THE EUROPEAN SITUATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2308, 26 May 1898, Page 13

THE EUROPEAN SITUATION.

JAPAN EAGER FOR ALLIANCE.

KEADY TO LAND TKOOPS IN CHINA.

.London, May 16.

Mr Chamberlain's Birmingham speeoh has created an extraordinary sensation on the Continent.

The French and Spanish newspapers are specially irritated at the idoa of an Ang'.o Saxon alliance.

The Amerioan people regard tbe Colonial , Secretary's utterances with sympathetic feeling. In some quarters it is believed that the speech is a revelation that negotiations for an Anglo-American alliance are in progress.

Reutei's Paris correspondent has been | authorised to issue a reassuring Note from the French Government in connection with ; the progress of the negotiations regarding the British acd French claim* in Nigeria. May 17. Mr Herbert Spencer, the Dnke of Argyle, ! and Sir C. Oilke have expreised opinion* in favour of an Anglo-American alliance. Tbe Nsw York correspondent of TheTim6B stales that few public men in America will commit ' themselves off-hand in regard to an | alliance. A few declared against it, but expressions of friendship towards England are universal. . The Stock Exchange is depressed and in a 1 nervous state owing to Mr Chamberlain's speech. May 18. In the House of Lords Lord Salisbury, re r plying to ft 'question by the Earl of Kimberley, declined to discuss Mr Ohamberlain'a apeeoh without notice being previously given. Lord Salisbury, in making re- | ferences to Japan, adopted a tone !of marked friendliness. He implied that tbe occupation of Wei-hai-wei was Intended to convey to Japan Oorea (sic). ■ Britain had maintained her rights in North China. He hoped the occupation of Wei-hai-wei would inispire China with courage to withstand her enemies and avert the despairing feeling that Rassian domination was her inexorable" destiny. { The German newspapers discuss Mr Chamberlain's Birmingham speech in a respectful, almost sympathetic, tone. j

May 19.

The Telegraph's Tientsin correspondent wires that Japan is eager for an alliance with Britain, and ready to land 300,000 troops on the mainland to check the Ba3sian absorption of Chic*. Pabis, May 17.. The French authorities are making great naval preparations. The Temps Bays that Britain'a efforts to secure a set-off in the Niger against Port Arthur and Talien-Wan will create a delicate and dangerous situation. May 18. The defeat MM. De la Fosse, Dsloncle, and Charges 'at the general election has relieved M. Hanotaux, Foreign Minister, from the pressure of the chiefs of the colonial extremist party, and is expected to facilitate the granting of concessions to great Bfifiain in regard to the Niger difficulty. May 19.

Admiral Dupont deplores the crushing numerical naval superiority of Great Britain ov«r France, and says that in the event of war France would have to organise an implacable system of privateering. Bsblin, May 17.

The Frankfurter Zaituog states that the treaty defining tho Russian and Austrian spheres of influence in the Balkans lasts until 1902, aad will then be renewable automatically.

New Yohk, May 19. Britain is storing enormous supplies of coa? ai Esquimauit,

There is a sentence in the summary of Lord Salisbury's speech given above which has been' cabled in such a vague manner that its meaning can only be surmised. It will be remembered that in announcing the leasing of Wei-hai-wai the Earl "of Devonshire Jntimated that Japan had desired that her reply to Britain's intimation should not be then made public. It may be inferred that Lord Salisbury w*k referring to the wishes oi Japan in couaectioi v:thWei-hai-

wei, and that it is intended tx assist- ie convey-

iDg Corea to Japan as an offset. The order of "the words renders the sentence al<o capable of the meaning that Wei-hai-wes would [be handed ovet to Japan for Corea. The oews conveyed by ccblfc fchis weak of Japan's es^ernesß to conclude an alliance with TiritssD is farther proof that Lord Salisbury has an understanding with the Japanese Govern*

| ment, and it is therefore annoy iug that the { cabled summary of his speech was mutilated, j The posHion in Core*, and what any concession

to Japan implies is set oat in the following

i extract from the -Sis. Petersburg correspondent-] iof the Sydney Morning Herald :— " An official | ] coratnuuication of the Government appeared in i | all the papers declaring bhat news fremSaoulindi- \ oates that Gorea is agajn giving symptoms of fermentation, both &monjz the tLQvetmna classes and

among the people, and «;fcat, upon being questioned .by Ru<man delegates, the Emperor Li, influenced by the party that are entirely opposed to any foreign intervention whatever, declares now that Csrea requires no mora help in the administration of the finances or the organisation of the ftrmy ! Considering the obstacles that are thrown iv the way of the Russian rnilittry instructors and flnancists who had been sent from Russia at the enrnesb request 'of the Emperor of Corea to help him to. organise the country, recently rendered independent by the hand of Russia, an order has been iwued recalling those instructors and financistg, so that. Corea should be left to be governed a« she thinks proper. The military instructors will leave the army ; but it is considered fit that; they should remain tome tisne longer at the cqratnand of the Russian Mission in S»oul. Russia to -retires from all active intervention in' Corean affairs, hcplng that the country is now sufficiently prepared for an independent existence. Ia 'the contrary c*ae, Russia will take energetic measures to defend her rights, as nerb door neighbour to Corea. The fear of Russia is that Corea should fall into Japanese hands, and it is this core question that is most likely, sooner or later, to lead to * ruptare; for Core* is too near the Asiatic colonies of Russia, and a strong «oy of whatever nation could "no more be tolerated there than ia Finland," at least such is the opinion of M. Soavorine, which is too often taken Abroad to be the opinion of all the Rurnians.