[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "]
am English, but have, through marriage, German relations, one of whom wrote to me last Christmas, and, quoting from memory, these words were used :—
" Though a good patriot, I am a lover of peace and a hater of war, but my firm conviction is that the only chance of avoiding a conflict between the two nations is for England to be over- whelmingly strong at sea. If she is not, our Emperor will attack her at the first good opportunity."
Much more followed in the same sense. The letter in question was passed on from friend to friend till at last, I much regret, it has been lost, or I would have sent it to you for perusal. The writer of this letter is well informed, and has good
opportunities of knowing the true situation, which was carefully followed and discussed for many years before it attracted as much public attention as it now does. No doubt "the Kaiser has over and over again proclaimed in the most solemn words and on the most solemn occasions" that he was in favour of peace, and he was well advised to do so, for had war then broken out his naval power would in all proba- bility have been utterly destroyed ; but let us wait and see what happens in a few years more when England is no longer over- whelmingly strong at sea and the good opportunity occurs.
Like my German relative, I claim to be a good patriot ; but that does not blind me to the state of the case, nor to the admirable qualities of the German nation, which, having come to the fixed determination to dominate not only the Continent of Europe but the sea, has worked silently, relentlessly, without regard to expense or to the susceptibilities of other nations, to create such a Navy that not even the strongest maritime Power, &c., &c. Compare the way in which the German Naval Estimates for 1909 were passed through the Reichstag—i.e., in silence—with the clamour raised in the House of Commons last Session about four battleships, and then reflect which nation is the more likely to conquer when it comes to a struggle for life. I do not know what view your correspondent "E. S." may take, but to me it seems like com- paring the crew of a battleship with a pack of schoolgirls.
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