There is much discussion whether this incident is favour- able
or not to this country, it being reported on one side that M. Bourgeois will take a " firmer " tone, and on the other that he regards the position of Great Britain with a friendly eye. On Thursday M. Bourgeois read in the Chamber a carefully worded paper in which, after referring to some minor ques- tions, he declared that in Egypt Russia and France were in complete accord—he repeated this twice—that they had voted against the grant for the Soudan expedition, and being defeated, had lodged a protest, and were now negotiating "with firmness and prudence" (sagesse). He made a great point of the integrity of the Ottoman Empire, perhaps as an apology for the conduct of France in Armenia. The whole speech means, we imagine, that Russia being indis- posed to move, nothing will be done for the present, a view confirmed by the fact that Lord Salisbury has gone to the Riviera. It must not be forgotten that even if M. Bourgeois cares little about the Soudan expedition, as is probable, he needs the support of the "patriotic" party in the Chamber, and is, therefore, almost compelled to strike an attitude.
Previous page
