The Baltic cruise of the British Channel Fleet, which reached
Swinemilnde last Sunday afternoon, and sailed on Thursday morning, has been marked by an incident which deserves cordial acknowledgment, and has been fully appre- ciated by the British Navy. By order of the Kaiser, the first and second squadrons of the German Navy interrupted their manceuvres in order to greet the British ships, and the usual interchange of visits and salutes took place on Monday morning. A banquet was given on that evening at the Kurhaus in honour of the visitors, at which Admiral von Koester and other German naval officers were present, and the speeches on both sides were marked by very cordial feeling, Admiral Wilson warmly thanking the Kaiser for his graceful compliment, and expressing the belief that inter- course between members of the two Navies was calculated
better than any other means to further the understanding between the two nations. Large numbers of sightseers availed themselves of the special trains running from Berlin, Magde- burg, Halle, and Hanover, and the British bluejackets on shore leave were everywhere well received. The attitude of the general public has been one of keen and critical interest —the members of the German Navy League visited Swine- miinde in thousands—rather than of demonstrative friendli- ness; but the visit has been marked by no untoward incident, the municipalities of the German ports are showing generous hospitality, and the attitude of the leading German news- papers has been as correct as that of the Government.
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