New-York tribune., 1899-03-26

AGREEMENT WITH ENGLAND CIV EH
GENERAL SATISFACTION.
FOI-R INDEPENDENT STATES REMAIN-PRE-
DICTIONs OF TROUBLE FOR FRANCE
RATIFICATION EXPECTED
on MONDAY.
on MONDAY.

Iondon March "a red-letter page n the MS
tory OF Africa was turned this week when Great
Britain and France came to an agreement III par
ceiling ont the last part Of Africa still open to
"grabbers." The agreement reached dispoSeS o
hundreds of thousands of square miles. leaving
only four recognized independent states throughout
the continent Morocco AbyssInia, Liberia ana the
Orange Free State
The settlement has given satisfaction In Great
Britain where IT is generally considered fair TOT
both parties and has especial value in nnaly avert
ing so far as diplomatic documents can risk iuture
disputes Moreover. important feature OF the
agreement providing equality I'm the commercial
treatment Of the territory between Lake Ichad anu
the Nile is that IT does not hamper Great bt'aIh
In the least as her free-trade system would have
secured commercial rights Of France whhe the
French concession of equal rights improves inc
English position. In the face Of French coQhiai
protection this is most valuable advantage LOT
Great Britain which is fully appreciated here
EUROPE FAvORs THE DEAL
The reception " the agreement by Europe Is de-
cdedv favorable The Russians do not seem 10
care the Germans apparently hope for compehSa
tion elsewhere and are not sorry to see Franco ;
hands fun of colonial cmbarrassmenis. while IN
France oxcept for colonial "faddsts" and invet-
crate Anglophobes the majority Of Fronchmcn are
dazzled by the extort OF empire secured 10 'hein
which they picturc 10 themselves as second lndia'
and they also heavc a sigh Of relief at the iact
that the matter has finally been adjusted.
As "The Spectator" remarks: "Only French An
qlonbohos are dlscontentcd and they can only
COMPLAIN that the English have given away What
they do not possess This criticism Is quite true
hut Furopc has been doing that i'm Africa for
twenty years and Is going to do the same 1T
China II Europe and America have not Il gem
eraI suzerainty over the world, all their proceed
inrs are huge dacoitry; but, then. they affirm
and. when necessary. enforce that very suze-
rainty"
The French Government is hurrying the nlI 10
4 rati6cation. and # is expected that II VIII he
voted by the Chamber Of Deputies on Monday NJ
Dolcass6 the French Minister or Foreign HHdHS'
ONE good result OF the agreement IS seen IN The
announcement published in the 'kcho nc laIla III ,
for 10 defence of Corsica Algeria and Tunis. ana
The return OF the troops sent to Algeria and runs
and the coast towns OF France recently. o"hs 10
he tension Of the Anglo French relations
POSSIBLE TROUBLE FOR THE FRENCH
Soudanese experts predict that tho French VIII
find they have hornets nest in the region around
Lake Tcbad where several powerful potentates
hold sway The leading ruler is Raheh. formerly
q slave I'm Upper Egypt, who went westward and
carved an empire for himself with MS sword lie Is
now, gtyed the african Napoleon" has an army or
forty thousand men and rules the territory south
west Of Lake Tchad. lie is At loggcrhcads with
the neighbOring Sultan OF Wadal. whose couHiS -
aIso inciudnd in the French sphere and who has
atsO INC ,b milton followers among the Scnoussi
and whose troops are said 10 ne lcd ny t-uipp.aI5
betueen Rabeb and Wadai. but II this leads 10 an
attempt TO subdue either OF them she VIII nave d
tremendous struggle before her especlaIg ~ ne io
case Of Wadai as thousands Of the Senoussl I'VE
in Tunis and Algeria and would probably " ma IKE X
cause 18th their corchelonlsIs ahu ,;
involving an outbreak in Frances North African
psiatin P3cha IN an Interview IS quoted as say
ING. Frances conquest Of her new protectorate
will he very difficult and Will entail many sa'r-
ices"