as to ensure economic penetration. The result of the conversations was seen on April 3, when Germa announced the arrival of her troops in Finland.

The White Government was thus from the beginni dominated by German influence, the bearing of whi on Finnish foreign policy will shortly be discusse Early in May the Senate was transferred from Vasa Helsingfors, and the domestic situation had to be face The position of the Government was uncertain, account of the large number of sympathisers with t Red Guards. Many of the revolutionaries had been sh without trial by their enraged opponents. Others we kept prisoners while waiting for trial, and suffer greatly owing to the lack of organisation and the scan food supply. A large section of the people regarded t Government with bitter hostility; and an election seeme in the circumstances, out of the question. On May the old Diet consequently resumed its sittings, althoug fifty-four members, who had joined the rebels, we missing.

In view of the political turmoil, the future form the Finnish State was a matter calling for urgent di cussion. Opinion was divided on the subject, especial as Finland had been proclaimed an independent republ in the previous autumn and had been recognised such by Germany, Austria-Hungary, France and th Scandinavian Powers. The Old Finns were in favo of a monarchy, while the Young Finns and Agraria were opposed to it. The Socialists, though insufficient represented in the Diet, regarded the proposal with di favour; and the Swedish party, believing that a foreig sovereign would seek the support of the majority, i. the Finnish-speaking population, and fearing lest the linguistic rights should go to the wall, hesitated. Man Finns felt themselves to be under duress; and thei attitude was expressed by a member of the Diet, wh said: 'Let us not deceive ourselves. We are too wea to defend our liberty alone; we are dependent on Ger many. Whether we elect to be a monarchy or a republic we shall be commanded from Berlin. It is only a choic whether we shall be governed by a German Prince or German minister resident at Helsingfors.'

The Government resolved to ignore the fact tha

Finland was already a republic, and to urge the election of a king on the basis of the Swedish Constitution of 1772. On June 11, 1918, it introduced a bill into the Diet, enacting that Finland should be a free and indivisible monarchy under a hereditary sovereign; that the King should decide Finland's policy towards foreign powers, but that any treaties concluded, should, unless the Constitution otherwise provided, be ratified by the Diet; that the King should not commence an offensive war without the Diet's consent, but that he should have an absolute veto on all legislation. The opposition was not overcome; and about the middle of July the bill was withdrawn and the session of the Diet was declared at an end. The press was permitted to discuss this measure; and it was made quite clear that Germany had made formal representations against the setting-up of a republic. The Diet met again early in August, the Government, which had tried to influence the public by buying up newspapers, threatening to resign if the bill were not passed. After protracted negotiations about the limitations of the prerogative and the guaranteeing of the Swedish language, Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse was, on Oct. 9, elected King. Originally it had been intended to offer the throne to Prince Oscar, the fifth son of the Kaiser. Subsequently, Prince Adolphus Frederick of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was suggested, but eventually declined to stand, apparently on the ground that the powers of the Crown would be unduly restricted. Prince Frederick Charles was a brother-in-law of the Kaiser, so that the latter, while maintaining the appearance of being disinterested by not pressing forward one of his Own sons, secured an effective control. On Oct. 11 Vorwärts' warned Prince Frederick Charles against accepting the Crown; and a few days later he stated that his decision would depend on the course of events, t but that in any case his accession would not take place for two years. The fall of the pro-German Svinhufvud Government at the end of November probably put an end to this project, which had only been carried by a fraction of the Diet.

The Svinhufvud Ministry had other problems to cope with, among the most urgent being that of the army. In June a bill had been contemplated, providing for an

army of 30,000 men; but the Germans insisted that force of 100,000 men on a peace footing should be rais As the population of Finland is only 3 millions, t plan was absurd. However, after a little experience drilling these intractable soldiers, the Germans decid that 27,000 would be ample. The opposition in t country was strong, and the summons to the colou was ignored. Of the recruits called up at Helsingfors August, only eight per cent. appeared.

One of the reasons for this reluctance was t adventurous foreign policy of the Government. T successes of the spring, both those of the Germans a their own, seem to have caused many Finns to lose th sense of proportion. There was talk of a Finnish ar marching to Petrograd, conquering the opposite co of the Gulf of Finland, and establishing a frontier c tiguous with Germany. There were those who cherish still more ambitious dreams; but, under German dir tion, this enthusiasm was concentrated on two defin objects: firstly, Eastern Karelia, and, secondly, an i free port on the Arctic or possibly the whole Murm coast. The advantages of the latter as an outlet the enormous timber resources of northern Finland & obvious; and there appeared to be some justificati for the move towards Eastern Karelia, many of wh inhabitants speak Finnish and were said to be oppress by the Bolsheviks. There can be little doubt that 1. German object was to establish a submarine base on t Arctic, and, by seizing the Murman Railway, to cut all connexion between Russia and the Entente exce through Vladivostok.

These plans were somewhat embarrassing to t Allies, who had no quarrel with the Finns and fu appreciated the difficult situation which had led to t calling-in of the Germans. As the Finnish Governme facilitated the passage of Allied refugees from Russ there seemed good ground to continue diplomatic re tions and to seek a modus vivendi. On the other ha the presence of the Germans could not be ignored. March they seized a number of British subjects in t Åland Islands and despatched them to Danzig. Imm diately after their arrival in Finland they tried, in vai to force Allied subjects to register with them. Tir

passed by, and in May the British Consul at Helsingfors stated that provisional recognition of the Finnish Government would be given, if imprisoned British subjects were released, if free passage for persons and goods were de granted, if Finnish waters were opened to British ships, and if Finland remained neutral. Finland, in the German cogrip, was unable to comply with these conditions. In the previous month the British Government had pointed out that Finland, having concluded a treaty incompatible with neutrality, could expect no foodstuffs; it had also expressed the wish that no attack should be made on Russian territory. The Finnish Government thereupon conveyed its willingness to abstain from action against h the Murman coast.

e

Nevertheless Finnish troops, officially said to be volunteers acting without authority, were reported in May to have crossed the Russian frontier with the object of seizing Petchenga. From time to time news came of extensive construction of military roads and railways in the north of Finland; and in July the scheme assumed a more definite shape. As a counter-move, Allied troops were sent to the Murman coast, an agreement with the Murman Regional Council having been concluded on July 7. The Allied forces advanced down the Murman Railway; and on Aug. 9 skirmishing near Kandalaksha was announced. To re-assure the Finnish Government, the British Minister at Stockholm made it known that no objection was entertained to an ice-free Finnish port on the Arctic, but no decision could be made about territory which had been Russian. At this time great military preparations were still proceeding in the north of Finland; but the German reverses in August came like a bolt from the blue, and much less zeal was shown in pursuing the designs on the Murman and Eastern Karelia. The Finns had no desire to clash with the Entente; and the inhabitants of Eastern Karelia had also laid down such conditions that they evidently were not very eager to join Finland. On Sept. 18, Germaned Finnish forces were defeated at Ukhtinskaya, and Southern Karelia was cleared. Some three weeks later, the Allied troops operating from Kandalaksha had driven all Finnish forces out of Northern Karelia. The German roops were now withdrawing from Finland; and in the

middle of November, as the result of the German Revo tion, General von der Goltz announced that they wou all be removed.

The arrival of General Mannerheim in England abc the same date was significant. It is well known that t victory of the White Guards was due in a large measure his strategic skill, the troops under his command capturi thirty-five towns as against seven taken by the Germa If his advice had been accepted, the aid of Germ troops would never have been asked; and, when the organisation of the Finnish army by German offic was planned, he resigned his post and retired to Swed A few days after his landing in this country, Gene Mannerheim was elected Regent in the place of M. Sv hufvud. The Ministry of the latter, owing partly to t inexperience of its diplomats, had succeeded in alienati sympathies in Scandinavia and had failed to arrive at agreement with the Bolsheviks, in spite of the negot tions at Berlin in August. It had nearly embroiled its with the Allies, and had been a mere tool in the han of Germany; while it had failed to find any solution f its domestic problems.

The new Ministry, with which a new chapter in t history of Finland begins, contains six Republicans a seven Monarchists. It will seek to obtain the recogniti of Finnish independence, to pursue a neutral forei policy, to preserve the territorial integrity of Finla (no cession of the Åland Islands), and to restore norm conditions at home with new elections to the Diet at t earliest possible date. It is to be hoped that bright days are in store for the unhappy people of Finland, an that the wounds of civil war may soon be healed.

HERBERT G. WRIGHT.