New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-02
THE PEACE OF EUROPE.
,rrNACEp BY AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN
FRANCE AND RUSSIA.
Curious RUMoRs AND CoMMENTs-TRoUBLE
THREATENED IN EGYPT-wILD TALK
IN THE PAPERs-LoRD SAILS
BURYs SPEECH.
rBY CABLE TO THE TRBUNE.I

rBY CABLE TO THE TRBUNE.I
c,,,y,OA,, 1891: Bv IN. Tribune Association
rordop. Aug. Tho visit of the French fleet
a. Cropstadt has filed Europe with rumors. The
& ;s black with them; mostly canards, one may
- ,armitted TO think: but there are one or two
. sxtreme gravity, for which there is some
'a.hority. The st. Petersburg correspondent OF
. The Times" sends one lie receives from gooo
..nrce the positive statement that negotiations
-, an ultimate alliance between France and Rus-
=. nve been going on in Paris, Some KIND OF
-,A.ment has been reached between the RUSSIAN
.syahasssdor in Paris and the French Foreign Min
o.. The French fleet is the bearer of rough
AN Of this agreement, which the Car ana ms
,Gr;s,ers have been considering all the week, amid
.he blaze of festivities, with Admiral GervalS 10
heln them II is TO he the basis of an alliance III
fnture. not at present, says this authority Inc
account is full Of obvious improbabtles, noo ieasV
% which is the improbability that Baron MohIeh-
bem should be the chosen negotiator OF sue" nie'
matters. l.,
Next comes a story Of joint interference ln
rc,rt This ia more serious, if true, because
immediate. France, of course, longs iOl 'ne 20.
nnlsion Of the hated English from the country
r.. ~ rcooperoted Her uninterrupted in
,r;Cres at Cairo have failed. They are now TO De
oorr;ed IN at CorstantinOple. The khedlve' oe-
ted FIRST Of all 10 his own country, is loyal 10
tho ENGLISH as benefactors of his country lie
has shown himself superior TO French diplomacy
and indifferent TO French menace. Inc sultan Is
therefore 10 be asked to get rid Of him ana 10
renlace him by somebody who will he more plaole
IN French manoenvres. Such an attempt oy
France alone might have little chance OF success
Supported by Russia, it may have more II tne
Snitan be weak enough TO Weld, England VIII
CID herself in a dilemma She will have to elect
between resisting the mandate of the sultan whose
right of suzerainty she recognizes. and trying 10
govern through an Egyptian Executive, avowedly
hostile 10 her. II is clever move on the part
of the French whose moves on the EGYPTIAN Doard
have never been hampered by any sentimental
concern for the welfare of Egypt or the Egyptians.
This report was mentioned last night in the House
OF Commons. Sir James FERGUSON took the usual
official view of it, Neither he nor any diplomatist
would admit the truth of it, unless official, and
tben would not admit it because official. What
he said has really no bearing on the question
whether the story he true or not
Great quantities of ink have been shed over
the visit of the French fleet to Cronstadt. The
descriptions of the French-Russian festivities are
interesting, the political spcculations based on
them are interesting and the kilograms exchanged
between the Gar Alexander and President Carnot
are most interesting of all. Paris is beside Itself
with 10y You may almost hear the echo OF that
fatal cry of the Bonlevards in 1870, To Berlin"
The politicians of France, including think, some
OF her Ministers do believe IN o coming alliance
between France and Russia. The prospects OF
such an alliance are more freely discussed than the
objects of it, What would be the objects? III
,yould be an alliance for war OF an alliance for
defence there is no tho1ght and no need. Ihere
is not in all Europe single Power which dreams
of attacking either France or Russia. There is
no Frenchman Russian who believes there 10
Germany is threatened on the Kline, Austria Is
threatened in the Principalities, and Italy Is
threatened in Africa and in Italy. They there
fore ally themselves for defence. Where, or by
whom. is either Russia or France menaced? NOT
of the French papers. the most imaginative
in the world can tell YOU
A journalist who is at least as French
as the French themselves gives very
curious account of the state of feeling
in France. Her defeat in 1870, followed
as it was. by the arrangement of Europe ana by
marked dimnuton of her own position In Europe
had changed the French spirit 1t had turned sour
Her feeling that the sympatbles OF Europe were
against her had become morbid. She had lavlsAed
batteries on Russia, and Russia responded with Ill
concealed distrust. If things had gone on ike Vile
much longer France, out of mere desperation
might have declared war. She longed 10 aVehgc
herself, not merely on Germany, but on everybody
who held aloof from her, looked down on her. DIS
liked her. or distrustcd her form of government
What has happened at Cronstadt dispels this dan
GER Alexander III has at last recognized the Re
public. Russia cOQuets no longer with her WOULD
be friend, but frankly accepts her as an ally or,
if no, as an ally as one with whom alliance may
j. No. anil NJ an
alliance. if not the substance, and the wounded
vanity of France her outraged sensibities, her
Jealous Consciousness Of her own political de-
and other angry feelings are
soo,hed and the choncc of an explosion are
less than they were. Such is the theory. OF its
value everybody may judge for himself. Feel
ing in Paris is at any rate, extremely high strung
The delirum on the BOulevards answers to the
lelirium ON the Neva. 1t has been rising all the
week Nor is it merely the journals of the Boule
wards in which wild things are SAID. Inc FreSl-
dents OWN organ La PaiX," set the tune on
Monday and the rest have danced TO 1t. we want
IN alliance with Russia declares this important and
usually moderate paper, for defence ana also ne
,ause we may be compelled ourselves 70 assume |
he offensive. That is a very menaclng WORD ana
ONE Of the echoes of il are more menacng SUI. !
-oOk too al what is said Of the coming Vlslt OF
he French feet 10 Portsmouth. The French are
Angry that their fleet should go TO Portsmouth. |
They think it will take the gilt off Cronstadt.
They soothed themselves for moment by saying !
hat the Queen had sent them an invitation; but |
he First Lord Of the Admiralty said in the House
# Commons, with true British bluntness, that the
visit was spontaneous on the part of the tIcnch'
mo so they are now more angry than ever
The German press is sober enough BeTllh
does not take fire readily. Berlin papers pTIHI
but brief accounts of all these splendors at Cron-
sladt, and their comment is brefer still Ihey
islst that the visit has political significance.
vienna is more Impossible and more impressed than
BerIn most of all by those cordial kilograms
between Alexander III and VI. Carnot. The
English think there is mischief afOot but hint
at II only in the most guarded terms ST. Peters