622 



The Review of Reviews. 



No result of the success 



Anglo-German of the Baikal! LcagUC iS 



Warmer Intimacy, niorc Striking than the 

 sudden growth of Ger- 

 many to a warmer feeling of friendship 

 for this country. Not all the efforts of 

 the Peace Societies or the Anglo-German 

 Friendship Associations could have pro- 

 duced one tithe of this sudden warming 

 of Germany's heart for England in so 

 short a time. Convinced that Austria 

 has but a short span of life, certain that 

 Italy's interests are probably not those 

 of Berlin, and fully conscious of the 

 fact that the disappearance of Turkey 

 from Europe has destroyed in its 

 entirety the Pan-Germanic advance 

 towards the East, Germany, in self- 

 preservation, has perforce to seek friend- 

 ship, at least in words, with this country. 



The German Reichstag 

 rru ^ has reassembled. It 



The German 



Challenge. showcd thc tcndeucy of 

 its majority by voting 

 to the presidential chair Dr. Kaempf, a 

 Radical who had appealed for re-elec- 

 tion to his constituents, and came back 

 fortified by their renewed confidence. 

 The Naval Estimates presented show a 

 drop as compared with last year of 

 slightly under a milhon sterling. It 

 would be pleasant to find in this back- 

 ward ripple the sign of a turn in the 

 tide of naval expansion. Possibly the 

 attention of Germany will be for some 

 time more absorbed in the plight of her 

 nearest ally than in attempting to rival 

 our naval supremacy. Whether the 

 menace of German competition is ceas- 

 ing or not, its effect on our Empire con- 

 tinues. Not a month passes but new 

 offers of naval help come from our 

 Dominions oversea. 



A few ddLys before the 

 The Response— German, the Canadian 



An Imperial t-» i • i 



Navy. Parliament was opened, 



and the Speech from 

 the Throne promised " reasonable and 

 necessary aid " for strengthening with- 

 out delay the effective naval forces of 

 the Empire. By-elections afford fresh 

 proof of popular support for this policy. 

 The Prime Minister of New Zealand has 

 announced that when her battleship 

 payments have been completed her 

 annual contribution will not be 

 diminished. General Botha has spoken 

 for South Africa to the effect that she 

 will provide a fleet for the defence of 

 that key of Empire. But two new 

 developments, as gratifying as they are 

 surprising, have come from the dusky 

 East. Not merely are the self-governing 

 Dominions rallying round the Home- 

 land with their naval contributions. 

 The Council of the Federated Malay 

 States resolved on the 12th ult. to 

 offer a first-class armoured ship to 

 the Imperial Government, to cost 

 not less than 2\ milhons sterling, 

 payable within five years. The offer 

 was made because, as the Sultans 

 of Perak, Selangor, and Pahang and 

 the ruler of Negri Sembilan declared, 

 " they were deeply sensible of the 

 benefits of British protection. It was 

 a sign of the loyalty of the States." 



A Navy from 

 India. 



A yet more impressive 

 addition to our naval 

 resources is pro- 

 mised, by rumour at 

 least, from India. A Bombay tele- 

 gram states that the independent rulers, 

 princes and nobles of India are consider- 

 ing the project of " a kingly gift " to 



