The rooms looked very bright and comfortable when we arrived in the afternoon of the 31st of December (New Year's eve).

(French Yellow Book, No. 113.) Oncken, in making this comparison, comments: "It is most remarkable that the original formula chosen by Sasonow had been peremptorily sharpened (einschneidend verschärft) on July 31st at the request of the British Ambassador.

An account of this faux pas appeared on July 31st in the Kreuz Zeitung and concluded, after denying the truth of the mobilization, with the following paragraph: "If bodies of troops have been moved to various points of our Eastern frontier, then it only means the so-called frontier protection (Grenzschutz), which has been made necessary by our Eastern neighbour strengthening his customary frontier guards by troops of the line.

On 29th May they sailed for Tongatabu, but, the wind failing, they nearly ran ashore on the 31st on a low sandy island on which the sea was breaking very heavily.

Running along the coast to the south-east they encountered very blowy weather, and finding the land even more desolate than that at Christmas Harbour, they left on the 31st for New Zealand.

Thus there were far more urgent reasons to include the cessation of military measures on July 31st than before.

To justify our position of reserve from July 31st to August 4th we may quote what Mr. Asquith said the other day (September 4th): 'No one who has not been in that position can realize the strength, the energy, and the persistence with which we laboured for peace.