A FRENCH CANARD.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7824, 17 August 1887, Page 3

A FRENCH CANARD.

H in an old ami generally received doctrine in I'ranec Hint English comjuesls lire oftcnei achieved with the pnvse than with the sword, inul that the " Nation of Shopkeepers,"' as the l'*iv*t Napoleon styled us, bought their great Indian Umpire not so much with blood as with what Mv Spurgeon culls " leprous and defiling gold." The *ame simple, and soothing theory wns advanced not long ago l»y several respectable French newspapers to account fortheconiplcteness and facility of our triumph over ArabiV followers in Egypt; ami the venerable engineer, 31. <le Le.<-seps, lately furnished what was held to be strong 1:011 oborative testimony of our prodigality in purchasing military advantages which nobler nations achieve by I lie sword, liy relating an incident which fell withili the scope of his own observation as managing director of the Suez Canal. It was in August, ]SS2, when the JtrilLsh fleet, under Lord Aleoster, was on its way to lsmalia, via the Sue/. Canal, with a view to establish there an important base of operations against Aiabi. M. do Le.-sep» knew how detrimental to the enterprise would be the Mocking of the canal, so he made a bargain with the Knglish eoinniauder, and on receiving a cheque for two and a half million francs (£100,000) by way of compensation for the damages which might lesultfrom this naval mameuvre, he placed the administration of the canal at the disposal of the English. Such, at least, is the version of the incident given in his forthcoming " Meinoires of Souvenirs." This picture of the Jiritish c<uumander forcing the passage of die Suez Canal with a cheque-book instead of :i broadside, is one that, may be commended to Mi Oilbcrt when he is in ijuost of a new idea for a comic opera ; but, it will hardly do duly, we are afraid, for sober history after a letter from Lord Alcester, which has appeared in a London pnpei in reply to the, foregoing statement. Accoiding to the Kngli>-h commander, M. de Lc>seps" memory ha.-, played him false in several partii'iilir?, mid whatever difliculty the canal authorities may have raised (o the passage of IJiilish vessels Wilt certainly nol solved with a chp(|uc. No cheijiie of any kind was drawn, nor was money paid in any form for damage up to the time the Canal Company's pilots ivoic placed unreservedly 111 Lord Ab'/'ster's disposal by M. ile Lc^epn, Jim., who was then satWied that the Ihiti-Oi vc-sels were perfectly independent of (he assistance of the ollicial pilots, whose services had been refused the pievious day at. I'oit Said. With these Hilling corrections, M. de Les-it'p 1 -' story may be accoplcd for whnl it is wouh,