The San Francisco call., 1896-03-23
The Kaiser Assents to the Ex.
pedition Up the Valley of
the Nile.
FRIENDLY TONE OF THE PRESS.
Sympathy With Italy Causes This
Sudden Display of Goodwill
Toward England.

fetal announcement that Germany had
given her assent to England's drawing on
the Egyptian reserve fund 70 defray the
cost of the British expedition up the Nile
Valley, which was published in the North
German Gazette, was worded in such a
manner as to convey the impression that
Germsny's assent was not given to con-
serve En- glish interests. but rather for the
sake of upholding the interests of the allies
of Germany included in the Dreibund, es-
pecially those of Italy. Two articles on
the subject which were subsequently pub
lished in the Gazette were a great deal
more cordial toward England, and the in
tention seems to have been to dispel all
traces of the German irritation toward
England, to defend the Dongola expedition
as an inevitable and indispensable move
ment and to predict the ultimate recognl-
ton by Europe of the value of the opera
tions of the expedition In controlling the
destructive power of the dervishes.
Other inspired journals are now taking
the same view. The National Zeitung
denies the contention that France may
because of the fact that Egyptian troops
are seeking to reoccupy Egyptian terri
tory.
As late as 1894, during the dispute over
the Congo agreement, the Zeitung says,
the French Government maintained that
the Soudan provinces were legally Egyp-
tian territory, although they were in the
hands OF the barbarians.
The Tageblatt holds that the evacuation
of Egypt by the British is England affair,
and the Kreuz Zeitung says that France
cannot oppose a punitive expedition
against Soudanese maiefactors.
The Cologne Gazette, in an article
obviously inspired by the Foreign Office,
contends that the Dongola expedition is
absolutely imperative. s'The union of
the Egyptian advance" it says, '.might
have the effect to drive the Italians out of
Kassala and so strengthen Abyssinia
against Italy and ultimately enable France
and Russia, who are now lurking in the
background, to determine the fate of
Khartoum and the whole region of the
upper Nile"
The key to all this sudden display of
goodwill toward England is unquestion-
ably German sympathy with Italy. If the
battle of Adowa, fought on March l, in
which the Italians were disastrously de-
feated, had not occurred, Germany would
not have countenanced the expedition up
the valley of the Nile, and probably would
have sided with France and Russia to
prevent it.
A curious incident connected with the
situation has arisen from the overtures
which were made by France with the OBJ
ject of ascertaining Germany's intentions
in regard to the expedition. The COM
munications from the French Foreign Of
flee which passed through the hands of M.
Herbette, French En- bassador to Germany,
were couched in language which indi-
Gated expectations that Germany would
join the French protest against England's
action. 1t consequently must have been a
very unpleasant surprise to M. Berthelot,
the French Foreign Minister. to learn that
the assent of Germany had already been
sent to London and to Cairo, and the fact
must certainly have caused the French
Government to surmise that the Emperor
knew more, and at an earlier date, of the
designs of Great Britain than could have
been obtained through the ordinary diplo-
matte channels.
1t is now conceded on all sides that M.
Herbette must be recalled by his Govern
ment, and very speedily too. The posi-
ton described in these dispatches on Feb
ruary 26 has become intolerable. M. Her
bette has made himself SO obnoxious to
the Emperor that his Majesty is reported
to have on more than one occasion abb
sented himself from Berlin in order to
avoid the duty of receiving him. M. Her
bette's rank as dean of the diplomatic
corps would naturally bring him oftener
into personal contact with the Emperor
than if some other diplomat held the rank,
and there is reason to believe that a per-
sonal meeting with the Emperor is as dis
tasteful to the French ambassador as it is
offensive to the Emperor.
The feud between them is of long stand
ing. Besides this difficulty M. Herbette
has made himself disagreeable to manv of
the German officials with whom he has
come in contact because of his exceedingly
brusque and altogether bad manners, and
to Prince Hohenlohe, the imperial Chan
ceIlor, he has become almost intolerable.
The consequence has been that Prince
AAoiAShAoiic Aoo iolAioAy aSheu NJ. DerL0e-
lot to appoint NJ. Herbette's successor, and
the German ambassador to Paris has ad-
vised the Chancellor that the difficulty
experienced by M. Berthelot in sending to
Berlin an ambassador who would be per
soma grata to the Berlin court is likely to
be overcome by the acceptance of the posi-
ton by M. Decrais, formerly French EN-
bassador to London.
An interesting debate arose in the Unter-
haus on Wednesday during the discussion
of an Interpolation asking the intentions
of the Government in regard TO dealing
with the question of American meats.
Professor Won Mendel launched a pro
Ionged TRADE of invective against Ameri-
can corned beef and all canned meats, and
in the course of his remarks gave an in
stance of the wife of Berlin journalist
having been poisoned by the use of such
goods.
Other similar cases, he said, were not
uncommon, and amid the cheers OF the
Ag-arian members of the Chamber he
urged that it was not sufficient that Amer.
ican meats should be certined as ealthy
by American inspectors, but that the