St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-16
Is ENGLAND IN THE DREIBUNDs
Events DisprOve Any RapprOche-
ment With France.

~
LONDON, March 15.-In connection
with the opening of the Egyptian ques-
ton it is authoritatively stated that
the British government consulted and
obtained the approval of a majority
Of the powers before deciding upon
the advance on Dongola. This makes
the new Soudan campaign of far
reaching political Importance in it's
bearing upon Great Britain's relations
with the European powers.
That the disclosure by recent events
of Great Britain's complete and friend
less isolation in the community of ma
tions has given a shock and feeling
of uneasiness to the responsible states
manship of Great Britain has been
frankly admitted by British statesmen
themselves. That England's diplomacy
has been busy with efforts to make
some inroads into the universal hostile
array of nations has been generally
understood. When the terms of the
settlement of the dispute over the
boundaries between the possessions on
the Mekong, in Indo- China, of Great
Britain and France We're made known,
the world expressed it's wonder at the
substantial concessions made by Great
Britain, and the opinion was generally
held that Great Britain sought to Sc
cure an entente with France as a con-
sideration for these concessions.
Many commentators professed to see
confirmation of this opinion in the sug-
gestion offered by the sultan a little
later to Lord Salisbury that England
should regularize the situation in
Egypt. 1t was suggested that the sui
tans suggestion was suggested by
Great Britain itself in order to open UP
a course for the evacuation of Egypt,
thus removing the principal cause of
irritation between Great Britain and
France.
The announcement of the new Sou
dan campaign is clear and convinc-
ing evidence that there is to be no rap
prochement between Great Britain
and France. If further evidence were
needed of this, it was seen in the pro-
longed visit on Friday to the foreign Of
flee of Baron de Courcel, the French
ambassador in London, and his subse-
quent departure in person for Paris
to impart the result of his interview
to the French cabinet. Confederation
OF Frances opposition to the proposed
Soudan campaign is found in the dis
patch from Cairo, naming as the eX-
plicit grounds of her opposition. that
no movement in the Soudan exists war
fantlng such a campaign, and that the
khallfa Abdullahi, the successor of the
late mahdi, Mohammed Ahmed. and
military chief under him in the former
war; has lost all his authority, and
has withdrawn his loyal adherents
from the CaSSala district.
The advance upon Dongola was de-
c1ded upon by the British government
with view to the favorable effect it
would have upon the Italian situation
In AbysSlnia, as was stated by the
Times, the organ of the British cabi-
net, in connection with it's announce
ment of the Soudan campaign. Almost
simultaneously with this announcement
comes the news of the visit of Count
Goluchowski, the Austro- Hungarian
prime minister, to Berlin, and the state
ment that the dreibund is to remain
intact, and that the, German govern
ment's irritable attitude towards Great
Britain, as manifested over the Trans
Vaal episode, has been Modified through
the exertions of Count Goluchowski.
The question of the hour in Euro
pean politics is whether Great Britain
has thrown in her fortunes with the
dreibund, as against France and Rus
sia. The statement which has been
promised for tomorrow in the house of
commons of the purpose of the pro-
posed advance up the Nile, by
George N. Curzon, the parliamentary
secretary of the foreign office, is looked
for with keen interest, in the hope
that it may disclose something of the
shifting of international relations now
being adjusted in EIirOpe