The Press. FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1901. A REBUFF AND A REASON.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10985, 7 June 1901, Page 4

The Press. FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1901. A REBUFF AND A REASON.

The French Government are not sending any. warship to~New Zealand waters during the Royal visit, the reason assigned being that they have not one to epkse. So far as this colony is concerned, perhaps we could haidly have expected such an to bo paid to us in any case, but what doubtedly surprising is the fact that FranSp —the second *naval power in the world— should have officially intimated her inability to spare a warship for Hobson's Bay at the time of the opening of the Commonwealth Parliament. Ikissia sent the Grbmoboi r t magnificent vessel, which outclassed anything that Great Britain had to show on that occasion. It was perhaps from one point of view a little unfortunate that the finest man-of-war in Australian waters on that eventful day should belong not to the Motherland, the Mistress of the Seas, but to a foreign Power. The Australians, however, gladly forgave this slight blow to their national vanity in gratitude for the generous .feeling which I prompted the Czar to do so much honour to the birthday of the new Commonwealth. The United States behaved in an equally handsome fashion, sending the Brooklyn, a magnificent specimen of a modern armoured cruiser, and of especial interest from the '' fact that she underwent her baptism of fire in the Spanish-American war. Not only ! did the United States Government manage to F.pare her for Melbourne, but they have spared her for New Zealand also, and she ie now in Wellington Harbour, the admiration of all beholders. The German Government sent two war vessels to the Melbourne celebrations, and even little Holland, with whom our relations have at times" been rather strained during the Boer war, also managed to send a ship from her comparatively small navy. Yet France found herself unable to spare even a gunboat. Why was this? •Mr 'Carlyfc Smythe, in, a very interesting article on the subject in the "Argus," sets himseEf to answer th* question. He "lived for some time on the Contiotob, reads the French newspapers very attentively," and perhaps fcnows as much, of the (public feeling in France and Belgium as any journalist in Australia, He is of opinion that the reply of iM. Delcassa was intended not as an exhff>ition of Anglophobia, as many people imagined!, but as a special rebuff to Australia. "France," says Mr Smythe, "has "simply paid us back in our own coin. " Alone among the important peoples of the " world, tho Australians boycotted the Paris "Exhibition. Indeed', the French Consuls "complained of the cavalier manner in "which their invitations to Exhibit were " received by some* Australian Premiere." Mr Smythe, writing to the "Argue" at the time, predicted that the French nation would resent the implied slight. The Ministry now, he believes, haive seized the first opportunity to demonstrate politely the national resentment. Wβ thought great nations were above this rather childish kind of 'behaviour, and! we should prefer to believe that there was some other reason for M. DtEcasse'e action. Mr Garlyle Smythe says that there is a great deal of ignorance in France regarding Australasia, almost the only sources of public information on the subject being a little French journal published in Sydney, and some letters from Australia in the "Journal dee Debate" "very " infrequent, sometimes offensive, and "generally deprecktive." In view of these latter characteristics we may excuse the infrequency of the letters. As to the little French journal puMiebed in Sydney, Mr Smybbe says that "in the main it «c----"hibits an unkindly feeling v towards Ausi"tralians. In fact it is very much to be "questioned whether a similar print, simi- " larly conducted, would be tolerated in " Paris." In these circumstances the French public* may be excused if their notions regarding Australasia are scarcely adequate to the deserts of the new Commonwealth. It is even powibfe that the papular ignorance, extends into official circles. Taking this charitable view of the case, the Australians can afford to forgive M. DeJcasse. As at the same time when refusing the warship he wae good enough to give special instructiips to his chief consular agent in Sydney to attend the opening of the Federal Parliament, and we hope that that officer will send home euch a report as wjll tend to place Australia and the Australians in a truer light before French eye*. Meantime if either Australia or New-Zealand has an opportunity of showing any special courtesy to France c* doing any service for French

officials we hope-it will _*:promptiy embraced, thus heaping coals of fire on M. Delcasso's bead. . - ".