RELATIONS BETWEEN GERMANY AND GREAT BRITAIN BEFORE THE FIRST WORLD WAR DALRYMPLE-HAY (Sir John Charles, 3rd Baronet, 1821-1912, Admiral and Politician)

Extraordinary Long Letter Signed to Dr Maurice ERNST (1872-1955, London correspondent of the Neues Wiener Tagblatt) replying to his letter which had asked him to give his opinion as to “the cause of the ‘strained relations’ that exist at present between Germany and Great Britain. I should consider that the causes are I. the imprudence of the newspapers - many of which have done all they can to make ‘bad blood’ between the nations. The violent and disgraceful articles published in the German newspapers against Her late Majesty Queen Victoria, whose noble life should have shielded Her from such virulent abuse... the faint echoes of the Boer War - not happily ended - still continue to awaken regret in many German minds at the complete success of Great Britain. II. The free importation of German manufactured goods into Great Britain is a great cause of ill feeling. No manufacturers are more worthy rivals nor have we better customers among foreigners than Germans. But German manufactured articles of inferior quality, and others in the various preliminary stages are ‘dumped down’ in Great Britain duty free... III. The preference shown here for ‘cheap’ in preference to good articles, dearer in money value is another Cause. ‘Made in Germany’ is a familiar description of this class of goods... This rage for ‘Cheapness’ is the complaint from which Great Britain suffers. Trade Unionism infests the Workman. The skilled artisan is not allowed to benefit by his superior skill or dexterity... Where work is not done by Contract good honest work still produces the best. Not long ago the Writer had the honour of spending a day at Messrs Harland and Wolff’s great shipbuilding yard at Belfast. They do not contract. The build the ship or produce the engine for the customer. The Customer pays the bill on delivery. There is no scamping of the work in any of its stages for there is no inducement to make things cheap... A tax on the importation of articles made abroad... might make Great Britain and her Colonies self supporting and self contained and might stop the friction due to Germany’s success in exporting to Great Britain inferior articles at a lower price than the same articles of a better quality home made. A judicious Tariff would help to restore the much to be desired good feeling between the two countries... The watch dog over Contract is the Eleventh Commandment ‘Thou shalt not be found out’. The rivalry between Germany and Great Britain is supported by Contract... The Sovereigns of both States are looked up to in both with reverence and affection. Their relations to each other are most friendly. The defensive forces of each are in a high state of efficiency. There is no general ill feeling in Great Britain or its people against Germany or the Germans. On the contrary in the words of Sir John Kennaway... ‘in the hearts of the people of this Country there exist feelings of cordial friendship and respect’...”, 4 sides folio, 108 St George’s Square, London, no date, circa

During his naval career he was involved in the Sixth Xhosa War in South Africa and the Oriental Crisis in Syria, being present when Beirut and St Jean d'Acre fell. He was also concerned with successful operations against Chinese pirates in the 1840s. He commanded HMS Victory from 1854 and then commanded HMS Hannibal during the Crimean War, and was decorated by the British and Turkish governments. He was promoted to captain in 1850 and commanded HMS Indus from 1856. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1866, before retiring as an admiral in March 1878. He was Fourth Naval Lord from 1866 to 1868. Following the succession of King Edward VII, Dalrymple-Hay was among several retired admirals advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 1902 Coronation Honours list.

Item Date:  1905

Stock No:  43791      £275

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