German Colonisation.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 70, 23 March 1889, Page 4

German Colonisation.

A REVIEW OF THE SAMOAN

SITUATION,

(By Sir- George Grey.) 11. A CURIOUS SCENE AT BERLIN. However, all considerations of the state of the British Empire, of its present interests and future prospects, and of its allies and neighbours, were cast aside by Prince Bismarck, and he determined even to try and gain the assistance of England as an ally and confederate in carrying out his favourite project, and with that end in view made most dangerous proposals to the English Ministers. In opening the negotiations he was urgent in his statements that he attached great importance to the friendship of England and Germany. A cautious statesman might have been a iittle alarmed at negotiations which opened with such declarations. Apparently the relations between the two countries were very happy ones. Did these expressions mean that these relations could, only continue in this state upon the condition chat something was done by England? If so, what was that something ? The negotiations having been opened, were carried on vigorously, we know not exactly how. But at length, in 1885, a very interesting scene in the drama we are considering was performed. This scene is .9 well described that we may almost iriJaginc we are present at it. Two great aCtors occupy the stage, Prince Bismarck as representative of Germany, Sir Edward- Malet as repre--1 sentative of the British Empire, or rather jof the English Ministry of the day. The men and women of Greater Britain, knowing nothing of this interview, sleep on soundly. Prince Bismarck is there to push on the great colonising scheme of Germany—Sir Edward Malet sits thereon a mission from Lord Salisbury, "to bring about a better understanding between England and Ger man}'." So the negotiations have already a little damaged the previous friendship. They sit face to face; there,was no audience present, nor a single representative of Greater Britain, of the many millions of Europeans and natives of various races, whose dearest I interests were likely to be made ducks and drakes of. The Baron de Worms j in February last explained in the House of Commons, on behalf of the Ministers, that Greater Britain did not require j to be represented at such a conference. It was unnecessary, he said, that the Australian colonies should be repref _ ented. " The British Envoy would," he i said, "take the necessary steps to insure imperial interests being thoroughly represented." This is undoubtedly 2. fine piece of irony. The sequel of this interview will show how it was proposed to protect all distant interests. _ Parliament appears to have been delighted with the Baron's reply. It must have b*°.en this witty irony that pleased them —/or thai; was really good. It is probable that the Baron knew nothing about the question or the interview we are considering; and this is the most consoling view of' the subject. Sir Edward reports the interview. Prince Bismarck said, "That at every point at which Germany had endeavoured to found a colony England had closed in, making new acquisitions so as to restrict Germany's power of expansion." He instanced the case of New Guinea, and in spite of the clear reasoning of Sir Edward, stuck to his own argument with pertinacity. In fairness, it must be borne in mind that Sir Edward Malet is the person reporting the interview—his reasoning may have appeared less clear to Bismarck than it did to himself.

Prince Bismarck stated that the English Government had entirely failed to appreciate the importance that the German Government attached' to the colonial question. For if Lord Salisbury had understood it, the successive annoyances to which Germany had been exposed would have been averted.

Prince Bismarck then proceeded to read a despatch which he had written to Count Munster, German Ambassador in London, on\the sth of May, 1884. Sir Edward says that this despatch was a A^ery remarkable one. In this opinion, he is, I think, right But perhaps it'was hardly fair of Prince Bismarck to read so strange a document to Sir Edward. Pie was virtually about to ask Sir Edward to agree (x) that .England should be guilty of a dishonourable act, destructive of the best interests of those who placed the control of their destinies in her hands ; (2) that the party in power in England should agree to*adopt aline of

policy which, if carried out, would break up the empire, and entail disasters and sorrows such a. have not been witnessed in recent times.

To induce those who at the.time were in power in England to agree to these proposals, he was about to offer a temptation, in the first place, and then to let them know, by a threat, what would be the consequence of their refusal to agree to his proposals; but in doing this he was about to do a thing for which his conscience probably smote him. To dare plainly to ask a man ;vho was looking him full in the face, to join him in a very wrong transaction, which would' sacrifice the interests of many innocent people, and to tempt him by a very advantageous offer to acquiesce'in his proposal, Prince Bismarck must have felt was a very hazardous thing to do, for he might have been at once indignantly stopped. Bat his design was to work'on Sir Edward in two ways ; firstly, on his hopes of attaining for his country some desired end, by the offers of assistance in gaining this which w Tere held out; secondly, on his apprehensions, by a threat of what would happen in the event of his proposal being declined. Now, by reading a letter written to a third person some time previously in which all these things were embodied, instead of making them the subject of, direct proposal, he could attain his end of making them known in a much less personally offensive manner, and a listener hostile to such extraordinary proposals was much more likely to let him proceed to the end, from mere wonder and anxiety to know to what conclusion such unusual and daring language was to lead. The despatch read also appeared to lay ■ down the points for discussion at the interview, rand to disclose at once the general ! terms which Germany was prepared to | agree to and carry out, if his listener was prepared to accept them, and if Sir Edward was inclined to fall in with his proposal, he was likely to discover exactly what colonial sacrifices England was ready at once to yield. Sir Edward was also likely to be captivated by Bismarck's open declaration, so instantly and freely made, of the steps which Germany was prepared to take to promote some evidently anxious wishes of England. So Prince Bismarck read his despatch. It would have been strange and interesting to have heard his varied intonation, and to have seen his eager eyes glancing over the top of the paper he was reading as he tried to divine the impressions cf the man he was striving to influence by a temptation and to alarm by a threat to join in what was a wrongful act against the empire he represented,' Will he succeed ? Will deluded Sir Edward be led by such confidence to disclose his hand? What if Bismarck is ail the time leading him astray ? Thus ran the singular despatch to Count Munster :— It stated the great importance that the Prince attached to the colonial question, and also to the friendship of Germany and England. It pointed out that in the commencement of German colonial enterprise England might render signal service to Germany, and said that tor those services Germany would use her best endeavours on England's behalf on questions concerning her interests nearer home. It pressed these considerations with arguments to show the mutual advantages which such understanding would produce, and it then proceeded to instruct Count Munster to say if it could not be effected the result would be that Germany would seel: from France the assistance she had failed to obtain from England, and wotdd draw closer to her on the same lines on which she now endeavoured to meet England. The reading of the despatch having concluded, Sir E. Mallet appears to have remained silent. Any Englishman who loved his country might well have sat confounded. Prince Bismarck then took up a remark, which he attributed to Lord Salisbury, in a report on the Egyptian question, to the effect " that the attitude of Germany on the colonial question makes it difficult for Lord Salisbury to be conciliatory on other points." The Prince then went on to speak of what he termed the closing-up system of England (already alluded to). In this discussion we are told that Sir E. Malet had clearly the best of the argument, and proved that the Prince was misinformed. Sir Edward having gained this victory, proceeded cautiously. In speaking to Prince Bismarck he said : The situation was an unhappy one between the two great Powers, and one which gave him great pain, as he had been instructed by Lord Salisbury to bring about a better understanding between England and Germany. Unwise Sir Edward had divulged a little of his secret —he was sent to bring about a renewal of the sacred bonds of affection. Might not an emissary on such a mission bring .some small pledge of affection, as a peace-offering, in his hand ? It was worth while to ascertain if this was the case, and how much he bore to lay on the altar of friendship. He was evidently trembling on the verge of his declaration; it was better therefore to remain silent and allow him to divulge as much as he would.

Therefore Prince Bismarck did not reply. It would also have been difficult for him to deny that the position was an unhappy one. It would have been rude to have said that this did not give Sir Edward great pain, although in his own mmd he felt satisfied that the pain an envoy suffered under such circumstances would not injure him much. Every ambassador he had dealt with under like circumstances had told him the same.thing, and he had not believed one of them. Of Lord Salisbury's instructions to Sir Edward he knew nothing but what he had just heard, and his only hope of knowing more about them—and this was the point on. which he was so anxious—-was bjj sit-

ting silent ; be spoke not a word. Sir E. Malet, still cautiously treading on safe ground, as he thought, and ignorant of the pitfall which had at the very opening of the interview been laid in_ his way, and towards which he blindly hurried, went on to say, " He knew it was never the intention of England to thwart Germany, but that Great Britain could sot know the Chancellor's wishes without those wishes being revealed."

Ah ! England saw it was worth while to conciliate the Prince. His influence in Europe was great. What would be given for it! Was not continued silence best ? Drop by drop the information he wanted was oozing out; why not let it fiow on uninterrupted ?

Yes; silence was best. He had complained of England having intentionally thwarted Germany, but in the instance he had quoted Sir E. Malet had shown that he was wrong. This may have been annoying, but it was unwise to waste time in mutual flat contradictions, Ie was difficult to find in any text-book on diplomacy a precedent for such a proceeding, and once entered on, there was no telling where it would end. Again, the second point of Sir Edward's argument had been so well put that it appeared hopeless to contradict him and to affirm that Great Britain could have known wishes to which he had never given utterance.

Sir E. Malet evidently thought that the question he had put was a' clever one, for he appears to have made a note of it, preserving it in an official paper, where it still rests amongst the archives of the Kingdom. Prince Bismarck probably for the first moment thought that Sir E. Malet was very simple, so differently do men estimate remarks,, accordingly as they occupy, the position of speaker or listener.

But Prince Bisinaick must soon have found out that a very difficult nut had been given him to crack. If he assented to the obvious truth proposed to him by Sir Edward, instantly would have followed the natural request : " Then reveal them to me—to me so"anxious to meet the wishes of our friend and ally."

What a dangerous and insidious adversary be had to deal with—so apparently shallow, yet so truly deep. If he agreed to the truth to which his assent was asked, his hand would have to be disclosed, and he would have been for ever precluded from asking more; or he might, in the hurry of the moment, ask too much, and rouse the indignation of the world against himself. Yet, on tne other hand, if he rapidly and recklessly affirmed that a fellow ambassador could tell his wishes, which he had carefully concealed from him, in that case what would the same world say about him ? H-e had done many daring things in diplomacy, hut never anything so absolutely unheardof as this. Would not he also, if he took this course, be, in fact, affirming that there was a real science of thoughtreading ? and, if so, then there was necessarily an end of another science —of that most honest of sciences, diplomacy; and the years he had spent in acquiring his • wonderful skill in that art would all have been wasted. Another Prince, a greater diplomatist even than Prince Bismarck, has laid down this axiom, that " The gift of language has been bestowed upon am-' bassadors to enable them to conceal their thoughts," but how could two ambassadors ever again meet, and sit opposite to each other, face to face, each trying to get the better of the other by many a wile, yet each of them all the time thinking that the other might be reading his every thought? No features, even after the longest training in a Foreign Office, could be educated to bear such a strain as this. The position was one full of difficulty. Prince Bismarck took" what was perhaps his safest course. He remained silent, boding dire revenge. But fie, unfortunately for us, has left the important question proposed to him by Sir Edward still in doubt. [Part 111. of this interesting and valuable review will appear in our issue of Monday next.]