The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-21
The Anglo-Germnn Agreement.

The cabled account Of the partition treaty
entered into by the British and German
Governments is not rs explicit rs could be
wished, and there is reason to suspect the
existence Of a secret covenant on the part
of Germany to countenance the occupation
of Egypt by England for an indefinite period.
In the absence of such private agreement,
it would be hard to understand the fervor
with which Mr.. STANLEY culogizcs the terms
of convention that certainly surrenders
much to which only short time ago he in
sisted that Englshmcn should lay claim
His change Of views can scarcely be attrib-
uted to his appointment as Governor of the
Congo Free State, since we presume that
King LEOPOLD II. would have at any time
been glad to see Mr.. STANLEY assume the
duties Of that post.
Tho first and most striking conclusion
forced upon the mind by survey Of all tho
provisions Of the treaty relating to Africa,
Is that England is not destined to play in
the Dark Continent the role which she has
played in India. By this treaty she con-
dennis herself to position analogous to
that In which she would have been placed
in India, had she in the last century as
scented to the acquisition by France OF
n broad zone of territory stretching
from sea to sea, and walling of
the northern Presidencics of Calcutta
and Bombay from the Presidency of
Madras. In the Africa of the future. which
will prove greater and incomparably richer
India, England, under her present compact
with Germany, will find the territory of her
South African Company cut Off from the
. lo,,
Company by tho wide and fruitful region now
conceded TO the Germans, and which, being
contClminOus on the west with the Congo
State, forms with il Il continuous belt circlng
the continent from the Indian Ocean to the
Atlantic. II was not by partitions of this
disruptvc kind that England laid the foun-
dations Of her Indian Empire.
The Importance Of tho territorial cOncos-
sion to Germany is not lcsscnCd by the pro-
vision that British traders shall have tho
right OF transit from the Victoria basin 10
Lake TanEanyika. Such privilege would
he available 80 long rs England and
Germany were at peace, and no longer.
What was needed was a tract linking tho
claims Of the South African and East African
Companies, through which troops could he
moved, and military connection ultimately
effected by n series II forts. As for the
isolated patches of coast claimed by Ger
many within the sphere Of the East
African Company's influence and now
coded to England, these arc mere
pawns in the game of partition.
Much the Same thing may lac said
Of Germany's acquicsccncc in England's
assertion of prOtcctoratc over Xun-
2ibar. England has long been virtually mis-
tress Of Zanzibar and the German naval
force would be incapable OF preventing her
from taking the purely formal step of con-
vcrtng tn" Sultan into an avuwcd vns,a
The step, however, cannot ho taken without
violating an agreement with France whose
power Of enforcing a protest rests on very
different footing from Gcrmauy'S.
We come now 10 the ccSson of lIniEoland
which, it is we'll known, commands the
mouths of tho Eibe and tho Wcser, and
which has been in the possession OF England
since the first decade OF this century. The
newspaper organs OF Lord SALISBURY
defend this provision of the treaty
on tho ground that England does
not fear invasion from Germany, and,
therefore, the retention of the island Is
superiipous The value Of Hcligoand i, 10
b" measured, not merely hy its utility 10
England, hut by tho lists t. which Il third
power might put IT, We can easily conceive
of circumstances under which this rocky
isIct might be sold for great price
1t is true that its purchase at the present
time by France would undoubtedly be made
by Germany cGsus beIh. But should tho