Though we feel nothing but goodwill towards Austria- Hungary, and
sincerely trust that the friendship which has for so long existed between this country and the dominions of the house of Hapsburg will never be broken, we cannot but bear in mind the fact that, while the Triple .A.11iance has been weakened in one direction, it has been strengthened in another. There never was a moment when the ties that bind Austria-Hungary and Germany together were closer. That is not a reason for resentment or alarm, but it is a reason for careful consideration of the amount of naval power that must be maintained by this country in order to secure the command of the sea. With the additions which will be made during the next three years to the Fleets of Germany and Austria, their combined strength will be very great. It is true that Austria's Fleet is tied to the Mediterranean, but the aid it can bring her allies is hardly diminished by this fact. The existence of the Austrian Fleet would in the case of a war with the allied Empires mean the retention by us of a powerful battle fleet in the Mediterranean, and a consequent diminution of our fighting force elsewhere.
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