The record-union., 1898-10-10
Giving Correspondence Between the French
and British Governments.
kilograms Passing Between the
Two Powers Relative to the Ex-
peditions in the Nile Valley,
England Maintaining That the
Matter Admitted of No Com
promise.

LONDON, Oct 9.-The Foreign Office
has issued a Fashoda blue book, giving
the correspondence between the French
and British Government It begins
with a dispatch dated December 10,
1897, from Sir Edmund Monson, Brit
ish ambassador at Paris, to Lord SAL
iSbury, referring to rumors of the
massacre of the Marchand expedition,
and expressing the ambassadors sat
isfaction that he has been allowed to
acqualnt M. HanotauX (French For
elgn Minister of that day. with Lord
Sallsbury's view that if other questions
are adjusted, Great Britain will make
no difficulty regarding the French
claim on the northern and eastern
shores of Lake Tchad. The dispatch
shows, however, that the ambassador
made 1t clear that this concession must
not be understood as admitting the
right of any European Power EXCEPT
Great Britain to occupy any part of
the Nile Valley.
M. Hanotaux replied on December
24th in a long dispatch of respectful
protest against Lord Salisburys view.
On August ID of this year Lord Sails
bury wrote Lord Cramer, British di
". -
structions that after the charge of
khartcum two flotillas should ascend
to Fashoda and go UP the Blue Nile
as lar as it should prove navigable for
steamers. Under these instructions
the Slrdar was personally to command
the Fashoda fiotilla, and to take a. few
troops if he should consider it desira-
bic, the object being to assert Great
Britain's sphere of influence in the Nile
Valley.
On September 7th Sir Edmund Mon
son reported to Lord Salisbury a con-
versation in which M. Del Casse.
French Foreign Minister, announced
that Marchand had no authority to de-
eide on questions of right, and had been
instructed to abstain from any action
likely to lead to local conflict M. Del
Case further expressed a conviction
that the matter was susceptible of ar
rangement by means of discussion.
To this Lord Salisbury replied on
September 9th that Great Britain re-
garded the operations of the Sirdar
General KitcheneD as placing all ter
ritories of Khalifa Abdullah by right Of
conquest IN the hands of the British
and Egyptian Governments, and insist
ed that this contention admitted of no
discussion.
Then follows various dispatches re-
cording the discussion before Sir Ed
mund Munson and NJ. Del Casse, the
latter explaining that Marchand was
now virtually a Lieutenant to the Lilo
tard expedition, and that therefore the
situation at F'ashoda, even if Marchand
was there, could not be as dangerous
as Sir Edmund Monson had repre-
sented.
On September 25th the Sirdar re-
ported the results of his expedition to
Fashoda, fully confirming the an
nouncements already cabled to the AS
sociated Press, including the fact that
General Kitchener's removal there pre-
vented a second Dervish attack on
Marchand The French officer in
formed the Sirdar that he had conclud-
ed a treaty which he had sent to
France for ratification, whereby the
Shillock chiefs had placed the coun-
try under French protection Mar
chand replied in the negative to Cen
eral Kitchener's question whether he
was prepared to resist the hosting OF
the Egyptian flag, but he maintained
Government to occupy Fashoda.
On the departure of the British forces
General Kitchener notified Major Mar
chand in writing that all transporta-
ton of war material on the Nile was
absolutely prohibited
The Sirdars dispatch concludes as
follows: "The chief Shillock came to
our camp and positively denied that
they had concluded any treaty with
Marchand, while all the Shillocks de-
clared their allegiance to the British
Government Moreover. Marchand
was in such a precarious position that
nothing could have prevented his an
Inhalation by the Dervishes, had we
been a fortnight later in crushing the
Khalifa"
Casse declined Great Britains request
for the immediate recall Of Major Mar
chand, and that Great Britain agreed
to dispatch a message for the French
Government to Marchand rs a matter
of courtesy, without accepting any re-
sponsibiity for the results DELAY might
entail, and will maintain that the mat
ter admitted of no compromise.
In the final dispatch appearing in the
blue book Lord Salisbury, under date
of October Sd. instructs Sir Edmund
Monson to inform M. Del Casse that
the latter's message to Major Mar
chand has been sent, but that Great
Britain views the Marchand mission as
having no political significance what
ever.