The rumour that Germany intends, if Russia goes to war
or disarms, to attack France has grown stronger all the week. We have shown elsewhere some reasons for distrusting it, but may add here that it is possible the military party in Berlin, which is excited by the prospect of war in the East, may be pressing its views very hard, and may dictate particular measures, though not the general line of policy. The reported threat to consider the refortification of Arras and Verdun as menaces to Germany would be just in accordance with their views. The French Government gives no hint that it has been pressed upon the subject, and the British Government, when asked in Parliament whether the story is true, replies in official form that it has no information on the matter. It should be noted, as an aid in
forming an opinion, that the "haute finance" of Europe evi- dently has no idea that the relations of France and Germany are strained. The price of French securities would be very different, if it had.
