In France, M. Guizot is better, and the Fortifications-bill is
passed. It contains a clause, however, providing that the arms and ammunition shall be stored at Bourges, except in time of actual war ; so that there will be some opportunity for an invading enemy to cut off the communication between the metropolitan cannon and the powder and ball. That may increase the interest of the game of war by increasing its vicissitudes ; and meanwhile, it calms the fears of the Parisians, who are terribly afraid of being shot by their own guns.
That matter disposed of, Africa is the principal quarter of atten- tion. Abd-el-Kader and other Arabs again put Algeria into a ferment ; and Marshal Bugeaud is preparing an expedition against some undeclared portion of the Moorish subjects of France. Africa also forms the subject of the convention under negotia- tion in London ; and it is now rumoured that the Commissioners contemplate a new plan of combating the slave-trade—a system of obtaining consent from Native chiefs, and then to attack Lorre- coons and other slave-depots. It is not shown how thus carrying on shore the coercion which has so greatly increased the horrors of slave-trading at sea will benefit the slaves ; while it certainly involves the interferers in a new field of einbarraeaments. The barracoons attacked, how will their reerection be prevented, ex- cept by occupation ? Then, is it to be a joint occupation, or an English occupation ',pre and a French one there/ What rights of occupancy will the European powers claims ? What will guard against the mutual jealousies of armed parties virtually coloniz- ing in company . And will it stop the trade ? Assuredly not— it will only drive it more into by-places and more sanguinary secrec-y. The migration from Africa to Tropical America is not so lightly to be stopped. It might, if England took a bolder policy and set an intelligent example, be converted from a migra- tion of slaves to a free migration. 'France would probably be jea- lous of so broad a measure, because she has no colonial relations of a -kind to facilitate so grand and philanthropic a task or to benefit by sharing in the process : her jealousy is a difficulty which we have made for ourselves by our meddling ; but the mere force of so simple a plan would bear down opposition, and would do more to reconcile slave-owning countries by setting an example of free trade in free labour than all our cruises and raids on the African coast.
