NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE German Chancellor has been making speeches at Dantzic which have all the interest of acrostics or other intellectual puzzles. In one he stated that the Treaty with Russia, just come into force, and already, we may add, filling the frontier towns with business, was due mainly to his Em- peror. His Majesty regarded it not only as a condition of commercial progress, and a guarantee for peace, but as some- thing much more important. " He saw further, and had an eye to the probability that, in the forthcoming century, the peoples of Europe might find it necessary to stand shoulder to shoulder ; and that some of them might not be powerful enough to face coming eventualities alone." Who is the enemy P Is the German Emperor expecting the long-prophesied outbreak of the Chinese millions, or does he look forward to an attack by the United States on all Europe, or is he antici- pating a universal insurrection against society, or finally, does he anticipate a war of tariffs, with all Europe against the world ? It is a most curious utterance for a man in Count Caprivi's position to have made, evidently with his master's consent. It is the federation of Europe to which he points, with Russia included in it. He further said that the Emperor was firmly persuaded that the future development of his country must not restrict itself to German waters, " but that German energy must make its way across the ocean." Is he going to take Brazil, an acquisition quite possible if America agreed, or the Eastern Archipelago, which would almost cry aloud to him if Holland entered the Empire ; or what P The Emperor is dreaming of something, and Emperors' dreams are serious things.
