Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-12-23
FRENCH COLONIZATION.

It is difficult to understand the curious
passion for colonization and the conquest
or annexation of distant territory which
France has developed of late. There was
period in her history when it seemed pos
sible that she night have founded pros
porous colonies. Had not religious bigotry
mittipg the Huguenots to emigrate to
Canada, or New France, as it was then
named, it is quite possible that the whole
region would have been peopled by a
thrifty and energetic race, who would have
held the country for France, and have per-
haps even prevented the founding of the
United States. But it was not to be, and
subsequently, French sovereigns not only
lost Canada but got rid Of Louisiana and
all her Indian possessions likewise. Since
the conclusion of her more pressing European
troubles, however, France has shown dis
position to acquire colonial possessions
again, though she has never shown any
aptness at utilizing them. The Algerian
experiment may be cited as failure. after
nearly half century of trial. There is no
French colony there apart from the mill.
tary one, nor is there likely to be. Yet
within the past ten years France has
shown her ambition by acquiring the
protectorass of Tunis (by the most
iagitious and high-handed methods
has now entered upon similar
course with regard to Madagascar.
and appears bent upon availing
herself also of De Brazza's recent absurd
annexation of the Congo river. The pc.
culiarity OF all this foreign conquest is that
trenchmen are the worst colonists in the
world, and that France has no surplus
population to dispose of. Her population
Is stationary, and her people never want to
leave France. 1t follows therefore that
her colonies can only be made use of as
places OF arms, or as depots from which
to recruit her commerce. Now the DOS.
session of Turis gives her command OF the
Lake Bizerta, which can be employed as
masked harbor from which to threaten
and finally control the Mediterranean and
the Italian coast. It was an almost fatal
mistake on the part OF Italy to permit so
uncertain neighbor to become mistress Of
the Tunisian coast, and it was almost
equally shorssighted on the part of Eng.
land. Already the French Government
has undertaken formidable engineering
works to defend the entrance to Lake
Bizerta, and there can be no doubt that a
time Will come when that harbor will prove
as important as the harbor of Vladiyostock
is destined to be in the North, in the event
or war between Russia and England,
France, however, proceeds on her way,
picking up colonies here and there,
and converting them into mil
itary depots, but never planting
her own people upon them. Her colonial
administration has always been bad, the
French mind apparently being incapable of
| accommodating itself to the idiosyncracies
OF weaker races, and tending always to
despotic and arbitrary methods. And
there are reasons why it is improbable
that Franco will be able to retain her
colonies, however many che may get.
For where colonies are only held by mill.
tary power, it needs but to defeat the
military power in order to restore them to
their original condition. This is what hap
pened to the French provinces in India,
though there really vigorous commercial
regime had been established. Such prov.
inces as Algiers, Tunis, Tcnquin, Madagas.
car and Central African posts, cannot be
amalgamated with the republic by the
French methods. Nor will the French peo-
pie ever care much about coloEies which do
not tempt emigration. In fact, the French
nature would have to be changed funda.
mentally before that country can initiate
England in its successful establishment of
colonial possessions, and since no such
transformation is at all probable, it must
be concluded that the present colonizing
mania will lead to no permanent results,
unless those results are purely military and
strategic