able time, they go in and finish him off between them.

THE GERMAN SPY ORGANISATION.

The espionage system of the Germans far exceeds that of any other
country in its extent, cost, and organisation. It was thoroughly
exposed after the war with France in 1870, when it was definitely
shown that the German Government had an organisation of over 20,000
paid informers stationed in France, and controlled by one man,
Stieber, for both political and military purposes.

To such completeness were their machinations carried that when Jules
Favre came to Versailles to treat about the surrender of Paris with
the headquarter staff of the German army he was met at the station
by a carriage, of which the coachman was a German spy, and was taken
to lodge in the house which was the actual headquarters of the spy
department. Stieber himself was the valet, recommended to him as
"a thoroughly trustworthy servant." Stieber availed himself of his
position to go through his master's pockets and despatch cases daily,
collecting most valuable data and information for Bismarck.

Somehow, on the surface, suspicion of the German spy methods seemed
to have subsided since that date, although at the time widely known
throughout Europe. But their methods have been steadily elaborated and
carried into practice ever since, not in France alone, but in all the
countries on the Continent, and also in Great Britain.

THE VALUE OF BEING STUPID.

Fortunately for us, we are as a nation considered by the others to be
abnormally stupid, therefore easily to be spied upon. But it is not
always safe to judge entirely by appearances.

Our Ambassador at Constantinople some years ago had the appearance of
a cheery, bluff, British farmer, with nothing below the surface in
his character, and he was therefore looked upon as fair game by all
his intriguing rivals in Eastern politics. It was only after repeated
failures of their different missions they found that in every case
they were out-intrigued by this innocent-looking gentleman, who below
the surface was as cunning as a fox and as clever a diplomat as could
be found in all the service.

And so it has been with us British. Foreign spies stationed in our
country saw no difficulty in completely hoodwinking so stupid a
people; they never supposed that the majority of them have all been
known to our Secret Service Department, and carefully watched, unknown
to themselves.

Few of them ever landed in this cou