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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6996, 19 April 1884, Page 4

The " telegrams speak again of Mr. Gladstone's shaky health. -He has been often ailing of late, and though he should recover strength, he is not likely, an aged man, to continue for a very long while to hold the helm of State in a peculiarly difficult period of European affairs, which when important are nowadays cosmopolitan affairs. Unquestionably there is much in Mr. Gladstone's political management which does not please the national taste; it is often wished he would do otherwise. But as his predecessor, Lord Beaconsfield, once said—what in politics nobody will dispute—" Everything has to be viewed in relation to its surroundings." The balance of power has often ' been threatened by war or successful diplomacy, or both; and in our day it has been threatened by the Emperor Nicholas, after him by the late Emperor Napoleon, and now by Prince Bismarck. It does not follow that the disturbing mover must always be wrong because to oppose him may be right and requisite. "What conflicts with our interests is not on that account necessarily wicked. In point of fact, Prince Bismarck is a patriot, and the two great objects of his whole policy said career—namely, to combine in a single vast Empire all the Teutonic populations, and to widely enlarge the present narrow German seaboard—are simply the national aspirations of Germany. But quite as much can be said on behalf of the national aspirations of Russia. She, too, aspires to combine in a single Empire all branches of her race—the Sclavonic—and she, too, is an inland nation, still more so than Germany; for she has not even a small strip of - coast on the open ocean, which Germany possesses. The Arctic ice blocks for most of the year her northern shores, and her shipping on the Baltic and the Engine only find egress through straits as narrow as rivers, and which are in the hands of other States. She can plead all this to "excuse her designs on the Turkish seaboard ; and her endeavour "some years ago to get hold of an Atlantic , port in Hammerfest — tie . most northern open harbour of Norway. But however legitimate such ambitions .for Germans or Russians themselves, the realisation by either would give to an Empire already great a preponderance that would wholly destroy any balance of power. It would constitute one nation the European dictator. Let us just pass in review what the German Chancellor, with his profound diplomatic skill and knowledge of human nature, has done, or essayed to do, in order to break up, or render powerless, the opposition to his projects. It was certain that. France would at opportunity try" to recover Alsace, and at the formal cession in 1871 Bismarck suggested that a grand field lay to her hand in North Africa, with more than compensation for the loss of Alsace. The suggestion appeared in the report. of his speech at the time. It was the forecast of an idea which probably did not take shape in his .brain until years later, when North Africa and French ambition became his trump card-—namely, the proceedings in Tunis, which enraged the other Mediterranean nations against France, and the proceedings in Egypt, which nearly broke up the "Western alliance that might eventually stand in his way. When the Tunis expedition was first undertaken the Times contained an extraordinary announcement from its : Paris correspondent of that period : respecting Prince Bismarck's desire for a personal interview with -M. Gam- : betta, then head of the French Govern- ; ment, of whom he spoke with . enthul siasm, adding that he had been long . anxious to meet so* remarkable a man, ! and that he believed the interview ■ would conduce to the interests of the , two nations. And the desire was so ! emphatically repeated, that M. Gam- - betta was apprised thereof. "We quoted s in these columns ~at the time the ! particulars stated in the letter. Cer- • tainly just then Gambetta visited i Dresden, where his nephew was at i school, and on. his return through , North Germany it was currently ) reported that there was such an inter- • view between the two Ministers. But 3 whether or not there is little doubt l that the abler statesman outwitted his 5 antagonist, who would never have 3 ,entered on the Tunis affair if he fore- } saw the rocks' ahead and unless he bet lieved the relations with Germany safe, l Then the ambition of France in Barbary E alarmed and alienated a friend in Italy, i and also angered Spain, who holds teri ritory in Morocco—thereby leading to b the present position of their Governr ments in the Bismarck alliance.

But the Tunis affair did even more than. all that—produced still further results. The exasperation of the Mediterranean States—ltaly, Austria, Spain, with 'the certainty of being backed by Germany—prevented France, in the: joint protectorate of : Egypt, from taking her share in quelling the mutiny and a. joint occupation of the country." They saw • North Africa a French. Empire, and the Mediterranean a French lake, if France, after stepping from Algeria into Tunis, should step also into Egypt.. So France was excluded, and the reducing of Arabi Pasha and the occupation of Egypt remained to England. "The French' could only blame the continued insane blun-

dering of their.own : rulers, bat nations are notreasonable under losses, andhence the eaAraordinary amount ofjeakmsy and bitter feeling on the part of Fraace which might under certain circma! stances render a fWestern "alliance im. possible. And did the able diplomatist in.; Berlin pull no other string directly to precipitate the Egyptian crisis and--a breach between the fc* 0 "Western Powers 1

If we look back to the revolt, -re *21 remember'what was so well known aa to be regularly mentioned in the Prssa —that there was an understanding between. Arabi and the authorities in Con. .stantinoplej and therefore the British Government would, not permit ths proffered landing of a body of Turkish troops. The Sultan's countenance of the revolt ■ had come to be no secrst. And what is the Sultan? For half a century he and his predecessors have been obedient vassals of one or other of the European Powers; and of lata years, and now, it is German influence which predominates with the Porte. But why should Prince Bismarck anti- ; cipate a "Western alliance, and take these pains to frustrate it ? Because his projected annexation of Holland would primarily affect the two "Western Powers and it is.only their union conld prevent his accomplishing it. Ths project about Holland and ■ its rich colonies is so well understood that the late Prince of Orange, heir to the Crown, used to explain his indifference to public affairs by the belief that he would never be allowed to ascend tig throne. ~

"When we call to mind the foregoing facts we realise what a troubled sea of politics Europe presents now. If Jlr. Gladstone were to steer otherwise he would soon bring his barque among the breakers as Gambetta and his successors have done. And their -wild steering concerns more than France, for it is entirely because of it that the balance of power is now so gravely menaced. in England the Conservatives cry out against Mr. Gladstone's foreign policy, and they impede hi 3 Home policy to put things on a better footing there ; while out here we are not satisfied with his colonial policy. It is the way in opposition under responsible Government, and has often its uses, but if the Conservatives were in office to-morrow, they would have to run pretty nearly in the same lines. All this will be acknowledged by and by, but it would be fair to do a great statesman, as wise as honourable, justice before he is gone.