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also reported that the Chief of the Shilluk Tribe denied having made any Treaty with the French, that "the entire tribe expressed the greatest delight at returning to allegiance with us," and that Marchand was in want of ammunition and supplies. "Any that may be sent to him must take months to arrive at their destination. He is cut off from the interior, and is quite inadequately provided with water transport. Moreover, he has no following in the country, and nothing could have saved his expedition from being annihilated by the Dervishes if we had been a fortnight later in crushing the Khalifa." On these facts being brought to the knowledge of M. Delcassé, he said he could say nothing until he had consulted his colleagues. On September 27th M. Delcassé asked that Lord Salisbury should consent to a telegram (en clair if thought fit) being sent by the French Agent at Cairo, via Khartoum to Fashoda. The telegram would contain instructions to Marchand to send at once one of the French officers with him to Cairo, with a copy of his (Marchand's) Report, so that the French Government might learn its contents as soon as possible. M. Delcassé laid stress upon the desire of France, equally with Great Britain, to avoid a conflict. Sir Edmund Monson's Despatch proceeds: "I told M. Delcassé in reply, that I must conclude, from the language which he had held, that the French Government had decided that they would not recall M. Marchand before receiving his report, and I asked if I was right in this conclusion. I pointed out to his Excellency that M. Marchand himself is stated to be desirous of retiring from his position, which appeared to be a disagreeable one. being the case, I must urgently press him to tell me whether he refused at once to recall M. Marchand. After considering his reply for some few minutes, his Excellency said that he himself was ready to discuss the question in the most conciliatory spirit, but I must not ask him for the impossible. I pointed out that your Lordship's telegram of the 9th instant, which I had communicated to him at the time, had made him aware that Her Majesty's Government considered that there could be no discussion upon such questions as the right of Egypt to Fashoda." Lord Salisbury (September 28th) telegraphed to Sir Edmund that Her Majesty's Government could not decline to forward a message to the explorer, that facilities would be given for its speedy despatch, and that he did not desire to know its purport. But Sir Edmund was to explain that the British Government "could not be responsible for the results to the health or safety of the explorer which the delay in quitting his present situation may bring about." On October 3rd Lord Salisbury informed Sir Edmund that the message from the French Government to Marchand had been transmitted to Khartoum, and would be forwarded thence. He added::-"In order to avoid any misunderstanding, you should state to M. Delcassé

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that the fact of Her Majesty's Government having complied with his Excellency's request in regard to the transmission of the message does not imply the slightest modification of the views previously expressed by them. You should add that, whether in times of Egyptian or Dervish dominion, the region in which M. Marchand was found has never been without an owner, and that, in the view of Her Majesty's Government, his expedition into it with an escort of 100 Senegalese troops has no political effect, nor can any political significance be attached to it." An Appendix to this correspondence contains documents showing the position of affairs between France and Great Britain in relation to the Nile Valley prior to the Khartoum occupation and the arrival of Marchand at Fashoda. The first is a Memorandum by M. Decrais, and dated August 8th, 1894. Its argument is that the rights of the Sultan and of the Khedive of Egypt in the provinces of the basin of the Upper Nile was unimpaired by the Agreement (to which France objected) of May 12th, 1894, between Great Britain and the Congo Free State. There is also a Despatch from the Earl of Kimberley (August 14th, 1894) to Lord Dufferin, then Ambassador in Paris, replying to the objections of France to this Agreement. Then follows the speech by Sir Edward Grey in the House of Commons, which has already been quoted. Following this is an extract from M. Hanotaux's speech to the Senate, in which he said, inter alia :-"Between the country of the lakes and the point of Wady Halfa, on the Nile, extends a vast region, measuring 20 degrees of latitude, or 2,000 kilomètres, that is more than the breadth of Western Europe from Gibraltar to Dunkirk. this region there is at this moment, perhaps, not a single European; in any case, there does not exist any power derived, by any title, from a European authority. It is the country of the Mahdi! Now, gentlemen, it is the future of this country which fills, with an uneasiness which we may describe as at least premature, the minds of a certain number of persons interested in Africa. The Egyptians who occupied this vast domain for a considerable time have moved to the north. Emin Pasha himself was compelled to withdraw. The rights of the Sultan and the Khedive alone continue to exist over the regions of the Soudan and of Equatorial Africa." And, in conclusion:-"When the time comes for settling finally the fate of these distant countries, I am one of those who think that, by seeing that the rights of the Sultan and of the Khedive are respected, and by assigning to each party concerned what is due to it according to its works, two great nations will be able to arrive at an arrangement which will reconcile their interests and satisfy their common aspirations towards civilization and progress." FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE (Egypt, No. III. October, 1898. Continuation of Egypt, No.

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II.). This Correspondence opens with a Despatch (October 6th) by Lord Salisbury to Sir Edmund Monson, recounting a conversation with Baron de Courcel, the French Ambassador, at the Foreign Office. The interview lasted nearly two hours, and was chiefly occupied by observations on his (de Courcel's) part, upon the question of Fashoda. His argument was, principally, that though the country bordering the White Nile was formerly under the Government of Egypt, it had become res nullius by its abandonment by that Government; that the French had as much right as the Germans or Belgians to a position on the Nile, and that the French Government, by the reserves it had uniformly made in that diplomacy on the subject, "had retained for themselves the right to occupy the banks of the Nile when they thought fit." In reply, Lord Salisbury pointed out that however much the success of the Mahdi had rendered dormant the Egyptian title to the banks of the Nile, the amount of right gained by the Mahdi, whatever it was, had been entirely transferred to the conqueror. That question could only have been settled, as it was settled, on the field of battle. But the controversy did not authorize a third party to claim the disputed land as derelict. "There is no ground in international law for asserting that the dispute of title between them, which had been inclined one day by military superiority in one direction, and a few years later had been inclined in the other, could give any authority or title to another Power to come in and seize the disputed region as vacant or relinquished territory. To the last the power of the Dervishes was extended as far south as Bor, and their effective occupation did not cease till their title passed by the victory of Omdurman without diminution into the hands of the conquering armies. I pointed out to him that such an occupation as that of M. Marchand, with an escort of 100 troops, could give no title to the occupying force, and that, in point of fact, but for the arrival of the British flotilla M. Marchand's escort would have been destroyed by the Dervishes. M. Marchand's was a secret expedition into a territory already owned and occupied, and concerning which France had received repeated warnings that a seizure of land in that locality could not be accepted by Great Britain. The first warning was the Anglo-German Agreement, which was communicated to the French Government, and the provisions of which, as regards the Nile, were never formally contested. The next warning was given by the Agreement with the King of the Belgians, which gave him, for his lifetime, occupation up to Fashoda, and which Agreement is in existence and full force still. It has never been cancelled and never been repudiated by this country. It is true that the King of the Belgians was persuaded, without any assent on the part of Great Britain, to promise the French Government that he would not take advantage of it beyond a certain limit; but

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that concession on his part did not diminish the significance of the act as an assertion of her rights by England. In the objections raised by the French Government to that arrangement, the rights of the Khedive over these territories were expressly asserted as still existing. Then came Sir Edward Grey's speech in 1895, which was followed in 1897 by a formal note from your Excellency, informing the French Foreign Minister that Her Majesty's Government adhered to the statements made by their predecessors by that speech. If France had throughout intended to challenge our claims, and to occupy a portion of this territory for herself, she was bound to have broken silence. At all events, if she thought fit to try, in face of these warnings, to establish a title over the vast territory to which they applied by a secret expedition of a handful of men, she must not be surprised that the claim would not be recognized by us." Baron de Courcel "insisted on the strength of feeling that prevailed in France on the subject. I assured him that the strength of feeling in England was not less remarkable." He made no definite proposal, but "indicated pretty clearly that the delimitation must be one which would give a considerable stretch of the left bank of the Nile to France." Salisbury gave no countenance to this suggestion. In reply to Baron de Courcel's complaint that France should be excluded from the Nile, while Germany and Belgium were admitted, Lord Salisbury pointed out that the possession of a portion of the shores of Lake Victoria Nyanza could hardly be called & position on the banks of the Nile; and that whatever rights the Congo State possessed below Lado, where the navigable Nile commenced, were only given to the King of the Belgians during his life. "We separated without coming to any conclusion; for I had no communication to make, except the reiteration of our claim of right; and he made no suggestion of any arrangement by which that right could be reconciled with the present pretensions or desires of France." Writing from Dal, White Nile (September 21st), the Sirdar sent a full report of his arrival at Fashoda, and meeting with Major Marchand, whom he informed that "the presence of the French at Fashoda and in the Valley of the Nile was regarded as a direct violation of the rights of Egypt and Great Britain, and that he must protest in the strongest terms against their occupation of Fashoda, and the hoisting of the French flag in the dominions of the Khedive." Major Marchand said that, as a soldier, he had to obey orders. "The instructions of his Government to occupy the Bahr-el-Ghazel and the Mudirieh of Fashoda were precise, and, having carried them out, he must await the orders of his Government as to his subsequent action and movements." then pointed out that I had the instructions of the Government to re-establish Egyptian authority in the Fashoda Mudirieh, and I asked M. Marchand whether he was prepared

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-on behalf of the French Government-to resist the execution of these orders; he must be fully aware, I said, that the Egyptian and British forces were very much more powerful than those at his disposal, but, at the same time, I was very averse to creating a situation which might lead to hostilities. I therefore begged M. Marchand to most carefully consider his final decision on this matter. I further informed him that I should be pleased to place one of the gunboats at his disposal to convey him and his expedition north. In answer to this, M. Marchand did not hesitate to admit the preponderating forces at my disposal, and his inability to offer effective armed resistance; if, however, he said, I felt obliged to take any such action, he could only submit to the inevitable, which would mean that he and his companions would die at their posts. He begged, therefore, that I would consider his position, and would allow the question of his remaining at Fashoda to be referred to his Government, as, without their orders, he could not retire from his position or haul down his flag; at the same time, he said, he felt sure that, under the circumstances, the orders for his retirement would not be delayed by his Government, and that then he hoped to avail himself of the offer I had made him. I then said to him: "Do I understand that you are authorized by the French Government to resist Egypt in putting up its flag and reasserting its authority in its former possessions-such as the Mudirieh of Fashoda?" M. Marchand hesitated, and then said he could not resist the Egyptian flag being hoisted. I replied that my instructions were to hoist the flag, and that I intended to do so. The flag was hoisted accordingly. The correspondence contains the letters which passed between the Sirdar and Major Marchand the day before the former's arrival at Fashoda. Major Marchand informed the Sirdar that "by orders of my Government, I have occupied the Bahr-el-Ghazel as far as Meshra-erRek, and the confluence of the Bahr-elGhazel with the Bahr-el-Djebel, as well as the Shilluk Country on the left bank of the White Nile, as far as Fashoda, which I entered on the 10th July last." Being attacked by two Dervish steamers on August 25th, he drove them off. "After this engagement, the first consequence of which was the liberation of the Shilluk country, I signed, on 3rd September, a Treaty with Sultan Kour Abd-el-Fadil, Grand Mek, placing the Shilluk country, on the left bank of the White Nile, under the Protectorate of France, subject to ratification by my Government"-copies of which Treaty had been sent to Europe by way of Sobat and Abyssinia, and also by way of the Bahrel-Ghazel to the West Coast. Against this positive statement is to be set the following passage from the Sirdar's report of his arrival at Fashoda:-"The Mek of the Shilluks had by this time arrived in the Egyptian camp at Fashoda with a large

contingent of his followers; he utterly denied that he had made any Treaty whatever with M. Marchand's expedition, and expressed his great satisfaction that the Government had taken over the administration of his country. On September 21st the Sirdar informed Major Marchand of the establishment of Government posts and garrisons on the Sobat and the despatch of gunboats up the Bahr-el-Ghazel to establish posts there. On October 12th, Lord Salisbury reported to Sir E. Monson another long conversation with the French Ambassador in London. "He" (Baron de Courcel) "insisted that he had no instructions"; he wished only "to explore the question"; "but I declined to make any proposal or suggestion under those conditions"; anything he said would not bind his Government with anything Lord Salisbury said would bind the British Government. The Ambassador afterwards said that though he had no special instructions he had general instructions. The field of argument was then re-traversed.

Lord Salisbury insisted that the Valley of the Nile had belonged and still belonged to Egypt. "Whatever impediment or diminution that title might have suffered through the conquest and occupation of the Mahdi had been removed by the victory of the Anglo-Egyptian army on September 2nd. There was no pretence, therefore, for the contention that the region was open to the enterprises or occupation of a third Power. But, even if it had been so, no title or right of occupation could be created by a secret expedition across unknown and unexplored wastes, at a distance from the French border, by M. Marchand and a scanty escort." Discussing with the Ambassador, Major Marchand's retreat westward, Lord Salisbury offered to furnish the officer with the necessary provisions and munitions of war to enable him to reach what was admitted to be French territorythe region lying beyond the watershed that separates the Ubanghi from the affluents of the Nile. The Despatch proceeds :-" To this suggestion, however, his Excellency did not assent. He passed from it suddenly, and stated that the object of the French Government was to have an outlet to the Nile for their Ubanghi province, and he asked for such a territorial delimitation as would place France upon the navigable portion of the Bahr-el-Ghazel, so that no frontier could intervene between her commerce and the Nile. He stated that posts had been for a considerable time established by France in the upper portions of the province, and that they had every right to them which could arise from long and undisputed occupation. I replied that these were questions which I was not in a position to discuss. I did not possess as yet the requisite knowledge to enter satisfactorily upon the points that he had raised, and any proposals affecting a general delimitation were of too grave a character to be disposed of except by the submission of

definite proposals to the Cabinet, furnished with such information as was necessary for the consideration of the subject. He intimated that if I could give him a satisfactory answer on this question, M. Marchand might be allowed to return down the Nile. I did not, however, enter upon this idea, which was only indicated in a vague and superficial way. I pointed out to him that both with respect to the means of M. Marchand's retreat and any other stipulations which it was his object to suggest, it would be very difficult to deal with them satisfactorily unless he was good enough to let me have them in a written form. The extreme indefiniteness of his language, and the rhetorical character he gave to it by the great earnestness with which he addressed himself to the subject, made it impossible for me to express or to form any definite opinion upon the various propositions which he seemed to desire to convey. I thought it better to wait until they were submitted either to me or to your Excellency in a more precise and tangible form rather than enter upon a discussion which, under the circumstances, would have been fruitful of misapprehension. This appeared to me especially to be the case with respect to the allusions which he made from time to time to what he considered to be the territory to which France had a just right. I informed him that it was no part of my duty to discuss these claims now, but that in abstaining from doing so I must not be understood to be in any degree admitting their validity."

EMIGRATION GRATION.

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Report for 1897, by Board of Trade.— There was a diminished passenger traffic with countries out of Europe, but a considerable increase in the Continental traffic. A summary of the general passenger movement in 1897 shows outwards, to countries out of Europe 213,280; to Europe, 569,150. Inwards, from countries out of Europe, 155,114; from Europe, 587,000. Balance outwards, 40,316. The total outcome of the whole passenger movement of 1897, viz., an excess of about 40,300 in the number of persons leaving the United Kingdom over the number of persons arriving here from all parts, will be seen to have been the result of a net balance outwards of 52,800 natives, and a net balance inwards of 12,500 foreigners. Among the latter, however, are included 10,800 foreign sailors, who, coming to the United Kingdom as passengers, are reckoned among the immigrants enumerated in the above table, but of whom there is no such record when they leave as members of the crews of outgoing ships. Making this deduction, then, it would appear that the result of the total passenger movement inwards and outwards in 1897 was an addition to the foreign population of the United Kingdom of somewhat less than 2,000 persons. The number of emigrants from

this country to places out of Europe in 1897 was 213,280, including foreigners. British and Irish emigrants numbered 146,460. The total figure is less by 29,000 than in 1896, and by 58,500 in 1895. "Of the total number of emigrants in 1897, viz., 213,280, 132,048 booked for the United States, 22,669 for British North America, 12,396 for Australasia, 28,801 for the Cape and Natal, and 17,366 for other places. Taking the equivalent proportions, it is seen that 72.5 per cent. of the emigrants went to North America, 5.8 to Australasia, and 13.5 to South Africa. As compared with the figures for 1896, emigrants to the United States were fewer by over 22,000, and those to South Africa were fewer by 7,000. Emigration to British North America was practically at the same level in the two years, while there was an increase of nearly 1,700 persons among emigrants to Australasia. The diminished emigration to South Africa is noticeable as interrupting the continuous increase hitherto observed for some time past in the passenger movement in that part of the world. The number of emigrants thither in 1897 was, however, still higher by nearly 3,000 than in 1895. The decrease between 1896 and 1897, though shared almost equally between native and foreign emigrants from this country to South Africa, was relatively greater among the latter, who numbered 7,692 last year, against 11,246 in the preceding year, a fall of 31.6 per cent., while the decrease from 24,594 to 21,109 among British and Irish emigrants represents a fall of only 14 per cent. In this connection it may be noted that the number of emigrants coming under the description of 'miners and quarrymen' who left in 1897 for places other than North America or Australasia (mainly, therefore, no doubt, for South Africa) was only 3,508, as against 6,866 in 1896." Alien Immigration.-After analysing the Continental passenger movement, and making necessary deductions for foreign immigrants who left here for places. outside Europe, and for seamen, the Report says: "It would appear that the net result of the total passenger movement of 1897 into and out of the United Kingdom was to increase the foreign population of this country, taking all classes and nationalities together, by somewhat less than 2,000 persons." The Report shows that the total number of persons entered on the alien lists for 1897 was 80,834, of whom 32,221 were stated to be en route to other countries, and 10,762 were seamen. Discussing the nationalities of the remainder of 38,851, the Report says: "The most important class, from the point of view of this inquiry, is that of Russian and Polish immigrants, who increased in number last year by 2,002, a rather large increase, though less than that between 1895 and 1896, which was itself smaller than the increase from 1894 to 1895. Of the total number of Russian and Polish immigrants, 12,232, or nearly 83 per cent., came to London, as against 9,762 in 1896 (76 per cent. of the total number

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for that year). This increase at the Port of London more than accounts for the total increase between 1896 and 1897. At West Hartlepool and at the Tyne ports there was also some increase, the numbers for 1897 being 514 in the former and 65 in the latter case, against 430 and 8 respectively in 1896. But at Hull there arrived 955 only in 1897, compared with 1,219 in 1896; at Grimsby 685 last year, against 794 in the previous year; at Leith and Grangemouth only 9, compared with 199 in 1896; and at Newhaven 225, as against 257. Of the 12,232 Russian and Polish immigrants that arrived at London in 1897, and were not stated in Alien Lists to be en route to other countries, 5,004 came from Hamburg, and 2,814 from Bremen and Bremerhaven, as compared with 4,874 and 3,190 respectively in 1896. Of the remainder 3,946, i.e., all but some four or five hundred, came to London direct from Libau. The considerable immigration of Russians and Poles which has recently taken place from the Port of Libau was noted in last year's Report, and the figures just quoted for 1897 show that a large increase again occurred last year, the corresponding number for 1896 having been 1,197. Immigrants of this class coming from Libau to Hull were, however, fewer in 1897 than in the preceding year, the numbers being 396 last year and 571 in 1896. How many of these Russians and Poles who were not stated in the Alien Lists to be en route to other countries subsequently left the United Kingdom within the year we have, as already pointed out, no means of knowing; but that many did so leave is certain, for a large number of persons belonging to these nationalities were certainly included among the 2,700 aliens, who, as mentioned above, were ascertained by the Customs Officers to be proceeding forthwith to other countries, though not so stated in the Alien Lists. There is reason to suppose, moreover, that the above figure is in reality considerably under the mark. Again, a certain number of the immigrants doubtless left the country subsequently, either through the aid of the Jewish Board of Guardians, or the 'Conjoint Committee' of that body and the Russo-Jewish Committee, or without such assistance. During the year 1897 the above agencies assisted about 2,000 Jews (mostly Russians and Poles) to emigrate, and while no doubt only a part of these had arrived in this country during the year, this outflow must be taken into account in estimating the growth of the foreign Jewish population of London. It is known also that on a smaller scale various Jewish charitable organizations in the provinces assisted poor Jews to emigrate during the year. It is clear, therefore, that there is an appreciable outflow of Russian and Polish Jews, other than those described as transmigrants in the Alien Lists to be set against the immigration, although the data do not exist to enable its magnitude to be estimated." The Police Reports from various centres are,

roughly, to the effect that except in Leeds, where resident and casual Jews are increasing in numbers, there has been no appreciable increase either in numbers of aliens or in destitution. Except in London, Leeds and Cardiff, there had, so far as could be ascertained, been rather a decrease. "Information had been obtained through the Local Government Board as to the extent to which relief was granted to aliens by poor law authorities in the metropolis and the provinces. The effect is that such relief (chiefly medical aid) was granted to a slightly increased extent last year (compared with 1896) in London, Leeds, and Cardiff, but to a diminished extent in the rest of the country."

EPILEPTIC CHILDREN. (See EDUCATION.)

FACTORIES & WORKSHOPS.

Report for 1897, by Chief Inspector of Factories. In 1897 there were 655 fatal accidents in factories and 39,739 non-fatal accidents; in workshops there were 3 fatal and 77 non-fatal accidents. "The number of reported accidents continues to increase, notwithstanding the prevention of many more by the constant advance in fencing of dangerous machinery and appliances. The increase is not confined to any particular locality or industry, although, as will be seen presently, it affects one section of the working population (male adults) far more than the rest. To a large extent it would seem to be due to better observance of the requirements of the Acts-to fuller statistics, without necessary increase in number of casualties; or, in other words, to transfer from the unrecorded to the recorded class. Changes in the numbers of persons employed have also to be borne in mind." It appears that so far as fatal accidents are concerned the increase has been practically limited to adult males, although in the non-fatal class it was shared also by young persons and by females, children alone having a diminishing record in this respect. Lead Poisoning, &c.-The cases of lead poisoning, phosphorus poisoning, arsenic poisoning, and anthrax in 1897 numbered 1,239, as against 1,050 the previous year. "The increase in the number of reported cases of lead poisoning from 1,030 in 1896 to 1,214 in 1897, was shared by all the industries named in the list, with the exception of the manufacture of paints and colours. As in 1896 the worst records are those of the earthenware and white lead works." The reported cases of phosphorus poisoning were only two, the same number as in the previous year. "Others, however, have since come to light, and full inquiry is being made on this subject, the results of which will call for discussion in the next Annual Report. There are 24 match factories in the United Kingdom in which white or yellow phosphorus is used. Among the 1,700 persons employed in what may be

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