The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-10
A REVIEW.
Detail at
Hand.
A BLUE BOOK
Issued, Giving Data on An
glo-Egyptian Affairs.

London, Oct. 9.-The foreign office has
issued Fashoda blue book giving the
| correspondence between the French and
British governments. 1t begins with a
despatch dated December 10th, 1897,
from Sir Edmund Monson, British am
bassador at Paris, to Lord Salisbury,
referring to rumors of the massacre of
the Marchand expedition, and express
ing the ambassadors satisfaction that
he has been allowed to acquaint M.
HantauX (French foreign minister that
time) with Lord Salisbury's view that
if other questions are adjusted, Great
Britain win make no difficulty regard
ing the French claim on the northern
and eastern shores Of Lake Tchad The
despatch shows, however, that the am
bassador made it clear that this con
cession must not be understood as adj
hitting the right of any European pow
er except Great Britain to occupy any
part of the Nile valley
NJ. Hantaux replied on December oath
in long despatch of respectful protest
against Lord Salisburys view.
On August I'd, Of this year, Lord SAL
isbury wrote Lord Cromer, British d.
plomatic agent at Cairo, giving him in
structions that after the capture of
Khartoum, two fiotillas should as
cend to Fashoda and go up the Blue
| Nile as far as it should prove nayigable
for steamers. Under these instructions
| the Sirdar was personally to command
/ the Fashoda fiotilla and to take few
troops, if he should consider 1t desira-
BILE, the object being to assert Great
Britains sphere Of influence in the Nile
valley.
On Sept. 7, Sir Edmund Monson re-
ported to Lord Salisbury a converse
| ton in which M. Delcasse, French for
| eign 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 M.
Delcasse further expressed a convic-
| ton that the matter was susceptible OF
arrangement by means of discussion.
| To this Lord Salisbury replied on
/ Sept 9, that Great Britain regarded
the operations of the Sirdar Gen.
Kitchener) as placing all the territor-
les of Khalifa Abdullah, by right OF
| conquest, in the hands of the British
and Egyptian governments and insist
| ed that this contention admitted Of
discussion. Then follow dispatches re-
cording the discussions between Sir
Edmund Monson and M. Delcasse, the
| latter explaining that NSrchand was
now virtually lieutenant to the Lie
tard expedition, and that therefore the
| situation at Fashoda. even if Mar
chand were there. could not be dan
gerous, as Sir Edmund Monson had
represented.
On Sept. %, still following the blue
book, the Sirdar reported the results
of his expedition to Fashoda, fully
confirming the announcements already
| cabled the Associated Press, including
the fact that Gen. Kitchener's arrival
there prevented a second dervish at
| tack on March I'd. The French off,
Ger 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 Mar
chand replied in the negative to Gen.
| Kitcheners question whether he was
prepared to resist the hosting OF the
Egyptian flag, but he maintained that
he had orders from the French govern
ment to occupy Fashoda. On the de-
parture of the British forces, Gen.
Kitchener notified Major Marchand In
writing that all tranSpor Sation Of war
material on the Nile was absolutely
prohibited.
The sirdar's dispatch concludes as
follows: 1.-THE chief shillooks came to
our camp and positively denied that
they had concluded any treaty with
Marchand, while all the shillooks de-
elared their allegiance to the British
government. Moreover, Marchand
,r-f<.
nothing could have prevented his an
Inhalation by the dervishes, had we
been a fortnight later in crushing the
khalifa.'
other dispatches indicate that M
Delcasse declined Great Britain's re-
quest for immediate recall of Maj.
Marchand, and that Great Britain
agreed to dispatch a message for the
French government to Marchand as a
matter of courtesy, without accepting
any responsibility for the results delay
might entail, and still maintaining that
the matter admitted Of no compromise.
In the final dispatch appearing in the
blue book, Lord Salisbury, UNI
der date Of Oct. 3, instructs Sir Ed
mund Monson to inform M Delcasse
that the latter message to Maj. Mar
chand has been sent but that Great
Britain regards the Marchand mission
as having no political significance
whatever.
London, Oct 10.-All the morning pa
pers applause Lord Salisbury's firmness
in the Fashoda question, and the fact
that he has approved all the doings of
Gen. Kitchener,
The Times says: while we are not
despairing of an amicable settlement,
we cannot but think the situation ex
tremely grave. Lord Salisbury has
taken up d position from which re-
treat is impossible after the publication
of the blue book"
The Daily Chronicle thinks the stu
alton only grave on paper and not in
reality
The Daily News says: I'VE hope Lord
Salisbury will be able TO provide a
golden bridge for M. Delcasse."
COURTESIEs EXCHANGED.