No authentic details have yet been published in regard to
the new treaty of delimitation between France and China. The French Press, however, declares that M. Hanotaux has made a great coup. The _Republique Franfaise, for example, talks of the " tree beau succes diplomatique de notre ministre." If their information is correct, France has induced China to cede to her absolutely territory which we ceded to China for the express purpose of being formed into a "buffer-State," which was to straddle a portion of the Upper Mekong. When, however, we made this cession to China we took care to stipu- late that in case China ever abandoned the ceded territory it was to revert to England. The Daily Chronicle, which is specially well informed on all questions affecting the Far East, points out in Monday's issue that here at least our diplo- matists were not caught napping, and that the French claim to have got the whole of the left bank of the Mekong out of China was provided against in advance. Three of the Shan States, the Daily Chronicle points out, possessed trans-Mekong territory. One we have kept, and occupy, one we ceded to Siam, with reversion to us, and the other we ceded to China to be made into a buffer-State, also with reversion to us. The French claim to have got from China the whole of the left bank of the Mekong is then utterly absurd. As absurd is the boast that the new Treaty gives France exclusive privi- leges for opening up the Chinese province of Yunnan by railways. In December, 1893, Lord Dufferin formally told the French Government that we did not intend to try to get any exclusive privileges for ourselves. " It is understood," he added, " that in the Shan States the field is left as open to French as to English enterprise." M. Develle replied the same day that the French Government " adhered to the same principles without reserve." As the Daily Chronicle declares, if the Treaty is as represented, our Government must un doubtaly refuge to mognise it in Iota.