Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-31
Finally Succeeds in Getting To-
 gether for a Discussion
OF FRANCE AND ENGLAND
In Their Relative Positions in ! AfriCa-Armenian Atrocities
 Thought to Be Colored.

 cil which should have been held last Tues day, but was at the last moment postponed until Thursday on account of Lord Rose- bery's illness and was again deferred until today, was held atnoon and lasted until 1:40 p. m. The details of the proceedings have not been given out very extensively, but 1t is understood that Lord Kimberley made report upon long conference which he held with Baron de Courcel, the French am mbassador, on Thursday, just prior to the delivery of Sir Edward Grey's speech in the house of commons. It is also stated that the foreign secretary pre- sented dispatches from Lord Dufferin, British ambassador to France, treating of an interview he had had with M. Hano- teaux, the French foreign minister, at which the latter expressed his most sincere desire to maintain the most friendly rela- tions between France and Great Britain.
 NJ. Hanoteaux made the contention that the French extensions of territory in the Hinterland in no way encroacaed upon the British sphere, but declined to recogniZs as British territory that included in the upper Nile valley. The whole position pivots upon the accuracy of the information re- ceived by the foreign office. The French expedition which started from Upper Mo- baughi last October pushed forward 900 miles 10 the northeast, reaching point very near to its objective region, Bahr Fl Ghazal. This information, based upon communications from Uganda, does not seem 10 have the entire confidence of the foreign office, and the same may be said of other communications from that quarter. Nothing is definitely known of the exact whereabouts of the French expedition, but reports received at Uganda from the Brit ish agent at WadeIai have excited the fears Of the governmen and made the upper Nile question acute and urgent.
 Instructions which have been sent to Uganda point to the establishment of a British protectorate over Uhporo and the equatorial province formerly governed by Emin Pasha, with stations along the Nile to Ladou. The success of the British negotiations with France depends upon the latter's repudiating encroach ments upon the upper Nile, and probobiy M. Hanoteaux will propose T congress to settle the dis. pute. From some unseen cause England showsa aa unwon ed determination to en force her claims against a great power, while the French seem reluctant to go to ex- tremities. The British altitude of resolu- ton, according to the talk in diplomatic .srctes, is due to the German and Italian a.epte in regard to the African Hlnier- and, their reawakened hostility to France and En glands reiia nce upon her renewed friendship with Russia.
 FRENCH MANS VIEW.
 The Times has an interview with a lead ing French statesman which summariZes the French views.
 We are not in position so long as our present con udition in Europe lasts be said, to quarrel with England, but she must moi make 1t too unpleasant for us, nor must she wound our self-Iove or we shall cease 10 be prudent.
 PARIsIAN JOURNALS SLOW.
 As an instance of the want of en terprise on the part oI the leading Paris newspapers, it may be mentioned that those papers ap- peared yesterday morning without word of allusion to the African debate in the house of com nions and only woke up to the dec- laration ot Sir Edward Grey twenty jour hours after they had been delivered.
 NOT AS BAD AS PICTURED.
 The report of the Armenian committee on inquiry is expected in May. As skill fully as the atrocity agitation has been worked, the public greatly distrust the sensational stories which are known to be coming from common source. There is DO proof, says the Standard, that these cir cumsta tial narratives which are being published are the result of Independent in- ouiry near the scenes of the alleged incl oent. The literary garnish differs only slightly in each case, and suspicious are that they are simply diversions of the same old Armenian story. The original aim of the Armenian wire- puiiers, as developed in the Speaker, was the formation of an Ar menian province embracing the vilayets of Van, Bittlis, Knarpoot, Erzeroum and Sivas under government appointed by the European powers.
 SULTAN FAvoRs CONFERENCES.
 Constantinople advices are to the effect that British Am bassador Currie, French Ambassador Cambon and Russian Am bassador Nelidof, have had a series of conferences with the sultan and found his majesty favorable to conference of for eign ambassadors and delegates represent ing the porte immediately upon the sub mission of the report of the Armenian com mission of inquiry.
 MET ANOTHER FAILURE.
 The negotiations looking to the raising of Spanish loan in Paris have collapsed in the same way that they fell through in London. The discrediting of Spanish dnancesis shown in Paris by the action of the chamber syndicate in deciding on Thursday last that the bonds of the North Spain railway were no longer good deliv- cry on the bourse. This decision was chit fly due to the announcement that the railway would pay its coupons next com ing due in paper instead of gold. The Statistic asks how Spain is going to meet her expenditures m Cuba, being on the verge of insolvency at home and abroad.
 AFTER AN EDITOR. The result of the libel suit of the labor agiiator, Ben Tillett, against the Morning hos added to the already large volume of sxitators. It was shown in the evidence tiat out of G6606 year received from sub' scribers by tue Dockers' union, of which Illicit is the editor, &4226 is swallowed up eech year in nsalaries and expenses of man.