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6 indeed, were declared. He added that it was, above all, in the direction of the North Sea that the Admiralty should keep a sharp look out.

These words have created a great sensation in Germany; so much so that an effort was made to gloss over the affair; and they say here that Mr. Lee's language was misinterpreted, and that the two Governments are on excellent terms and mean to remain so. But the spirit of jingoism runs its course unchecked among the people in England; and the newspapers are bit by bit poisoning public opinion, until people have come to believe that Germany has no right to increase her naval strength, and that her Navy Estimates constitute a challenge to England.

, Belgian Minister in Berlin, to, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

February 18, 1905.

Having had to make seven journeys since November 15, and to transact any amount of pressing business during the brief intervals that I have been able to spend in Berlin, my correspondence has of necessity been limited to the absolute minimum. This is the reason why—despite the sensation it created—I did not write to you about the interview between the Chancellor and the English journalist, Mr. Bashford, which was published three months ago. In informing the British public that Germany does not dream of any aggression against England, Count Bülow said no more than what is recognised by everyone who considers the matter dispassionately. Germany would have nothing to gain from a contest. Moreover, she is not ready for the struggle. Despite the progress that she has made in maritime matters, Germany's naval forces are still so far inferior to those of England that it would be madness for her to provoke a war. The German Fleet has been created with a purely defensive object. The small capacity of the