Sir Edward Grey drew hopeful auguries from the tone of
the Czar's latest Rescript of the possibility of a better understanding with Russia, while he defined our attitude towards Germany in words on which it would be difficult to improve. The relations between the Governments of the two countries were, so far as he knew, quite correct; but if there was a desire in Germany for an improvement between the Press and the public opinion of the two countries, "it will meet with no obstacle in this country, provided it be clearly understood that nothing we do in our relations with Germany is in any way to impair our existing good relations with France. In other words, it must be, in my opinion, a condition of any improvement in the public relations between Germany and ourselves that the relations of Germany with France on all matters which come under the French Agreement should be fair and good also." As Sir Edward Grey put it in another passage, we are perfectly ready to enter into new friendships, bearing in mind that you can never make a new friendship which is worth having by backing out of an old one. This declaration, coming from a leader of the Liberal .party who on matters of foreign policy speaks with a weight second to none, has been very well received in France, and is so explicit as to be incapable of misinterpretation in Germany. We may add that Sir Edward Grey's speech as a whole was consonant with the view of the foreign policy of the. Liberals given by us last week.
Previous page
