The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-02
FRANCE WELL TREATED,
LORD sALISBURY'S GENEROSITY IN
THE SOUDAN EG~0TIATIONS.

Received in tho Jameson Rnid-Po-
Iico Indifference to q Brutal Murder in
Hartford, Twenty Miles from London
IoNpoN. March 25.-The new A~nglo-French
agreement Is regarded by those who know as
n very creditable piece OF work for NJ. Delcasse
the French Foreign Minister. II IL safe TO say
that IL Lord Salisbury had chosen TO be exact
Ing he could have left France with a good deal
Less territory in Central Africa than the new
agreement gives her. In fact. OH the sketch
map OF the area affected. France appears
10 have the best OF the compromise.
But the truth is that as regards the
quality and future OF the possessions affected
It has been OF necessity q case OF bargaining
in the dark and this from the simple fact. as
q writer In to-day's Times points out. that the
material for any careful estimate OF the prob
able economic value OF the States affected by
the new agreement is largely wanting.
He adds some instructive mme on tho
agreement in general which bears testimony
TO our meagre knowledge Of the geography OF
the Central Soudnn. for it does not attempt to
do moro than effect q rough division. on
principle. leaving to n mixed commits
sion, to be subsequently appointed. the
thorny task OF tracing a working frontier.
In Africa tho limits Of native States are never
clearly defined. frequently varying from year
TO year, according to the ability OF the reigning
Sultan to impose his rule over the tribes in
his vicinity. or according to the strength or
weakness Of q neighborlng potentate. There Is
obviously. therefore. room for considerable dif-
ference OF opinion as to what are the respective
limits OF Wadai and Oar Fur. and in the inter-
ests OF both countries 1t Is greatly to be de-
sired that the WORK OF delimitation may not be
unduly delayed. The Wanna incident in the
Sierra Leone Hnterland Is a standing warning
OF the danger Of leaving a frontier unidentified.
The economic value OF the territories which
are now divided up between France and Great
Britain must necessarily be almost entirely a
matter OF speculation. The testimony Of
several competent witnesses has been ad-
duced. to. prove that the Bahr- el-Ghazal
was not the pestilential swamp which GER
tain writer's had, for obvious reasons. repre-
scented 10 to be. and there appears to be no
reason why. in course Of time. under Lord
Kitthener's wise and energetic rule. all
the, recovered provinces should not con-
tribute toward the establishment Of q
selEsupporting Soudan Government. The
advance OF the railway has brought the
Soudan into closer economic touch with
Egypt and the outer world than it has
ever before been. and tho Nile itself. in
spite Of its cataracts. affords q highway OF in
CHlCulhOl6 NhIut uOW VIA tIo WlOl 'puISc VI
the river Is under British control. The final
smashing ofthe Khalita is. OF course. n condi-
ton .precedent TO the reducing into possession
Of Kordotan and Oar Fur. but this is an event
which we are justified in hoping may not be
much longer delayed: and once the power OF
Abdullahi Is broken we may expect Lord Kit
ehener to enter into possession Of this new
heritage.
It is to be feared that France may find the
reducing into possession OF her new territory
east OF Lake Chad Il somewhat longer bust
ness. There 10 now no particular reason why
she. should hurry herself unduly. No rival
European power is In the lists. and now that
tho non intervention OF Great Britain is Sc
cured France may proceed to establish her au-
thority at her leisure. 1t is obvious that
France cannot hope to derive any immediate
commercial advantage from this extern
sion OF territory. Whether. in the future.
results adequate to tho outlay in men and
money which Franco has already made In
establishing her vast colonial empire will re-
ward her heroic efforts Is a question to which
The future can alone supply the answer. But
In the meantime the agreement which Lord
Salisbury and NJ. Cambon have Just signed will
enable France to take her own time over the
task 10 Central Africa-aud this in itself is no
small gain"
A detailed account has just reached London
of an important experiment made at the in
stance Of NJ. de Witte. the Minister Of Finance.
for keeping open communication from the
Baltic and st. Petersburg with the port OF Crou-
stadt iuring the winter months. Cronstadt is.
rs is well known. icebound from about the first
week In November until the middle Of April by
q solids compact mass OF ice 30 strong that artil-
leryis regularly transferred on sledges from the
island to the mainland. How to convey pas
sengers and goods to Cronstadt during these
months by ships has long been under the con-
sideration OF Russian ship designers. and to
Admiral MakarofT has fallen the honor of solv-
ing the problem.
From the designs OF the Admiral. Messrs.
Armstrong, Mitchell & Co. OF Newcastle have
lately constructed a vessel called the Ermak.
She is Of steel. is 305 feet long. OF 5000 tons
burden and 5000 horsepower. The ship
Is very strongly built and. besides provision
for carrying passengers and cargo. Is also
adapted for towing. But tho chief feature is u
specially arranged screw under the bows. A!d-
miral Makarof came to the conclusion that if Il
volume OF water could be forced beneath the
ice it would have the effect Of raising the huge
mass. which. in these circumstances. could be
broken by the PROV OF the ship being pro-
PEELED against 1t. In a vessel employed on suc!,
work III was essential tllat she should be
built without a keel. To counterfeit the great
rolling which must follow from the adoption Of
this plan. water ballast was placed on board
and so arranged as to avoid any great list. The
full account Of the voyage of the Ermak. which
has Just reached here. shows that the ship has
answered evory expectation formed OF her by
her designer.
The vessel left Newcastle on March ., Adj
mirai Makaroff and several Russian officers
and commercial men being on board. as well
as nineteen passengers. The arrangements
for the comfort Of the latter arc complete.
The saloon is constructed with double
windows ard double skylightS to pre-
serve the heat. together with appliances
for introducing hot air into the apartment.
The walls are OF English oak ycneered with
walnut. the saloon and the ship throughout
being lit by electricity. When the I.rmak
arrived at Rcval. IA port in the Baltic. she met
with solid ice. The screw n the bow was at
once, brought into roIuisition. the ice wa,
broken. and the vessel was able 10 steam atthc
rate OF seven knots An hour as far a- the
island of IIogland. But the novelty Of the
exueriment demandeu cautious navigation.