a few newspapers, government organs among them, but without obtaining the desired result.  Although not daring to counsel a formal alliance with Germany, they would have liked to see her intervene.  The present French Government, and especially M. Delcasse may be credited with too much good sense and good feeling to resort to the foolish, pin-pricking policy of M. Hanotaux to which the Fashoda incident is really due.  Such blunders are not made a second time.”

Only Germany remains to be considered.  That there have been intimate relations between the Governments at Pretoria and Berlin, is certain.  At one time the Emperor’s aspiration was to unite his possessions in East Africa to those in the West, and he counted on the Transvaal to assist him.  Mr. Stead’s opinion on this subject, at the time of the Jameson Raid, has already been quoted by us (Le Siecle, December 28th, 1899).  But this policy has since been renounced by him; the German Government took fright at the influence exercised by Dr. Leyds on certain of the Berlin newspapers; guns and Mauser rifles have been furnished by Krupp, but that is a private firm; German officers have entered the Boer army, to what extent have they been disavowed?  The Emperor William is certainly interested in the Transvaal War.

“He gets others to experiment on the value of German armaments, rifles, guns, and all the tactical and strategetical problems incident to the perfection of modern arms, and which have not yet been solved.  Experience, that is to say war, is worth everything in such a matter as this, and the Boers with their German officers are literally working for ‘the King of Prussia.’”

That the Emperor should wish the Boers to succeed is logical enough, and to all Frenchmen capable of thought, to Belgians, Swiss and Dutch too we commend the way in which this desire is proved by M. Tallichet: 

“Should the Boers be successful, England’s power would be lessened.  She could no longer maintain the balance of power in Europe, which is a service of inestimable benefit to our continent, especially to the smaller countries, and to none more than to Holland.  The conquest of the Netherlands is a great temptation to Germany, who would thereby gain exactly what she wishes:  an excellent sea-board; a great number of sailors; colonies, at the very moment when she is aspiring to a first-class fleet.  In a recent number of the semi-official Norddeutsche Zeitung, an article was published by Dr. Ed. von Hartmann, suggesting that Holland should be persuaded, or if necessary forced by commercial competition to become part of the German Empire, which would thus gain all it could possibly desire.  Is it likely that this glorious little country will consent?  Its charming young Queen, said to be a great sympathiser with the Boers, will she descend from her present position to take rank with the German Princes under the Emperor whose equal she is to-day?