New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-30

FRANCE IHREAIENING SIAM.
A PROTECTORATE SAID TO BE IMMINENT.
ENGLISH MERCHANTS ASKED TO PETITION THEIR
GOVERNMENT TO INTERFERE-w II SHIPS

ENNllSh MEFChANIS ASKED TO PETITION 1HfIN
GOVERNMENT TO INTERFERE-wN SHIPS
MAY BE ORDERED BACK To BAN ;KOK
London. Aug. 29.-Dispatches from Bangkok and
Singapore to '"The Pail Mall Gazette" that "A
French protectorate Siam is imminent. The
newspaper therefore urges that all chambers or
commerce in Great Britain hold convention at
once and agree upon protest to the Government
against permitting France thus to execute a holicy
ruinous to British trade in the East.
A Bangkok dispatch The Times says thai
French troops at Chantaboon making entrench-
ments and throwing up earthworks.
Bangkok, Aug. 29.-The French Government
eatens through its special envoy. NJ. de Nilers.
to send back the French gunboats to the Menam
River before Bangkok if the new demands are not
granted Immediately The foreign residents of the
city are indignant at the persistence OF france III
Ds Siam accepted sS P8S,SGtnI the Tmatsm asrGee'
The absence of neutral warships is source Of
general anxiety. The German cruiser wolf VIII
eave here to-morroW Then the fdra ETencR grnp0a'
The somewhat alarming news from Siam, in re-
gard to the rivalry there between France and Eng
land. sounds strangely after the acceptance at
Bangkok of the French ultmatum and the be-
ginning of its execution that 1t compels a question
as to whether the misunderstanding is not merely
the result of the inconsGerate behavior Of con-
sular and diplomatic agents. In such contin-
gency. nothing serious would result from it, for
the European countries would probably be-
sensible enough to disapprove the actions Of their
foolish or Jealous representatives, rather than en-
danger the friendly relations between two great
Powers 1t has already been explained here that
the management of French affairs in lndo-China
by the Governor General the ex-physician, VI. de
Ianessan, criticised by the Ministerial press of
Paris The fear expressed that VI. lie Myrc de
Nilers the special envoy 10 siam. might be plaGed
stead Of being permitted to follow his own more
vative policy.
ON the other hand. Captain Jones. 'he British
Consul-General at Bangkok may not be exactly
the best representative needed by England in
Siam under the present difficult circumstances;
He may be too active. rather. too restless. ana
too anxious TO fight for The real or imaginary
rights of Great britain; which he considers. from
his "Jngo' point OF view. to rule everywhere In
the far East. Captain Jones is an old soldier
who fought In the Crimean War; and received
the decoration of the Legion OF Honor from the
French GOV ,rn.nent as one OF the heroes WOUNDED
at Balaklava; lie is. nevertheless, an antasonist
Of French influence wheroNe he meets IT, and Is
disposed to eXaggerate his natural British pa, o
trotism. He displayed his active qualities while
Consul at Philippopois from 1855 to lSS ana
he played considerable part in The coup d'ctat
of September, 1885, which brought about & tne re- re-
union of Eastern Rumelia To bulgaria Later on
Captain Jones managed to Ga d'1StTe on v1 som nr
ish Ambassador at Consantin1pe. ana a bhiS '"uSei
him to be sent from Bulgaria To san. h,,.or
the relations between the British Protestant ana
the French Catholic elements in siam The Catho,
lie organs in Europe have applauded the success OF
France in that country. on the ground that II
would help the cause of Catholicism in the iar East
Since 1875 Monsignor Ludovic Nezs mas hii9d me
post of Apostolic Vicar in siam He resides al
BANGKOK where are his cathedral an ana Koman mar,
two boarding and 40 day scholars The religious
direction Of the Vatican. They comprise forty-one
elementary schools seventeen orphanagcs. and four
voar There is also a small Catholic agricultural
colony, together with several missionary insutu,
ions numbering thirty-nnc Europeans, assisted
by seventytwo native priests and for'y-eight cate
chumenes newly converted Siamese