President Loubet, perhaps stimulated by the example of Mr. Chamberlain,
is about to undertake a long tour of inspection in Algeria. He will examine the centres of colonisation, will visit the Kabyle tribes, will hold a dis- cussion with the semi-independent chiefs, and will study for himself the arrangements for garrisoning the colony. The precise object of the unusual journey is not stated. The Algerians, white and brown, have many grievances, some of which the President may be able to remove; but he is a man of business capacity, and we should imagine that his chief wish would be to ascertain whether the great cost of Algeria to France could not be diminished. Large reductions are inevitable if the French Budget is to be fully adjusted, and some of them must be contributed by the Colonial Depart- ment. There is little hope of an improvement in the local revenue, for the French are not colonists; and as little of a reduction in the cost of the garrison, for they have not con- ciliated the Arabs, or killed out their hope that they may one day recover their old dominion. Algeria gives employment to as many white troops as all Northern India.
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