On Saturday last General D'Amade, the French officer who conducted
the campaign in the Shawia with so much success, was placed on the unattached list of the French Army as a punishment for the indiscreet remarks which he made for publication in the _Malin. In the " interview " he questioned the good faith of Spain in her Moroccan campaign, and declared that if France did not watch her own interests, the route from 17jda to Rabat by way of Taza would be closed to her. Taza, in fact, might become another Fashoda. The campaign in the Riff was more than punitive, or Spain would not hare sent such a large army. General D'Amade said further that " King Alfonso has never concealed his desire to obtain in Morocco compensations for the loss of the Colonial Empire of Spain." General D'Amade's compulsory retire- ment was quickly announced by the Minister for War. We do not see that any other decision could have been taken by the French Government, for General D'Amade obviously transgressed all the rules for officers on the active list. We hope, nevertheless, that the retirement of this distinguished officer will not last long, and we trust that his fears, though unwarrantable in the particular form in which he expressed them, may be a warning to the Spanish Government. The policy of drift may lead to unintended results, and there has been a disquieting amount of drift already.
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