German spies had discovered, or pretended to discover, an intrigue between the Duke of Saxe-Cobourg Gotha and the British Government. The Duke’s sympathies, as well as the ties of relationship, it was said, allied him to the royal house of England. English by birth, and Prussian only by adoption, on succeeding to the Duchy this grandson of Queen Victoria had found his position one of exceptional difficulty. Political controversy in the Duchy had been revived or manufactured. The Premier had found occasion to resign, and rumours of a stormy interview between the Kaiser and the Duke had got abroad. At the same time the Emperor, whose navy had now attained most formidable proportions, found himself checkmated by Lord Downland in respect of a long-cherished German scheme for acquiring Madeira from the Portuguese. It was supposed to be a purely commercial project, but the British Foreign Secretary knew better. The island of Madeira, lying only four hundred miles from Morocco, and not remote from England, possessed much to recommend it in German eyes. It was, in truth, a Naboth’s Vineyard. The owners of Madeira could not only cultivate the vine, but they could find plenty of accommodation for a coaling station for the German navy. All of which was well understood, though politely disguised, in diplomatic circles. Lord Downland’s management of the situation had been supplemented by the invaluable influence of his royal master, with whom the King of Portugal and the King of Portugal’s ambassador at St James’s had a complete and cordial understanding. From all of which it came to pass that, like Ahab of old, the monarch of united Germany was vexed in spirit. A powerful German fleet appeared one day off Lisbon, but nothing untoward occurred. The surprise visit was not a lengthy one, and the great engines of destruction--battleships, armoured cruisers, and destroyers--vanished as suddenly as they had arrived, in the enfolding mists of the Atlantic. Then over the cables came intelligence of the indisposition of the Kaiser, and of a projected sea voyage as the remedy recommended by the royal physicians. The excellent advice of the faculty was promptly followed. The magnificent Hamburg liner, _Schiller_, was made available for his Majesty’s accommodation, and the cruise was said to afford opportunity for testing certain remarkable improvements in turbine engines, which keenly interested the Emperor. Nor was this all. The Kaiser’s influence with the new Emperor of all the Russias had become quite paramount, and concurrent rumours of a combined movement of Imperial squadrons in the North Sea had added to the already serious uneasiness of the British Lion. The Eagle and the Bear were on the pounce!