regard to England, be too often or too sharply brought forward (’Bravo!’).  We desire to live in peace and quietness with England, and therefore it is embittering to find a portion of the English Press ever speaking of the ’German danger,’ although the English fleet is many times stronger than our own, although other lands have stronger fleets than us and are working no less zealously at their development.  Nevertheless it is Germany, ever Germany, and only Germany, against which public opinion on the other side of the Channel is excited by an utterly valueless polemic (’Quite right’).

     “It would be, gentlemen,”

the Chancellor continued,

“in the interests of appeasement between both countries, it would be in the interest of the general peace of the world, that this polemic should cease.  As little as we challenge England’s right to set up the naval standard her responsible statesmen consider necessary for the maintenance of British power in the world without our seeing therein a threat against ourselves, so little can she take it ill of us if we do not wish our naval construction to be wrongly represented as a challenge against England (hear, hear, on the Right and Left).  Gentlemen, these are the thoughts, as I judge from your assent, which we all entertain, which find expression in the statements of all speakers, and which are in harmony with all our views.  Accept my additional statement that in the letter of his Majesty to Lord Tweedmouth one gentleman, one seaman, talks frankly to another, that our Kaiser highly appreciates the honour of being an admiral of the British navy, and that he is a great admirer of the political education of the British people and of their fleet, and you will have a just view of the tendency, tone, and contents of the imperial letter to Lord Tweedmouth.  His Majesty consequently finds himself in this letter not only in full agreement with the Chancellor—­I may mention this specially for the benefit of Herr Bebel—­but, as I am convinced, in agreement with the entire nation.  It would be deeply regrettable if the honourable opinions by which our Kaiser was moved in writing this letter should be misconstrued in England.  With satisfaction I note that the attempts at such misconstruction have been almost unanimously rejected in England (’Bravo!’ on the Right and Left).  Above all, gentlemen, I believe that the admirable way in which the English Parliament has exemplarily treated the question will have the best effect in preventing a disturbance of the friendly relations between Germany and England and in removing all hostile intention from the discussions over the matter (agreement, Right and Left).

“Gentlemen, one more observation of a general nature.  Deputies von Hertling and Bassermann have recommended us, in view of the suspicions spread about us abroad, a calm and watchful attitude of reserve, and for the treatment of the country’s foreign affairs consistency,