7th May.
For the second time within hal dozen years the Kaiser has deliberately placed himself in the path of the Czar, It was on the 14th of November, 1897, that the Germans took possession of Kinochou Bay, and thus put the effective might of the German Empire in the' way of Russian expansion. to the south. How that domains and taken others to himself. He dreams of Constantinople and has visions of the Dardanelles, and in all these he sees the Crescent replaced by a Greek Cross and a Cossack in the sentry box of the Bashi-Bazouk. The possibility of a Lutheran turn being given to the revived Christianity "of St. Sophia is a new idea altogether, and cannot be particularly pleasing to Holy Russia, whose orthodoxy looks aghast at the destructive efforts of German cut Asia. But the Kaiser, dramatic though he loves to be, has ever some solid reason at the back of his most theatrical display; and thus the momentous decision now announced is probably justifiable in ways that for the moment may only be guessed at. Probably most Englishmen will be grateful "to the Kaiser for lifting from the shoulder of Englind the last ounce of responsibility for the estate of our erstwhile © " faithful move was taken by the Russians is'
But for many years the Kaiser has friend and ally, the Sultan." well known, Now by an almost equally dramatic announcement the Kaiser has repeated the fateful words, "Thus far; no farther." It is easy to conceive the astonishment that has been produced at home by this startling manifesto. Reuter tells us that additional surprise has been caused by the uncompromising form in which the declaration has been made, But that is altogether in keeping with the Kaiser's character which is given to theatrical display on such occasions, Doubtless the effect hus been heightened by the contrast between the suave complaisance with which Berlin contemplated Russian continuance in Manel buna, and the stern non possumus regarding the Balkan peninsula, Rarely has the world seen a greater change come over the policy o first-class Power than that which has -thus been advertised, Less than thirty years ago, on the 6th December, 1876, to be exact, Prince Bismarck gave utterance to the words which have since been so often quoted: "In the whole Oriental controversy there are no German interests involved that would be worth the sound bones of a single Pomeranian musketeer." Now the German interests have become such that the might of the whole Empire, nob merely of the Pomeranian, but of the Saxon, the Bavarian, the Wurtenburger, and the rest, is pledged to the defence of the " unspeakable Turk." This, we repeat, is a anighty change.
The gauntlet is thrown down. Who will pick it up? The three countries who by repute are most anxious for shares in the sick man's estate are Russia, Austria, and Ital To all of these the Kaiser cries "Hands off!" Two of them are, officially at any rate, his sworn allies. The other is asa rule more or less hostile. The Czar has made " sacrifices" for the sake of his ce-religionists under Turkish rule, he has "freed" various portions of the Sultan's been preaching the doctrine that ifthe Turk really wishes to make a choice, "Codlin's " the friend, not Short," arid no opportunity has been lost to give effect to the new policy, which thas for its object a Teutonic outlet, through the south-east of Europe towards the land of promise bounded by the Persian Gulf, German money has been freely invested in the [Sultan's dominions, German trade encouraged. The Kaiser's officers ihave drilled the Sultan's troops, and even aided them in the war against Greece. It was the Kaiser who stood between the wrath of the European "Concert" and its object when the Cretan trouble was at its height. It
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.