The King of Italy arrived in Berlin on Wednesday, and
on Thursday there were the usual festivities, followed in the evening by a great State banquet, at which the Emperor proposed the health of the King in terms of great warmth. The operative clause, as the lawyers say, was the following sentence :—" Welcome toyour Majesty as our faithful ally upon the renewal between ourselves and our illustrious friend, his Majesty the Emperor-King Francis Joseph, of the Alliance uniting us, which continues ill its old strength and has woven itself into the lives of his and our peoples, after having for several decades assured the peace of Europe, as by God's will it will long continue to do." There was also a picturesque allusion to Italy in the strain of German sentiment for the Beautiful :—" Welcome to your Majesty as the King of that magnificent and beautiful Italy, land of our dreams, source of the inspiration of our artists and poets."
