June 19, 1915. 
LAND AND WATER, 
The cruiser appears to have been struck by a tor- 
pedo in the ensuing encounter, but does not seem 
to have been seriously damaged, as she was able 
to make the journey across the Adriatic at seven- 
teen knots, and is reported by the Italians to be 
safely in harbour. 
THE DARDANELLES. 
From the Dardanelles there is no official 
naval news at all, nor for that matter any mili- 
tary news, except what is to be found in the 
French official reports. They are silent as to the 
co-operation of the Fleet. An Athens rumour 
fctates that an enemy submarine has been sunk. 
But a remarkable reference to the Dardan- 
elles operations has been made in Parliament. 
Speaking last Saturday week at Dundee, Mr. 
Churchill, it will be remembered, spoke of Sir Ian 
tain value. It is causing us a continuous and a 
serious loss. In shijiping alone we are losing a 
million pounds a month. The cargoes may easily 
be worth at least as much as the ships. It is true 
that if we look at the vast total of the cost of the 
war, twenty-four million pounds a year is a tiny 
percentage. Viewed as a reduction of our ship- 
ping, our losses are but 75 per cent, of our normal 
annual output of new tonnage. It is not a serious 
percentage of our sea-borne trade that is sunk, so 
that whether we regard the thing as a. tax on our 
financial resources, as a diminution of our trade, 
or as an effort to reduce our shipping, the 
blockade, as a war measure, is really harmless 
enough. Still, it is a financial loss; it does reduce 
our shipping; it does rob us of many A'aluable 
freights; it has, therefore, a certain war value. If 
American belligerency cannot greatly affect the 
results of the land fighting in Europe, and if, as 
Hamilton's army as being separated only by a few one supposes, the German General Staff must noAV 
miles from " such a A'ictory as has not been seen in 
this war." Mr. Runciman, speaking five days later 
in the House of Comm.ons, said he trusted that 
'' the reopening of the Dardanelles would lead to a 
rush of supplies into this country." Taking the 
two statements together, there seems to be a very 
realise, nothing, in any event, is to be hoped from 
fighting at sea, then the German answer may be 
an emphatic negative, let the consequence be what 
it may. Other considerations will help to her 
deciding in this direction. 
It is to be remembered that Germanv is extra- 
optimistic feeling in official circles as to the course ordinarily addicted to basing her policy on specu- 
lations which are generally recondite and invari- 
ably wrong. There is in the United States a 
large and extremely powerful section of the in- 
which operations are taking 
GERMANY AND THE U.S. 
President Wilson's final Note brings v.-ar 
between America and Germany nearer, just 
because it is final. The wording of the Note dis- 
appointed many who gathered from Mr. Bryan's 
resignation that it must contain some very per- 
emptory sort of threat. Indeed, since the text 
was published the resignation has been repre- 
sented as inexplicable, for the Note contains 
nothing that was not in the previous communica- 
tion. But there is really no mystery in the matter. 
Mr. Bryan has been nourished on words and 
})hrases — the " flapdoodle " of the immortal 
O'Brien. In the mouth of the mob orator it is not 
habitants that is Gei'man-born or of German blood 
in the first generation. This section contains 
many houses and firms, both Gentile and Jew, of 
great wealth, and a considerable proportion of 
them have maintained the closest kind of rela- 
tions, not only with the Berlin financiers, but with 
the Court. For the last ten months they have been 
active proi)agandists of the German case in 
America. In the eastern States it is not their 
numbers, but their wealth and influence, that is 
remarkable. But in the middle west their 
numbers are very considerable — some cities and 
country districts being as German as almost any 
part of Germany. So long as America was 
the meaning of words, but their comforting sound neutral, they have been able to do a great deal, 
that makes merit. But in the mouth of a states- both indirectly and directly, to help the country 
man speaking for a great countiy words mean of their origin. It is possible that Berlin has been 
action. This is the uhpleasant truth that Mr. led into supposing, first, that the number of pro- 
Bryan has discovered. So long as the submarine Germans in the United States is very much larger 
cainpaign could be kept in the region of talk, the than it is — perhaps even into believing that all 
late Secretary of State was in his element. It was persons of German descent are pro- Germans, 
only when he discovered that Mr. Wilson meant Secondly, they may suppose that those who have 
what he said that he resigned. Berlin may be par- been pro-Germans up to now will remain pro- 
doned for not taking America seriously, v\'hen 
America's own spokesman was so little serious 
himself. Berlin is probably as astonished as Mr. 
Bryan at finding that the comedy is over. It is not 
surprising that Herr Dernburg should be on his 
way to Berlin — under a British safe conduct — 
or that the Chancellor is delaying his reply until 
that active soul has arrived safely. The decision 
to be taken is a momentous one. The answer must 
be explicit — as explicit as the Note itself. Ger- 
many must surrender or face a nev.- belligerent. 
The elements that will decide her one way or 
the other are familiar. Desperate as Germany's 
military position appears to be, the hopelessness of 
her case at sea is beyond speculation. To add 
another combatant where the strength against her 
German — and so actively opposed to the national 
Government — if war is declared between the two 
countries. Both of these views I believe to be as 
profoundly erroneous as the suppositions that 
Ireland would rebel, that India would mutiny, 
that the South African Dutch would rise as one 
Boer, and that Australia and Canada would 
throw off the allegiance to the Mother Country 
rather than face the inconveniences of being in a 
vrar not of their own making. On the other hand, 
Herr Dernburg has left for Germany, and it is 
possible that he is charged with the mission of 
cooling the undeceived but swollen heads of 
German statecraft. If, then, the Germans were 
inclined to risk a quarrel in the hope of internal 
schisms in America disarming Americans, Herr 
is already overwhelming might appear to leave Dernburg might save her from so gross a blunder, 
the main issue entirely unaff'ected. She could not and bring her to a compliance with the American 
be worse off if all the world joined in against her. demand. 
iThe submarine campaign is undoubtedly of a cer- One political consideration, and that neithei 
n« 
