When the news of the Queen's death reached Berlin the
Bi- ,tentenary celebrations were still unfinished. But the Emperor, with the rapidity of decision peculiar to him, started off imme- diately for Osborne, and remained there till the end. This unpremeditated journey to the bedside of the Queen has, naturally enough, deeply impressed the popular imagination and dispelled the last traces of resentment excited in England by the Emperor's action of five years ago. Policy on the one hand, and the etiquette that binds all Royalties so strongly on the other, have been assigned as causes of the Emperor's action, but, as we think, most unfairly. We prefer to believe that neither policy nor etiquette had anything to Jo with the matter, but that the Emperor's impulsive action was dictated solely by the veneration and affection which even his critics admit that he has always felt for the Queen. The nation is grateful to him for his becoming act of affection and goodwill.
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