Les Anglais aux Indes et en Egypte, Par Eugtseie Aubin.
(A. Colin et Cie., Paris.)—M. Aubin, who is an old member of the French colony in Egypt, gives us in this volume his ideas on the relations between France and England in that country, on the policy which his own nation has followed, on the character of British rule, and, as a cognate subject, on India. He paid a visit to the latter country in the early part of 1897, and drew his conclusions from what he saw, or fancied that he saw. We ate not disposed to put much faith in the observations made during a single visit, and we should not find it difficult to make serious criticism on M. Aubin's statements. There may be " disaffection des races indigenes," but it is probably less serious than it has often been before ; nor is there anything to interfere with the effective policy of divide et impera. In fact the division is there, without any effort of ours. As for the revolt "sur toute l'aendue de la frontiere afghane," that certainly had nothing to do with the anti-British feeling of which Mr. Naoroji may be taken as a type. It was the normal action of mountain tribes, to whom war and robbery are necessaries of life. But M. Aubin does not himself preach an anti-British crusade. The concluding words of his preface are worth quoting :—" C'est la politique de revanche contre l'Allemagne qui, en concentrant exclusivement notre attention, et nos forces sur notre frontiers de l'Est, a donne l'Egypte a l'Angleterre. Par un effet contraire, une politique de revanche contre l'Angleterre serait assurement grosse d'aussi desastreux resultats."
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