IN THE PRUSSIAN NAVY 3

days, as well as the hereditary German tendency to regard everything from the standpoint of domestic party politics, is indicated by an article which appeared at the time in the Gartenlaube. It described in novelistic form how the Prussian Junker party attempted to destroy the liberal institution of the navy by bribing a Danish captain to ram the Amazone. The author of this malicious piece of foolery seemed to overlook the fact that the majority of the cadets who were drowned were themselves "Junkers"; Prince Adalbert was very careful in his choice of prospective officers.

Moreover, I occasionally found in my earlier presentations of the Navy Estimates to Parliament that certain Conservative circles distrusted the idea of a fleet. It was not considered to be in keeping with the Prussian tradition, it competed in some degree with the army, it seemed too closely related with industry and commerce in view of the agricultural distress of that time and the great economic conflicts of the parties. Individual members of the extreme Right even voted against the Second Navy Bill of 1900, against the " horrible Fleet/' as a Conservative leader called it,—whilst overwhelmingly sympathetic support was to be found from the outset among the Liberal bourgeoisie, side by side with some of the bitterest opposition to the Bill.

The immediate result of the sinking of the Amazone was to increase still further the confusion of personalities in our Naval Officers Corps in 1864. Portions