with two cruisers;
Norway with two; Portugal with one; Roumania with two; Russia with
three; Sweden three; Spain three; and others, making a total in harbor
on the morning of June 19th of eighty-six war-vessels, aside from
torpedo-boats. Besides this, the numerous yachts, liners, and tugs made
the harbor fairly covered with floating habitations.

[Illustration: THE WAR-SHIPS PASSING THROUGH THE CANAL.]

On this date the Admiral of our fleet, accompanied by his staff, went to
Hamburg, where he had previously ordered the _Marblehead_, our smallest
vessel, to await him. Here, after the ball, which opened the
festivities, he went aboard that vessel and steamed down to Brunsbuettel,
the mouth of the canal, where a column of sixteen vessels, headed by
H. M. steam-yacht _Hohenzollern_, began at 4 a.m. the passage through
the canal. This canal connects the Elbe (at Brunsbuettel) to the Baltic
at Kiel by a rather tortuous passage of 65 miles in length. It is from
27 to 30 feet deep, 70 feet broad at the bottom, and 120 feet at the
top. The total cost was 156,000,000 marks--$39,000,000.

At 8 A.M., June 20th, the holiday aspect suddenly came over the fleets.

The few flags and banners that the smaller boats had flown proudly the
past few days were put to shame when at one instant, on the stroke of
eight bells (A.M.), every ship hoisted her rainbow of every flag,
extending from water-line forward over masts to water-line aft. Then the
celebration began at Kiel. At noon the exit of the Emperor's yacht with
the imperial party aboard was celebrated by the firing of thirty-three
guns by each ship in the harbor, with rails manned, and officers in full
dress.

At 8 P.M. the grand ball was given at Kiel. Four thousand people were
present, representing all nations. The Emperor and