The French Yellow-Book on Egypt, published in Paris on Friday,
July 21st, contains an interesting account of how M. Waddington tried last autumn to pin Mr. Gladstone down to a promise of evacuation, and of how the great opportunist con- trived to baffle him :—" On November 1st, 1892, M. Wadding- ton had an interview with Mr. Gladstone, and suggested that negotiations might be resumed; Mr. Gladstone interrupted him with the question, On what basis M. Waddington replied that they had not got so far as that. What France wished to know for the moment was whether Great Britain was prepared to approach the question in an amicable spirit, and enter upon an exchange of views with her. Mr. Glad- stone thereupon remarked with some vivacity that he regretted the check which the negotiations of 1884 had received." Ultimately, Mr. Gladstone said he would consult his col- leagues.
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