The Washington times., 1901-09-01
GOSSIP OF LONDON

| LONDON. Aug. U.-English navsa
have been reading this week with e,,..
enjoyment the jeremiads Of the Berlin ~,
Paris journals over the fall of the Br1s.h
navy from its position OF mastery ovs.
the seas. as supposed to be proved by ne
recent British naval maneuvres. ns
| most widely quoted comment Is that Of
the "Berliner Neuste Nachrichten," thar
| the Brit;si. feet, matched against the
hostile fleet of even approximately the
same calihre, would be badly beaten. 1t
says the French maaeuvres proved the
superiority Of the French feet in the
Mediterranean. whereas the British ma
neuvres showed that powerful and WELL
directed French fleet would keep the up
per hand in the Channel
| Beyond doubt, this Is the belief now
current on the Partisan boulevards and In
the newspaper Offices, but it is based upon
an absolutely fatal misconception. The
British maneuvres are accepted by the
British naval experts as proving the in
efficiency OF the home-defence squadron
In those maneuvres, but 1t is forgotten in
Berlin and Paris that this home-defence
squadron is not the whole navy or even
half the navy. and that the fotilla by
which 1t was out-maneuvred and out
Channel feet REINFORCED, with which any
foreign feet must also deal Moreover.
the operations of the combined Channel
and Mediterranean squadrons, which be-
gan yesterday. will a. .suredly show dur
ing the next fortnight that, despite the
deluge of discussion of minor defects
which a free press permits, no probable
cc-Thination of foreign fleets could sue
cessfully menace Great Britain. This
combined Channel and Mediterranean
fleet consists of eighteen battleships,
about the same number - cruisers and
numerous mosquito fleet, making in
point of displacement. money value, and
offensive and defensive powers the great
est fleet ever assembled for tactical exer-
cfses. Mobility is word of great mo-
ment In military and naval affairs. and
the object of these great Atlantic ma
neuvres is to ascertain whether a feet of
such enormous proportions is mobile
enough to make 1t an effective force in
crushing any attempt at opposition
When ascertained, the Admiralty means
to keep all information to themselves. No
newspaper correspondents are allowed to
attend.
News comes from Athens this week that
the diving operations to recover the sculp-
lures submerged of Cythera are still pro-
ceeding actively. The Greek Chambers are
TO be asked to vote further credit OF
10000 drachmas for the work. The most
recent objects reported by divers include
a fine brozen statuette about thirty cent?
metres high. Greek and Roman potteries,
colored glass vases, and human bones
probably those of the crew of the wreck
ed ship. A huge mass of stonework has
Deen removed, covering another pile OF
art objects. but the disturbance caused
in the water by its being moved was
SO >reat that the divers had temporarily
to give up the work.
A recent visitor to Count Tolstoy at
home in South Russia describes him thus:
1yon Mikolaievich is thinner and in the
face the wrinkled lines are deeper His :,
figures Is bent, and his shoulders seem
but on the whole he is not
changed His walk is still light and ex-
supple and firm There is
no tremcr- In his hand. and his small,
pale. profound. mobile eyes look with the
same frank gaze from under heavy white
brows. His voice alone. less full and less
steady, betrays the seventy-three years
II the athlete. OF the recent illness not
a sign seems to remain. "One is so well
of when H. said Tolstoy. you feel de-
tached from all bodily things. You see.
oniy life OF the spirit soul There is moth
ing terrible about death. 1t is an abyss
they say. The comparison is false. When
VI you seem to be ascending an easy hill
slope which at certain heights Is. cur
tained of by some light stuff. On the 9TH
er side of the curtain there is more life
but behind you death. and of how much
more value an illness is than our normal
state of health Don't talk to me about
people who never are or never have been
III. They are terrible. especially women.
-ocious beast -
Meanwhile. Count Tolstoy.s wife listen
ID with gentle smile. and Tolstoy. turn
ng to her, warned her In the most af-
fectionate terms against the danger OF
'atching cold.