wish that more
English Ministers would visit Berlin, and that he might see more of our
Royal Family. I left the Palace at 3.30 P.M., having gone there at 1.0.

On another day during this visit Prince von Buelow, who was then
Chancellor, called on me. I was out, but found him later at the Schloss,
and had a conversation with him. He said to me that both the Emperor and
himself were thoroughly aware of the desire of King Edward and his
Government to maintain the new relations with France in their integrity,
and that, in the best German opinion, this was no obstacle to building
up close relations with Germany also.

I said that this was the view held on our side too, and that the only
danger lay in trying to force everything at once. Too great haste was to
be deprecated.

He said that he entirely agreed, and quoted Prince Bismarck, who had
laid it down that you can not make a flower grow any sooner by putting
fire to heat it.

[Illustration: COUNT PAUL WOLFF METTERNICH

GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO GREAT BRITAIN FROM 1901 TO 1912.]

I said that, none the less, frequent and cordial interchanges of view
were very important, and that not even the smallest matters should be
neglected.

He alluded with satisfaction to my personal relations with the German
Ambassador in London, Count Metternich.

I begged him, if there were any small matters which were too minute to
take up officially, but which seemed unsatisfactory, to let me know of
them in a private capacity through Count Metternich. This I did because
I had discovered some soreness at restrictions which had been placed on
the attendance of German military officers at maneuvers in England, and
I had found that there had been some reprisals. I did not refer to
these, but said that I had the authority of the sovereign to give
assistance to German officers who were sent over to the maneuvers to
study them. I added that while our army was small, compared with theirs,
it had had great experience in the conduct of small expeditions, and
that there were in consequence some things worth seeing.

He then spoke of the navy. It was natural that with the increase of
German commerce Germany should wish to increase her fleet--from a
sea-police point of view--but that they had neither the wish, nor,
having regard to the strain their great army put on their resources,
the power to build against Great Britain.

I said that the best opinion in England fully understood this attitude,
and