sympathies are
with the French, that the Emperor of Germany was no more master of the
proceedings than they themselves, and that they had no intention of
figuring either as members of his suite or of his general staff, in
accordance with the wish which he had expressed to Von Caprivi.

(Before the Emperor of Germany, Talma had played a part in the presence
of an audience of kings.)

The gift offered by the German subjects of the city of Metz, by way of
thanksgiving for the extraordinary performance given by William II,
proves by its very nature that not a single Frenchman had anything to
do with its selection. In its form and substance, and in the taste
which it displayed, it is a typically German present, this casket of
green plush full of candied fruits. No doubt, the Empress will be
delighted and all the little princes too.

[1] _La Nouvelle Revue_, January 15, 1893, "Letters on Foreign Policy."

[2] _La Nouvelle Revue_, February 15, 1893, "Letters on Foreign Policy."

[3] _La Nouvelle Revue_, March 15, 1893, "Letters on Foreign Policy."

[4] _La Nouvelle Revue_, April 1, 1893, "Letters on Foreign Policy."

[5] _La Nouvelle Revue_, May 1, 1893, "Letters on Foreign Policy."

[6] _Ibid._, May 15, 1893.

[7] _La Nouvelle Revue_, June 1, 1893, "Letters on Foreign Policy."

[8] _La Nouvelle Revue_, July 1, 1893, "Letters on Foreign Policy."

[9] _La Nouvelle Revue_, September 16, 1893, "Letters on Foreign
Policy."

CHAPTER IV

1894-1895

Treaty of Commerce between Germany and Russia--Opening of the Kiel
Canal; why France should not have sent her ships there--Germany
proclaims her readiness to give us again the lesson which she gave us
in 1870.

March 29, 1894. [1]

William II is triumphant in Germany, and his officious newspapers vie
with each other in proclaiming the grandeur of his ideas. Meanwhile,
the people of Berlin hiss him and sing rebel songs about him on the
review ground at Tempelhof.

Beyond all doubt the King of Prussia got the better of much opposition
when he secured the vote for his commercial treaty with Russia. Our
friends of the north cannot doubt that they have our best wishes, that
their commercial and agrarian position may be improved thereby, but the
more favourable the treaty proves for them, the more we would beg them
to profit by its advantages, but not to allow themselves to be
entangled in its dangerous consequences. If they act thus, if
Germany's sacrif