CABLE NEWS. [BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.—COPYRIGHT.] THE GUILDHALL BANQUET.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 115, 12 November 1900, Page 5

CABLE NEWS. [BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. — COPYRIGHT.] THE GUILDHALL BANQUET.

SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER. BRITAIN'S FOREIGN POLICY. [PBESS ASSOCIATION.] •LONDON, 10th November. Lord Salisbury, spoaking at the Guildhall banquet on the inauguration of the Lord lUayor of London, said the sending of 250,000 troops to South Africa in limited time with the perfection of equipment was an achievement foa- which the main, if not entire, credit was due to the War Office. ♦ He deprecated hasty and nebulous attacks being made, upon that department, and said the utmost efforts would bo devoted to improving present deficiencies and getting all tne wants of the army attended to. Reviewing the year, the Prime Minister said that the most important of Britain's gains was proving before the world how hearty Was the sympathy existing between the colonies and the Motherland. That was a result of enormous value that had been fully achieved. Dwelling on existing friendly relations, he claimed that Great Britain was entitled to rej oipe at the. result ;pf tho American elecSj^v because' if .was a triumph for commercial honour, widen was the root of all prosperity. . ■It was (satisfactory that the Powers had assented to the Anglo-German agreement with regard to China, namely, the maintenance of the integrity of an open-door policy, and ensuring the maintenance and practice of free trade at the treaty ports. Nevertheless, said Lord Salisbury, the action of the Government was liable to be superseded by violent ignorance, and he instanced how Mr. Kruger's attitude and the Empress-Dowager's defiance had plunged them into war. "Wo must be for a period on our guard, he said," in conclusion, "and scrutinise our defences to make certain, as far as we humanly can, that We shall not be exposed to' a sudden interruption of peace."