The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-24
FRANCES CLAIMS TO
FASHODA ARE SET FORTH

PARIS. Oct. PA semi official note
issued this evening says: There is no
foundation for the aIarmist rumors re-
garding the relations between France
ana Great Britain. It is very incorrect
to say that extraordinary measures
have been taking place at any of our
naval ports"
The Fashoda yellow book is volumin-
Gus. but it does not include Major Mar
chands report, which will be published
later. The dispatches were largely an
ticipated by the English Fashoda blue
book.
The diplomatic conversations re-
ceived show a curious endeavor on the
French side to represent that Mar
chands mission was quite as important
as General Kitcheners, on the ground
that the struggle was against the Kha-
lifa and barbarism.
On September IS M del Case, the
Foreign Minister, informed the British
ambassador to France, Sir Edmund
Monson, in explicit language, that
France did not regard Lord Salisbury's
claim to the Soudan by virtue of con-
quest as applying to Fashoda, on the
ground that the Marchand expedition
went to the relief Of the French eXpe-
dition under Captain Licolard, which
dated from a period long before the de-
cIaration in the House of Commons by
Sir Edward Gray, Under Secretary of
State far Foreign Affairs in Lord Rose
bery's Cabinet, as to the policy Of the
British Government toward the Soudan
and at a time when the equatorial prov
inces We're lost to civilization. In fact,
NJ del Case argued unless Great Brit
ain possessed the Sultan's mandate as
Well as the Khedive's to acquire all
former Egyptian provinces France con-
sidered herself equally entitled with
England to possession of any point oc-
cupied by French officers.
Judging from the yellow book dis
patches the foregoing represents the
French standpoint, and NJ. del Case
contends that as Marchand reached Fa-
shOda first England had no right to de-
mand an evacuation of Fashoda prior
to negotiations.
On September 80 NJ. del Casse de-
clared to Sir Edmund Monson that such
a demand would be equivalent to an
ultimatum and would afford a sacri-
fee of Frances material interests. So
long as her honor was intact, for the
sake of the AnglO-F'rench entente no
one could doubt what would be the re-
ply Of France to such a demand.
The subsequent dispatches appearing
In the yellow book relate to conVersa-
tons between Baron de Courcel, French
EmDaSSaQor IN London, and Lord Sails
bury, the latter contending that the
capture of Khartoum entitled Egypt to
possession of all the Mahdi's dominions.
and the French ambassador arguing
that Major Marchand had captured
Fashoda before General Kitchener took
Khartoum and that France had for a
long time held several posts on the
Bahr- ell Gael.
Lord Salisbury retorted that the
French forces in the regions referred to
were too weak to constitute effective
occupation.
A final dispatch dated October y
from Baron de Courcel to M. del Case
records a conversation with Lord Sal
isbury in which the French Embassa-
dor claimed access to the Nile through
the Bahr- el-Gazel and asked for an
amicable delimitation of the respective
spheres of interest of the two powers
in replying to which Lord Salisbury in
Dictated that it would be necessary for
him to consult his colleagues.