Evening journal., 1898-10-10
THEFASHODA AFFAIR
Official Correspondence on
the Subject.
ENGLAND MAINTAINS A FIRM STAND.
French Right In the City Denied.
Salisbury Contends Tint the Sir
dar's Operations Place KhaIifa's
Territory In English Hands.

dar's Operations Place &haIifa's
Territory In English Hands.
LONDON, oct. 1O.-The foreign office
las issued a Fashoda blue book giving
the correspondence between the French
and British governments.
1t begins with a dispatch dated Dec.
TO- 1897, from Sir Edmund Monson, Brit
ish ambassador at Paris. to Lord Sails
bury referring To rumors of the massa-
ere of the Marchand expedition and ex-
pressing the ambassadors satisfaction
that he has been allowed to acquaint
NJ. Hanotaux (French foreign minister
OF that day. with Lord Salisburys view
that II other questions are adjusted,
Great Britain VIII make no difficulty
regarding the French claim on the
northern and eastern shores OF Lake
Tchad. The dispatch shows, however,
that the ambassador made It clear that
this concession must not be understood
as admitting the right Of any Euro
poan power except Great Britain to oc-
cupy any part Of the Nile valley.
NJ Hanotaux replied on Dec. "a In
long dispatch Of respectful protest
against Lord Salisbury's view
on Aug. . of this year Lord Salisbury
wrote Lord Cramer, British diplomatic
agent at Cairo, giving him instructions
that, after the capture Of Khgrtum,
two fiotillas should ascend to Fashoda
and go up the Blue Nile as far as it
should prove navigable for steamers.
Under these instructions the sirdar was
personally to command the Fashoda
flotilla and TO take few troops, If he
should consider It desirable, the object
being to assert Great Britain's sphere
Of influence in the Nile valley.
on Sept. Z Sir Edmund Monson re-
ported to Lord Salisbury a CONVEX
sation in which NJ. Delcasse, French
foreign minister, announced that Mar
chand had no authority to decide on
questions of right and had been in
structed to abstain from any action
likely to lead to local conflict. NJ. Del
casse further expressed a conviction
that the matter was susceptible of ar
rangement by means Of discussion.
TO this Lord Salisbury replied on
Sept 9 that Great Britain regarded the
operations of the sirdar General Kit
chener) as placing all the territories of
Khalifa Abdullah by right of conquest
In the hands Of the British and Egyp-
tian governments and insisted that this
contention admitted of no discussion.
Then follow various dispatches re-
cordng the discussions between Sir Ed
mund Monson and NJ. Delcasse the lat
ter eXpaining that Marchand was now
virtuallya lieutenant to the Lietard ex-
petition and that, therefore, the situa-
ton at Fashoda, even If Marchand were
there, could not be dangerous, as Sir
Edmund Monson had represented.
on Sept. 25. still following the blue
book, the sirdar reported the results Of
his expedition to Fashoda, fully con-
firming the announcements already
caJled, including the fact that General
Kitchener's arrival there prevented a
second Dervish attack on Marchand.
The French officer informed the sirdar
that he had concluded a treaty, which
he had sent TO France for ratification,
whereby the Shillook chiefs had placed
the country under French protection.
Marchand replied in the negative to
General Kitchener's question whether
he was prepared to resist the hosting
of the Egyptian flag, but he maintained
that he had orders from the French
government to occup Fachoda. On the
departure of the British forces General
Kitchener notified Major Marchand in
writing that all transportation of war
material on the Nile was absolutely
prohibited.
The sirdar's dispatch concludes as
follows:
''The chief Shillooks came to Our camp
and positively denied that they had
concluded any treaty with Marchand,
while all the Shilooks declared their
allegiance TO the British government.
Moreover. Marchand was in such a pre-
carious position that nothing could
have prevented his annihilation by the
Dervishes had we been a fortnight later
in crushing the khalifa."
other dispatches indicate that NJ Del
casse declined Great Britain's request
for the immediate recall Of Major Mar
chand and that Great Britain agreed to
dispatch a message for the French gov
ornment to Marchand as matter of
courtesy. without accepting any respon-
sbility for the results delay might en-
tail and still maintaining that the mat
ter admitted of no compromise.
In the final dispatch appearing in the
blue book Lord Salisbury. under date
Of oct 3, instructs Sir Edmund Monson
to inform Nj. pelcasse that the latters
message to Major Marehand has been
sent, but that Great Britain views the
Marchand mission as having no pollti-
cal significance whatever.