Evening journal., 1898-10-13
ROSEBERY SPEAKS.
Former Premier Discusses the
Nile Question.
WARNS FRANCE TO LOOK OUT.
Beypt's Claim 40 the Milo Valley
BASED On ROaebcry's Attitude
while Prcmfer-Grcnt Britain
10 Maintain Her Rights.

w AANA AAAEAA"s
LONDON. oct. 1s-Lord Rosebery
ghe Liberal leader and former premier.
presiding yesterday at an agricultural
Ginner at EPSON. referred to the crit
teal rituation on the upper Nile. He
taid:
AS was responsible, both personally
and minsterially, for the declaration
Of Sir Edward Grey. on which the pres
cnt policy in regard to Fashoda is
founded. and as I have no disposition TO
reccde from a word or syllable Of
that declaration, l feel bound to say a
few guarded and, 1 hope. inoffensive
words on a subject so vital to our in
terests.
There are two or three considera-
tions in connection with the question
which make it of supreme gravity, the
greatest being that in face of a delib-
crate warning that a particular act
would be considered an unfriendly act.
that act. in spite of great geographical
difficulties, great hardships and almost
insurmountable obstacles, has been de-
nherately committed.
"rhe word unfriendly,' used diplo-
matically. is of exceptional weight and
gravity. and when used to denote an
act committed by one government
against another the situation is grave.
ION that point 1 will say no more.
Behind the policy Of the government
in this matter there is the untiring and
united strength of the nation. 1t is the
policy of the nation itself, and no gov
ernment that attempted to recede from
it or palter Herewith would last a
week. l am perfectly certain that no
idea of any weakening on this question
has entered the heads Of her majesty s
Dpresent advisers They have only TO
maintain the attitude revealed in the
blue book and the nation will make any
sacrifice and go to any length to sus-
tain their action.
"On the other side of the channel the
question Of the flag is an element of
great gravity. We all honor that flag
and would not wish it the slightest dis
respect but, after all, a flag is portable
and 1 have some hope that the flag in
| this case is not the flag of France, but
of an individual explorer and not, there
fore carrying the full weight of the
republic behind it.
Among the reassuring features is
the fact that NJ. Delcasse, the French
minister of foreign affairs, has receiv-
ed the representations of Great Brit
ain in a conciliatory spirit. BY denying
the existence Of a Marchand mission
he has deprived Major Marchand of the
official character which would give the
hoisting of the flag a much more seri-
Gus aspect, and, in spite of the contrary
statements of Captain Liotard and Ma
ior Marchand 1 hope to find that tn,
mission of Major Marchand, conducted
far from French territory and across
territory to which France has no claim
though other nations have, win prove
to be of a local and not of an au'
thoritative character.
"But / found still greater hopes upoI
the fact that in urging the supremacy
of Egypt in the territories tempOraril.
abandoned we are using not so mucl
our own arguments as the argument
of French ministers and ambassador
of recent years. If Lord Salisbury anC
Sir Edmund Monson respectively us'
the language employed by NJ. Hano
taux and Baron de Courcel when 1 wal
in office they viii put the claims q
Egypt to these territories in a manne
so authoritative that it will not be il
the power Of any government to repu
diate them"
After mentioning the untenability o
Major Marchands isolated position
Lord Rosebery said:
"These considerations lead me to hop
that the incident will be pacihcally set
tied in a conciliatory manner, bu
France must understand that there cal
he no compromise of the rights o
Fgvnt."