The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-24
FAsHoDA YELLOW BOOK.
No Foundation for the Reports as to
France and Great Britain.

nNAAuahs
Paris. Oct 2s-A seml-ofIicial note is
sued this evening says:
There Is no foundation for the alarm
ist rumors regarding the relations between
France and Great Britain. Ii is equally
incorrect to say that extraordinary meas
ures have been taken at any of our navs
ports"
The Fashoda yellow book Is voumluous,
but il does not include Mai. Marchand's
report, which viii be published later. The
dispatches were largely anticipated by the
English Fashoda blue book. The diplo-
matte conversations recorded show a Gu
rious endeavor on the French side to rep
resent that Mai Marchand's mission was
quite as important as Gen kitcheners on
the ground that the struggle was against
the Khalifa and barbarism.
On Sept is. M. Delcasse the foreign
minister, informed the British ambassa-
dor to France, Sir Edmund Monson, in ex-
plicit language. that France did not re-
gard Lord Salsbury's claim 10 the Sou
dan by virtue of conquest as applying TO
Fashoda, on the ground that the Mar
chand expedition went to the relief of the
French expedition under Capt. Llcotard,
which dated from a period long before
the uGClhFdttOn III the 1lOuFt Ol 0OilihOils
by Sir Edward Grey, under secretary of
state for 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 equa-
torial provinces were lost TO civili-
zaton In fact, M. Delcasse
argued unless Great Britain possessed the
Sultan's mandate as well as the Khedive's
to acquire all former Egyptian provinces,
France considered herself equally entitled
with England to the possession Of any
point occupied by French officers.
Judging from the yellow book dis
patches. the foregoing represents the
French standpoint, and NJ. Delcasse con-
tends that as Maj. Marchand reached
Fashoda first, England has no right 10
demand an evacuation of Fashoda prior
to negotiations.
On Sept. 80 NJ. Delcasse declared to Sir
Edmund Monson that such a demand
would be equivalent to IN ulGmatum, and,
while he could afford to sacrifice Frances
material interests, so long as her honor
was intact, for the sake of the Anglo
French entente, no one could doubt what
would be the reply of France to such
demand.
The subsequent dispatches appearing In
the yellow book relate TO conversatlo
between Baron de Coureel, French am
bassador in London, and Lord Salisbury,
the latter contending that the capture of
Khartoum entitled Egypt to possession of
all the mahdPs dominions, and the French
ambassador arguing that Maj Marchand
had captured Fashoda before Gen. Kitch-
ener took Khartoum, and that France had
for a long time held several posts In the
Bahr el GazaL
Lord Salisbury retorted that the French
forces in the regions referred to were too
weak TO constitute effective occupation.
Baron de Courcel. having repre-
sented that 1t would be Impossible
for Maj. Marchand 10 retire until il was
settled where he should go and how the
evacuation was to be effected, Lord Sal
isbury, after rejecting very seriously,
said he was not sufficiently acquainted
with the geography of Africa to reply for
the present regarding de.miaton; and
that, moreover, he could not enter into
projects of that nature without consult
ing his colleagues.
Baron de Courcel concludes the dispatch
of Oct. L by saying: Il quilted him on
these explanations, which were pronounc-
ed in a conciliatory and friendly tone"