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Show GERMANS WILL NOT TIE 1HKES Fleet to Accept Battle Only When It Can Reckon on Victory. BERLIN, via Loudon, Feb. 7, 10:45 p. in. Grand Admiral von Koester, president of tbe Gernmn navy league, in an address at Kiel university today, discussed the considerations governing the part that is to be played by the German navy in the present war. Ite declared that the relative strength of the German fleet, compared to the Anglo-French fleet, is perhaps one to four. The British, he added, perhaps estimated esti-mated German lust for battle so highly thiit they had said to themselves. ".Some day they will eome and we shall be able to assume battle in a situation favorable to us." Another possibility, Admiral von Koeater declared, vras that the British have a higher regard for the German fleet thnn Nelson had for the French or the Spanish. That tho offensive spirit of the Germans is greater than that of the British, the admiral continued, contin-ued, can justlv be assumed when one recalls that the Germans took an offensive of-fensive against, England's east coast, whereas the Knglish have not dared to approach the German coast. "Wo are full of the firmest confidence confi-dence in our fleet." said Admiral von Koester, ''but we know that a sea battle bat-tle means death or victory and that a destroyed fleet cannot be replaced in the course of tho war, eveu if it lasts for vears. We must . therefore, under all conditions, bo cautious in our procedure pro-cedure and allow ourselves to be incited to no deed which might eventuate in our defeat. "Our fleet must protect us under all conditions and mav accept battle onlv when it can reel-on on vi tor ' Admiral von Koestor declared that the course of the naval war u: to the j 1 resent time had caused hun great surprise. sur-prise. Tie add-d tiuit the Hritirdi sec-retarv sec-retarv of state r'or the navy seven years :go declared that Germanv would wakf up som.' inomiucr an.! find her fleet L-,ii!c, He also reca"ed tr.f utr eram- of Winst-m ienc'r trir.-tiili. firr lord of the British admiral v. in :i speech ar London last September, in which the German fleet W33 designated ;as a "luxury" and in which he said that if the warships did not come out nnd fight they would be "dug out like rats in a hole." "After these sayings," Admiral von Koester declared, "one expected other things from the British fleet than it has accomplished. I am almost tempted to believe that the spirit of Nelson no longer lives in it." In conclusion, the admiral said the fact that Admiral Fisher, the British first sea lord, had not changed the plans that were being pursued by Prince Louis of Batteuberg, tbe former first sea lord, "can be taken as showing England s intention to dictate terms of peace eventually with its fleet." |