The festivals at Kiel ended on June 24th, after the
Emperor had visited the British squadron in his uniform as a British Admiral of the Fleet, and had made a speech expressing the admiration of the German Navy for the British and its resolu- tion to learn everything from it The papers, both in Germany and abroad, are therefore reckoning up the total results of the achievement, and the general opinion is that the opening of the Canal has increased French and Russian irritation ; that the gain to commerce will be slight unless the tolls are greatly reduced; but that the gain to German fighting power will be very great. She can move her Navy at will from the Baltic to the North Sea, or vice-versa, that is, according to Marshal von Moltke, she has doubled its fighting-power. We do not quite see that, though, no doubt, the power of the. Navy is increased; but it seems certain that there will be a. new willingness to vote naval Budgets, and that German thought is turning -decidedly towards an increase of the marine. It is just possible that the rulers of Germany when they cut the canal "for commerce," thought of its effect upon the position of their country as a Sea-Power first of all.
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