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ENGLAND AND SPAIN.

HAS A TREATY BEEN CONCLUDED BETWEEN THEM ? London, April 5. Tho positive statement came to mo tonight from a leading financier of tho city (tho money-making part of London) that England has concluded a treaty of alliance with Spain. His final messago to mo was: — “ Within 10 days Europe will bo startled by tho official announcement of this fact.” I give this statement with tho reservo which its international importance warrants, pointing out only that the sensitive money interests of the city are often better informed on such matters than is any other part of the community except tho highest official authority, and that my informant is now and for many years has been associated with tho leading financial enterprises, conspicuously the international ones, of London bankers. Ilis name, if I could mention it, would be recognised as very authoritative by every New York banker as well as every London banker. Such a treaty would have a vastly important bearing upon tho Continental situation and would have a commensurately important bearing upon the Cuban question in the United States.

I quoted to my informant tho statement in tho New York newspapers reaching me by yesterday’s mail that the Washington Government had received a semi-official intimation from tho British Ministry that Great Britain would approve of the recognition by the United States of Cuban belligerency.

His reply was that exactly the contrary j is tho case, that in the first place the Salisbury Ministry is disposed to do anything it can with safety and in reason to check the pretensions of the American , Government to interfere in either West i Indian or South American affairs—-par-ticularly in the West Indies, where Great Britain herself lias most important in- , terests—and that, secondly, Spain, by this treaty, has made important concessions to England in return for tho letter’s more or less active support of Spain in her conflict ' with tho Cuban rebels. I can furnish no further details of this j alleged treaty than that, according to my | informant, it will include giving to Great J Britain the right to harbour and refit her t fleets in the Mediterranean ports of Spain, j Tho harbour of Cartagena is one of the , finest on tho Mediterranean, and would : shelter tho entire British Navy,

The Salisbury Ministry has openly and officially stated one of its chief reasons for that extraordinary movement, tho advance on the Soudan, accepted as hostile by France and Russia, was to make a friendly diversion in behalf of Italy. All Europe has in turn accepted this assurance as proof of England’s sympathy with the Triple Alliance, and oven Germany showed appreciation of this fact by voting with Italy and Austria to assist England’s war with tho Khalifa. Franco and Russia, on tho contrary, are ablaze with hostile indignation against England because of this movement.

From all this the importance of ail Auglo-Spanish alliance to Great Britain is obvious. Neither Gibraltar nor Malta —England’s only two ports on the Mediterranean —is capable of either harbouring or refitting a fleet, but with both tho Italian and Spanish ports thrown open to tho British navy tho French Hoot at Toulon would bo at England’s mercy, and Russia could hardly make a junction from tho Black Sea with tho ships of hor French ally. Such are tho apparent reasons why Great Britain should wish to make such an alliance as above indicated. It would, moreover, leave her in safo possession of Gibraltar.

Time alono (my informant says less than a fortnight) can show if tho statement above is founded on actual fact. I would not cable it to tho World had I not very great confidence in my authority, and in his unquestioned opportunity to know tho facts if they have extended beyond tho Foreign Office to tho money centre of tho British Empire. Ballard Smith.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZMAIL18960528.2.166

Bibliographic details

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 41

Word Count
643

ENGLAND AND SPAIN. New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 41

ENGLAND AND SPAIN. New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 41