The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-27

to the first, France adheres with an OBJ
stinacy which almost precIudes amicable
negotiations. She viii hear no argument
and accept no exchange AS we cannot
yield up property in that way whether
We value it or not, there is. il France
will not give IL. no way TO end this
conflict except war. and there are rea-
sons, it is feared, which tend to make
her giving way improbable"
The Spectator enumerates these rea-
SONS, the chief Of which is the wish OF
France to be great power with the
drawn sword. and the French desire to
obtain glory.
Lord Salisbury CoRvaIescing.
The revived report of Lord saIisbury's
permanent retirement from the foreign
Office and virtually from public life was
one of those badly conceived guesses for
which the Chronicle is becoming quite
famous Earlier in the week the New
York Sun learned the circumstance which
tended 20 justify the assumption of the
Chronicle. Lord Salisbury was having
his private room in the foreign Office
cleared of the accumulation OF personal
papers and confidential documents. That
is a usual prelude 10 the retirement OF
any head of a government department
but inquiry elected the information that
Christmas and had recently become ac-
tive simply because Lord Salisbury
thought that going through these papers
would afford Il relaxation during his
weary couyal alescence.
Ii is wonderful now things accumulate.
even in the case of the most careful men.
Lord ROseberry's tenure of the foreign
office was brief. but he managed to get
together mass of private papers which
filled several big hampers. When taken
in wagon to his house in Berkeley
square il took Lord Roseberry a week to
winHOw them. Most of the papers de-
stroyed as so-caIled rubbish would be
worth big price TO any newspaper or
maker of history.
Regarding the health of Lord Sails
bury it is said 'on good authority that
there has been considerable ameIioratfou
OF his diabetic symptoms and DR.. Broad
bent has strong hopes that his patient
will be able to resume at least a portion
OF his public duties within a few weeks.
Dispatches Tampered with.
When events in the far East began to
| assume a serious aspect the Brush for
eign Office made the unpleasant discovery
that its dispatches were being tampered
with. 1t became necessary TO discard the
old code and devise a special one Pro-
ceeding upon the aSSunn-iOn that the
operators in the service Of the Eastern
I Telegraph Company, al British born.
might be trusted. the foreign office con-
| cluded that the tampering occurred in
China. and that the probability was that
wires between Pekin and Shanghai had
been tapped. but the discovery has SO far
gone no further than that a week ago
an important dispatch addressed to the
British minister at Pezin disappeared on
its way, and frantic efforts are now be-
| ing made to find it. The disappearance
| was probably accidental, but the foreign
| Office is much perturbed-
! skilled in Warfare.
| Dervishes on the Nile are 'fghsiue like
| skilled generals They are doing all they
can TO tempt Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchener
await from his base. and are making 10
| mistakes. The Sirdar can lind nothing
1 definite as TO the dervish strength and
/ plans. and dares not pursue them more
| than q few miles from the river The
! dervishes moreover are adapting them
| selves TO modern ideas Of warfare They
| are throwing up sand works around their
/ camps. digging trenches and similarly
| terrifying themselves. Their general be
| havior goes 10 confirm the previous re-
/ ports that they have French officers di-
| recting their operations. There can be
| no battle new unless the dervishes are
\ willing
| The Anglo Egyptian force is almost
| powerless to take the offensive effectively
| before the Nile rises.
| The Spanish Report Ea Route
London March pa dispatch received
/ tonight by your London correspondent IN
Madrid is badly mutiIated. the censor
having rendered the greater part of the
! message uniuteIIisible. The following
| points are. however, clear:
THE Spanish report of the destruction
/ of the Maine has not as yet been printed.
/ but all the newspapers say that the re-
port attributes the disaster to an Internal
explosion. Admiral Bermejo, the minis
ter of marine. has cabled To the Havana
authorities To forward a copy of the
Spanish report Immediately and 10 send
one 10 Washington also. Senior Polo Y
Bernabe the Spanish minister TO the
United States. has been instructed to
advise President Mckinley that the Span
ish report Is en- route
mo significance can be attached To the
interview between Minister WOodford and
Senior Cullen. minister of the colonies in
dsmuch as Minister WOOdfOrd's part of
the interview was limited TO listening I,
vague words of excuse for the acts L ;
the Spanish government.