The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-03
TWO THINGS.
NEITHER OF WHICH BRITAIN WILL
EVER CONSENT TO.
These are the Construction of u
Bridge Over the Channel and the
Evacuation of Egypt-A State
ment from Rochefort.

NEW YORK, April "A special to
the Herald from Paris says:
The European edition of the Herald
prints the following signed statement
from M. Henri Rochefort:
There are two things to which Eng
land will never consent: The con-
struction of a bridge over the channel
and the evacuation of Egypt. Mr..
Cavend -Bsntinck, member of her
Britannia majesty's privy council, once
said to me in London: We are per
pectly willing to allow engineers to
study the means of linking Great
Britain with the continent of Europe,
but the strait which we call our silver
streak is our defense and we shall
never allow it to be bridged.'
'Nas,ch the same holds good with
regard to Egypt. The English will
let the powers continue to protest
against the continual delays in evacu-
alton, but they are daily grown more
determined not to quit Her maiesty's
government processes for the diplo-
macy of Europe, particularly for the
diplomacy of France, an immense dis
dain. 1t believes, perhaps with good
reason, that it is equal to the task of
playing off all the 'Tallyrands' and all
the 'Meternics' of the old world, and it
is in this confidence in itself that it
finds its chief strength.
This the British government, for
that matter, has just proved by induc-
ing the commissioners of the Egyptian
debt, those Of France and Russia ex-
cenfPd q no ,e.y,+ IT,,
Is nothing but loan in disguise, out of
the seventy million francs of the re-
serve fund of the debt.
During the last two years of my
exile in London I was a witness of
immense and lncessant works, the OBJ
Ject of which was the improvement of
the fleet of the United Kingdom. The
least important European complication
served as preuext for the construc-
ton of new war ships, for which pur-
pose millions of money was voted
without counting them. In reality
England was aware that the INSULT
cient reasons alleged for the mainten-
ance of her troops in Egypt would not
long pass muster, and was making
preparations for a possible war, to
which, indeed, in my opinion, she has
quite made up her mind, notwithstand-
ing Bismarck's insulting prediction
by her cowardice.
1.-The expedition to Dongola, per-
chance to Suakim, was invited in or
der to justify a refusal to withdraw
from Egypt the army which Lord Sal
isbury, on the contrary, had decided
upon reinforcing. He is not little
pugnacious by character. He will
evoke the specter of a Soudanese inva-
sion, in the event of a defeat compare
- e - n MN
men under General Hicks, not one re-
turned to tell the story of the disaster
He will rack his Imagination to invent
grounds acceptable or not for the ever
lasting prolongation of the British &C.
cupation but whatever happens, what
ever response he received, or whatever
objections may be made, he will not
evacuate Egypt.
This is my conviction based upon
numerous conversations L had on the
subject with several members of the
house of commons, particularly with
Irish members, who, being opposed to
English policy, had no reasons to con-
ceal it's undercurrents from me.
But although the danger of Euro.
pean diplomatic action troubles but
| little an English ministry, which turns
up it's nose at European diplomacy
| there is another peril rising up before
| English pride that causes terror tC
men like Lord Cromer, the most eX
| pert of all statesmen in Egyptian mat
i ters-the possibility of defeat before
/ Dongola.
With her fleet England can, in oul
| part of the globe, hope to meet witt
! every move and hold her own agains
all Corners In the Soudan she car
| count only on the endurance of he1
/ soldiers and the valor of her officers
/ In those regions one man is as gooC
/ as another, and a good Soudanese ha:
many time and oft proved that he i!
equal to at least two other men.
1.-The Italians made a bitter mistake
about the solidity of Menelik's forces
and the English probably are deceivins
themselves with regard to the stubborn
fighting quality of Osman Digna'
troops. The English papers are pleased
| to state that the death of the Maid
! caused disruption among the fanatics
! who made of him a new prophet. Tha
is, / believe, a serious error, in which
cross channel Chauninism will b.
wrong to take stock. The question on
! diplomatists are vainly endeavoring t
solve will, perhaps, be settled by tn
Soudanese. and if Egypt is ever to b
vacated by the British it will be battle
! waged before the walls of Dongola o
before Suakim that will determine tn
evacuation question.
(Signed) HENRY ROCHEFORT."