NEWS OF THE WEEK.
ON Thursday the meeting between the Emperor of Russia and the German Emperor took place off the coast of Finland. The German Emperor was accompanied by the Imperial Secretary for Foreign Affairs, the German Ambas- sador at St. Petersburg, and other high officials, while the Tsar was attended by M. Stolypin, the Prime Minister, and M. Isvolsky, the Foreign Minister, and also by the Minister of Marine. There is, of course, no official information as to the subjects discussed between the two Emperors, but those who know anything of such meetings will not find it hard to guess at the kind of pacific generalities which were exchanged. No doubt the German Emperor would have liked to explain how utterly ridiculous and absurd was the notion that Germany had ever thought of putting pressure, diplomatic or military, upon Russia last spring, but in all probability it was not considered wise to touch that rather sore subject. Very possibly the Foreign Ministers, chatting in the background, may have mentioned real politics, or more likely the Emperor William, in his interviews with them, gave vent to some of those studied indiscretions which make his diplomacy so suggestive and so interesting. Again, we should not wonder if the Emperor, in his desire to help German industries, had asked the Russian Minister of Marine for a share in the orders which he understood were about to be booked for Russian ' Dreadnoughts' and their equipments.
