PLAY AND REALITY.

Colonist, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8062, 5 October 1894, Page 2

PLAY AND REALITY.

Fbom present appearances it seems possible that the naval manoeuvres held about two months ago may be made the pretest for a quarrel between France and England. Referring to the playful contest between two British fleets, the Red and the Blue, a contest that was to some extent ridiculed, the ' 1 ondon Times ' of the 7th August said, in referring to the racing of these fleets round Ireland, eaid this race is intended to typify a conceivable race round the Peninsula for early concentration at Gibraltar, but at least one English paper suggested something further than a mere race round the Spanish Peninsula to the Mediterranean, and indeed openly insinuated that ~ the manoeuvres were in tue nature of a rehearsal of what would need to be performed in earne.-t should hostilities break out between England and France, and proceeded to show that Belfast was taken to represent Gibraltar, Falmouth for Malta, Queen6town for Toulon, etc. Even admitting all this there was scarcely more cause for annoyance than had a lot of schoolboys pummelled one another playing French and English. Straws, however, serve to show which way the -syind blows. The papers containing the allusions to the manoeuvres which we have referred to had reaobed New Zealand before ttere wa3 any suspicion that offence had been taken. A special telegfam despatched from Paris on the Ist icst. states, however, that M. Decrais, the French Ambassador in London, is beiog blamed because he did not notice the fact that tbe recent British naval manoeuvres were a rehear? al of an attack on the French coast. It will be coticed that some two months had elapsed before the French Ambassador wag blamed, and therefore it is only reasonable to suppose that had nothing transpired in the meantime calculated to cause ill-feeling the casting of the bhme would never have been thought of. The mere fact that fault has been shown proves the present temper of the French, and the " resignation " of M. Decrais, and its acceptance, indicate | that feeling is deep. -