The Portland daily press., 1898-02-09
Of satisfying Ireland was by establishing

The Earl of Kimberly mildly crltlclseo
the government policy in the Souoan,
West Africa and the far East; but ne SAID
he wished to extract no embarrassing IN
formation. When cabinet minister,
however. spoke of war, he thought 1t Time
Parliament was told plainly what was
meant.
The Marquis of Salisbury then arose
and began in low, conversational tones,
as if addressing Lord Kimberly alone:
The first announcement which PROVOKED
"hear," 'hear,'' was that before many
months he hoped that their efforts in
Egypt would result in the capture or
Khartoum.
When the Premier reached the question
of China there was a murmur OF eXpec-
tanoy, and the pacific assurances he gave
were received with evident approval ana
relief. The Marquis of Salisbury said:
81 will not use word which seems to
CRATE on the noble earl's ears; but may
say that there is no effort which this
country would not make rather than lose
our treaty rights. At the same time. no
one has evidenced the slightest intention
of Infringing those rights.
sin regard to the loan, it is true that
the opening of Ta-Lien-Wan as treaty
port. China made some objections, and,
finally, as compromises, l on the 18th
suggested that the matter be left in abey-
ance until the railway reached Ta-Lien-
Wan, when 1t should be opened as treaty
port Sir Claude Macdonald, (the Brit
ish minister at Pektn). replied the next
day that China accepted this, and since
then have heard nothing to the contrary
The old question on the loan is still ne
gotiating."
The Marc uis added: 81 have received
spontaneous assurance from the Russian
government that any port they open In
China will be open to free commerce.
Lord Salisbury said the concessions tne
government hao asked in return for the
Chinese loans were, without exception.
directed toward increasing and freeing
| the trade with China, and contained
nothing injurious to China herself. Re
caring the Immediate opening of Ta-Tien-
Wan, said his lordship, "the Chinese
council has informed us that it would
embarI a IS them very much. For reasons
that it IS not necessary to enter into, and
for their own personal comfort and we'll
being, they expressed the desire that we
should not insist on this proposal. Where
upon / replied that the proposal was not
essential, though we thought it ndvan-
tageous and suggested ,as compromise,
that the opening of Ta-Lien- Wan be de-
ferred until the railway reached the port.
A few days afterWard Sir Claude Mac
Donald reported that the compromise was
accepted as condition of the loans and
since then I have heard nothing more
But I am bound to say l am not very
much interested as recently received
from Russia q written assurance that
any port thoy obtain leave to employ as
an outlet for their commerce will be
free port for all the commerce of this
country. A free port is much better than
treaty port; and, thus having ascer :
tanned that Ta-Lien-Wan WAS free por t
1t interests us very much to know wheth-
er it will be treaty port or not.
"The German government went furth-
er and was more fiattering to us, for the
German ambassador told me they had
concluded that our manner OF dealing
with such things was better than their s
they intended to initiate our methods.
Regarding tho loan, I hope In a few days
to Law the papers on the table dealing with
it: but warn the noble earl that infor-
nation will be exceedingly scnnty when
1t appears.
In the House of Commons in reply tc
Sir VIM. Harcourt's general attack on
the. governments policy in the East, mr.;
| Balfour spoke to the same effect as Lord
| Salisbury had spoken in the House OF
Lords.
Sir Chas. Dixie, Readical, attacked
Lord Salisbury's concessions to France
| in Siam, Tunis and Madagascar. which
he said, were not hopeful indications OF
firm insistence upon British treaty
ri ghts in Chinn.
Mr.. SEQ. Curzon, under secretary fol
the foreign Office, replying, said Russia's
action at Fort Arthur was fully within
her rights as secured by the treaty OF
| Tien Tsin.
Mr.. Balfour announced that Great
Britain. France and Russia had agreed
to guarantee Greek loan jointly.