Emperor William I did something, though not much, for the German navy.  Moltke was interested in it and proposed an armoured cruiser fleet, but he was thinking chiefly of coast defence.  Roon also took up the matter and laid a Navy Bill before the Diet in 1865, but it was rejected because, in Virchow’s words, the Diet thought “the Constitution more important than the development of the army and navy.”  The war of 1866 showed the necessity of a fleet, and this time the Diet accepted Roon’s proposals.  Still, however, the object was coast defence; and when Emperor William I died the navy was relatively of no consideration.  In the ten years between 1881 and 1891 only one armoured cruiser, the Oldenburg, was launched.  With the accession of the Emperor, however, began a new, and for the Emperor and the Empire—­why not candidly admit it?—­a glorious chapter in German naval history.

An incident during the reign which really touched German national pride, and was one of the reasons which caused the Emperor to accelerate the building of a powerful fleet, was the eviction, if the term is not too strong, of the German admiral, Diedrich, by the Americans from the harbour of Manila in the course of the Spanish-American War.  Admiral Dewey was in command of a blockading fleet at Manila.  The ships of various nationalities, and among them some German warships, were in the harbour.  Various causes of irritation arose between the Germans and Americans.  There was talk of Spain’s being desirous of selling the Philippines to Germany, and the impression got abroad in America that the Germans were inclined to behave as if they were already the new masters of the islands.  The German warships kept going in and out of the harbour of Millesares, a village close to Manila, in connexion with the exchange of time-expired men, using search-lights, the American admiral thought, in an unnecessary way, and doing other acts which he considered might give information to blockade-running vessels.

In accordance with custom, the Germans, had at first supplied themselves with permits from the American admiral for crossing the blockade lines, but as time went on the German ships began to cross the line without them.  Admiral Dewey thereupon issued an order that permits must be obtained.  The German admiral sent his flag-lieutenant to Admiral Dewey to protest, on the ground that warships are exempt from blockade regulations.  The American admiral’s reply was to bring his fist down on his cabin table and say,

“Tell Admiral Diedrich, with my compliments, that he must obtain permits, and that if a German ship breaks the blockade lines without one it spells war, for I shall fire on the first vessel that attempts it.”

The flag officer went back with the message, and Admiral Diedrich took his ships, which were greatly inferior in number to those of the Americans, out of the harbour.