His majesty also begs that you will tell the king that he has
been proud of the titles of British field marshal and British
admiral, but that in consequence of what has occurred he must now
at once divest himself of those titles.'

"I would add that the above message lost none of its acerbity by
the manner of its delivery."

At 11 a. m., August 5, Ambassador Goschen received his passports. He
returned to London on the following day without molestation from the
crowd, although this could not be said of the departure of the
French and Russian Ambassadors. He closed his report with a
compliment to the American Ambassador, Mr. Gerard, for assistance
rendered by him in these trying times.

_France._ A message from President Poincare was read at a
extraordinary session of Parliament, the members of which remained
standing during the reading. This announced the "violent and
premeditated" attack on France by Germany in "insolent defiance of
the law of nations" being delivered before any declaration of war,
and asking for passports by the German Ambassador at Paris. The
president recounted the pacific course of Frenchmen in "burying at
the bottom of their heart the desire for legitimate reparation, of
the wrong done their country by Germany in 1871, and in using their
rejuvenated strength in the interest of progress and for the good of
humanity." In particular he spoke of the efforts France had made for
peace since Austria's ultimatum to Serbia. He solemnly declared

"that France had made up to the last moment supreme efforts to
avert the war now about to break out, the crushing responsibility
for which the German Empire will have to bear before history.
(_Unanimous and repeated applause._)

"On the very morrow of the day when we and our allies were
publicly expressing our hope of seeing negotiations which had
been begun under the auspices of the London Cabinet carried to a
peaceful conclusion Germany suddenly declared war upon Russia;
she has invaded the territory of Luxemburg; she has outrageously
insulted the noble Belgian nation (_loud applause_), our neighbor
and our friend, and attempted treacherously to fall upon us while
we were in the midst of diplomatic conversation. (_Fresh and
repeated applause._)

"But France was watching. As alert as she was peaceful, she was
prepared; and our enemies will meet on their path