The Portland daily press., 1896-04-13
ALL is NOT HAPPY.
British Outlook In The SOudan Dis
cOuraging.


c0uraging.
Expenses Are Unexpectedly Enormous
Troops Proceeding Very sIow-Diplo-
matic Letters from Kruger to
Chamberlain.
London, April 1.-THE government
proposes that the House of Commons
shall commence sitting in the morning
beginning Tuesday next with view to
expedite business SO as to enable Parlia-
ment to be prorogued at the middle of
August The proposal is not acceptable
to the Liberals, who suspect that the
early rising of Parliament means giving
the government free hand to carry out
lvs plans to extend the operations in the
Soudan. Neither does it meet with the
approval of the Irish members, who
rightly calculate that it will delay the
consideration of the land bill. Gerald
BRlfour, chief secretary for Ireland, will
on Monday introduce bill to put the
proposal into effect. The opposition b as
therefore determined, apart from other
reasons, To enter upon q campaign OF OBJ
struction and not withdraw from it until
the government pledges itself to hold an
autumn session.
AS far as it has gone, the Soudan ex-
petition is d1sappolntingato the war office
and the government. Dispatches are sent
daily from Cairo praising the rapidity of
the movement at the front and the COM
pleteness of the preparations. The truth,
as known at the war office, which is sus-
tanned by private advices, is that the ad-
vance beyond Assouhn is excessively SLOW
being hampered by a deficient river SER
vice and the want of forage. The worst
feature for the government is the enor-
nous and unexpected expenditures. Lord
Cromer, the British diplomatic agent at
Cairo, advises that it viii be early nec-
essary to draw upon the Egyptian treas
ury for 1000. coo pounds in addition to
the 100000 pounds already drawn, and
| this fact renders it probable that the en-
tire reserve of the Egyptian debt commits
son will be ultimately absorb in prepa-
rations before there is actual contact
| with the Dervishes.
The communications that are passing
| between Mr. Chamberlain, the Colonial
Secretary, and
= PRESIDENT KRUGER WILL
when published, be found to be models of
frank and direct statement on the part
of the former, and of diplo matic finesse
yelled with an air of simplicity, on the
part Of the lattsr. A month hence 1T is
| likely that Mr.. Chamberlain will be
compelled by events to issue the corre-
spondence in Blue Book, in order to
justify whatever strong action may b @
taken after diplomacy falls to settle the
trouble between Great Britain and the
South African Ropupiio.
The representative of the United Press
h lr 20 rn& L.
| information, that Mr.. Cham berlain will
come out of the negotiations with a
heightened reputation. Throughout the
communications he has not budged from
| his pa blio declarations to adhera to the
Anglo -Boer convention Of 1884, white re-
speoting the internal independence Of the
republic. The Pretoria authorities use
certain organs in London as tho media
for the spread Of useless fctions that Mr.
Chamberlain will cancel the convention,
that he has telegraphed to the Boer gov
ernmant that Great Britain has no in
tention Of sending troops to Cape Colony,
ETC., doubtless with view to influence
public opinion here. Mr.. Chamber lain
counters these stories with the explicit
denials that he has sent such teIegre ms.
The public is half conscious that q final
crisis is near, and accept the denials
| impl icitIy.
Whether the country will ultimately
confirm
MR.. CHAMBERLAIN POLICY
is doubtful, but itSis impossible that the
| developments will show him to have
been duped by Presidents Kruger. In
stead of weakening on the clause of the
convention Civ ing Great Britain suzer-
ainty over the Transvaal, be proposes to
strengthen it, The present clause empow-
ers the Transvaal to conclude treaties
with foreign Powers subject to the vote
Of Great Britain. This clause Mr. Cham
berlain has sought to have altered by
making Great Britain a party to the
treaties on lines similar to those existing
in the caseEof Great Britain and her COL
onies. With regard to the protection of
the foreign residents of the republic Mr..
| Chamberlain continues to- recommend
| that the franchise be given to them after
| five years, and he also recommends au-
tonomy for the Rand, the measures there
adopted to be subject to the veto Of tie
President.
| 10 none OF these proposals has Presi-
| dent Kruger definitely assen ted. He re-
| sponds that the Volksraad is not likely
to give his consent to such changes as
the British Colonial Secretary proposes.
He has taken no stops to summon the
| Volksraad, notwithstanding the report
| that he proposed to summon it at q date
earlier than the one fixed for the opening
Of the regular session.
The position just misses a deadlock
through the shiftiness of the Pretoria
government.
A report ia credited in the colonial
office that Mr.. Chamberlain has asked
the assent of his colleagues to proposal
not to await the decision of the Volksraad
regarding the visit Of President Kruger
to Lordon, but to send plenipotentiary
/ to Pretoria as q last effort to arrange the
terms of a settlement.
The Earl of Selborne, parliamentary Sec
| retary of the colonial Office, Is mentioned
as the envoy, but he Is too young to be
| entrusted with such momentous task.
! The African Situation Becoming More
|