The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-27
FASH0DA THE KEY TO A ROUTE
FRANCE CONTENDS THAT 1T is IN
NO MANS LAND.

From the Chicago Tmes-Eerald.
! If the news Of The European cable is TO
be believed Great Britain and France are
| in a serious diplomatic enlargement re-
| specting Fashoda II is even asserted that
rather than withdraw empty-handed in the
! face of the British claims TO priority Of
Egyptian lite. President Faure would in
wife war, which might at least prove
| diversion for the revolutionists.
| The object of the French advance on
! Fashoda was TO defeat The British plan of
establishing a line of communication from
| the North TO the South of Africa BY
snatching territory which would invest
France with vast empire extending from
| The Atlantic to the Red Sea. That this
scheme was arranged with the utmost de-
liberation some time ago is now evident
| The Bahr-el-Ghazal is a former province
of the Egyptian Soudan south of Khar-
toum and north of Equatoria. 1t may he
! described as about five times as big as
| England, and is covered with forests and
mountains and scanned with low valleys
! subject to inundation. II includes the lars-
! er portion of the basin watered by the
Bahr COR river Ghazal which, with lis
| affluents. the Bahr-el-Arab, Jur Rohl and
| Roa, forms labarynth of streams. Fa-
! shoda is situated on the Nile proper, gust
northward of this labyrinth, and hence
commands access to all the streams which
| feed the great river IL is the capital of
! the shlluk country. and it was annexed
| to Egypt nearly half a century ago.
| In 1869 Sir Samuel Baker, on behalf of
| the Khedive, carried the Egyptian flag as
| far south as Uganda Ii was Gordon how
| ever. who first undertook to introduce
settled administra ton into the Soudan, and
for this purpose he appointed Romolo Gessl
| Pasha governor of the Behr-el-Ghazal. His
energy cleared the province of its hordes
of slave dealers and created in the dem'
or camp of Suieiman (also called Dem
! Zobeir) a capital, which soon developed
| into the largest and busiest township on
| the Timer Nile. When Gessi died Lupton
was appointed 10 succeed him as governor,
and he held this position until the rising
tide of Mahdism flooded the province de-
stroyed his army and carried him INTO
/ captivity to Khartoum.
| The expulsion of the Egyptians from the
| Rahr-el-Ghazal opened a possible route TOT
! The French across the African comment
| connecting their Congo colony on the west
! ,yith their possessions on the Red sea.
| Their activity was no doubt stimulated by
/ The fact tina England claimed the upper
/ Nile provinces as within her sphere Oh IN
! fuence, and obtained the recognition OF
| her claim in African conventions hesOua-
! fed with Italy and Germany in 1879 ara
1891 IL is a part of the British case az
| the present moment that these treaues
were duly notified to the French govern
! ment. and that, although they were never
/ expressly recognized by France, they were
never disputed by her.
The first indication that the French IN
/ tended TO penetrate to the upper me pc
came apparent in February 1884, When
! they negotiated a treaty with Germany
in regard to the Cameroons and Lake
| Tchad This treaty had the effect OF OPEN
ing way for an eastward expansion OF
the French Congo colony. LORD hlmpef,
| lev then hit upon the idea of enlistlng
| the friendly services of the Congo Free
| states which was in a position to al
once occupy and administer the province
| With this view he negotiated the unhappy
| Anglo-Congoese treaty, which leased the
! Bahl-el-Ghazal and other territories on the
Upper Nile 10 the Congo state.
He nut TOO much in his treaty. BY
clause providing for a road at the back
of the German East African colony con-
Meeting British East Africa with Nyas-
saland he offended Germany and thus
aroused a formidable opposition against
| the agreement.
France took full advantage OF Lord Kim
berley's blunder, and Joined hands with
Germany in openly denouncing the Anglo
Coneoese treaty. Both Powers brought
nressure TO bear on King Leopold to with
draw from the treaty, and in due course
the clauses against which they protested
were. with the assent of the British gov
TTRnna
cluded a treaty of her own with the Con-
go state. the effect OF which was to so
srectfy'' the Franco-COngoiese frontier
that a road to the Upper Nile was definite
" opened TO France.
BY this time the French had, Unofficial
ly at least, thrown off every disguise. The
object of the Franco Congolese treaty was
stated with cynical frankness at the time
by Mr. De Brazza, who occupied the re-
enonsible position of commissary general
of the French Congo. This treaty" he
said to an interviewer, on Feb. H. 1885.
assures to the French the access to the
valley of the Nile. 1t is our duty to pur-
sue the road open to us, and to disregard
all obstacles which may be placed In our
way by foreign Powers. The consequence
of this treaty will be our possession Of the
Bahr-el-G hazal province. This Is the only
means we have of solving the Egyptian
question in accordance with our interests"
OF the same opinion as Mr.. De Brazza.
MIR. Delcasse the then colonial minister,
who to-day is minister Of foreign affairs.
gave instructions "for the formation of
a column 10 protect French interests on
the Upper Ubanghf'-in other words, to
organize the advance. The scheme was
well understood in France, and the
French chamber without asking any ques-
lions, voted 100000 for the expenses of
the expedition.
The latest contribution TO the French
contention that Fashoda is MOI Egyptian
territory Ia a letter alleged to have been
written by Uubar Pasha at Cairo last May
to Emin Pasba, governor of Condakoro,
in which he says that the rising in the
Soudan compels the Khedive's government
TO abandon those regions.
It is further shown by the French that
the acts of the KhedIve's government
were in harmony with its language No
attempt was made 10 establish regular
system of communication between Egypt
and the upper Nile regions by way OF
Zanzibar and Uganda, though that would