The King and Queen of Norway arrived in Paris on
Monday for a visit, and have been received with evident delight. There have been the usual receptions at the Palais de l'Elyge by the President of the Republic, and by the Municipal Council at the Hotel de Ville. At the Opera the programme, as we read. in the Times, was arranged "so as to spare if possible any uninteresting moment to their Majesties." The French Press does not attach a great deal of political meaning to the visit, concerning itself, if we may judge from extracts sent by the Times correspondent, rather with amiable wonder that a King should travel in a tramcar and buy things in shops like other people. The Times correspondent himself, however, while admitting that a "diplomatic entente drawn up in due form" is not intended, remarks :—" If I am not very much mistaken, ties will be established during the next few days between France and Norway, or rather between the French and Norwegian peoples, which are likely to be as sound and lasting, and perhaps more so, than those uniting Austria, Germany, and Italy in the Triple Alliance." Of course, we welcome heartily every rapprochement which reduces the area of possible international misunderstandings. But we hope that no newspapers or politicians will think it necessary to describe this highly natural and spontaneous exchange of good feeling between France and Norway in such terms as to make Germany mistakenly regard it as an attempt
to set a ring-fence round her, or to thwart her legitimate commercial enterprise in Norway.
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