THE ANGLO-FRENCH RAPPROCHEMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 12027, 27 October 1903, Page 8

THE ANGLO-FRENCH RAPPROCHEMENT.

[F.y Sir I'Vedk. Johnston.]

A* evem? develop in North Africa, France vriil probably see tho advisability of withdrawing from tho two little islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, off tho Newfoundland coast, either by a transference to - Great Britain against compensation in Africa, or by the cession of them against money payment to an independent Canada, This question may preferably stand over for solution til! i.ii'e greater problem has been solved as to tne future constitution of the British empire. If that Empire is to include Canada on terms of equal taxation, with other British taxpsrycra then the United Kingdom may afford the sacrifice of its nourishing possession of tho Gambia, to settle the Newfoundland fisheries question onco and for all by obtaining St. Pierre, iiiquolon, and the rights of the French eu-.-jc as an addition to the present Crown cok-uy of Newfoundland. Btrt it Canada tnd Newfoundland are not, to bear equally the bu»den borne by tho British taxpayer of the arm', d forces ;md diplomatic service, then cheie is no reason why we who are most concerned—the people of Great Britain and lrei?rd should make any sacrifice in Africa or elsewhere, in money or laud, to settle a quasi on which affects us 1 scarcely at all, thongh it may concern Canada and Newfoundland deeply. In Africa, provided Prance agrees to look upon Egypt, as an exclusively British sphere of influence, and does not attempt to include the northern promontory of Morocco :Taug : erTctuan) in any legitimate French extension over the last independent Mohammedan State i:i North Africa, there should be littli catsci for disagreement between the French and British Empires, i/.kewise, if France eventually withdraws from the Newfoundland islets, and does not take advantage of a weak l!-az;l to extend tie frontiers of her Guiana colonv, there is likely to be no bone of between the French Empire and iliat of •he Anglo-Saxons in the new worid. If ami whin Morocco breiiks up as an independent Tower, or ambitious Europe, with its growing ocmand for free commerce, can enduro no longer tho closure of this laud to h.-.m.-t trade, then France must deal with it iw she has so admir.ibly dealt, with Tunis, ami if -Morocco receives her aright a native bullae, for that Berber State mny eoev-'t as r.i.s'lv with French adminstTation as does ;>i.-. Bev of Tunis.

Franco, has the ii'oney and the. trained mtu with wnich to undertake this task. Sjrr.n has not, but soui? satisfaction to le^itinix:.- Sosiiish sentiment vright be given by hamum: i ver u> Spanish nile two-thirds ot 'he TangierTeiuan Pejtinsula. and the e>ast. region as far east as Melilla. The v;es ern thiul" of the Tangier-TeUiMi I'cninsida he garrisoned bv gal. and would t'-.'i:. re';, n that city of T; i-gii\r which she >,< id ;o joiig aca.nst the Moors, and which she on.v lo;t i y transfcrring K to England. the Strait, of Gibraltar would be sufficiently neutralised, and woi.id be mainly un I.t ;h- ei ntrol of tl»c two lbcriau nations, rin <■: wl:(.ui. 3'ortugal, is the ally of Great Britain. Franco could also afford the cheap concession of handing over to Spanish control tho coast of that No Ma.n's identified with Cape Juby. The Spanish frontier south of French llorocco might commence at Cape Nun and extend in a coast belt till it reached the existing Spanish protectorate of ihe Bio Ore. Tho natural allies of France; are, in the first piaee, Spain, Italy, and Greeco; in the second place, Portugal and Gre:it Britain; in the third place. Germany. Tho alliance wiih ltussia is unnatural, unproductive, and unreal. It was never more than a paper alliance ?o far as France was concerned. U never resulted in any readjustment of tho German frontier drawn in 1871; it availed not to provent a. British protectorate over Egypt or British predominance over the Persian Gulf. It only brought to France the needless siatisfaction of her amour proDre, cast down for a time by the rcverw; of "the Fpinco-German War. 1 csill tins safisfaclion needless because, so long as France, is blessed with her present climate, so long as she possesses her present scenery and the most beautiful and brilhant o.pital city in the world, so long as she leads in art, and provides or inspires the literaturo of the Latin world, so long she requires no patronage from anv nation—Slav or Teuton-—to establish hrr Value to tho world in genera,!.

The friendship oi France is courted for th? beauty and brilliance of Prince: her power within certain limits is justly dreaded. Provided she givc~, up the absurd i<lea of attempting onc3 more to force Germans to become Frenchmen she has nothing to fear from sny nation, for tho simple reason t.hat everyone loves her. She. is the most universally liked country in ihe world.