17th Dee, In the last year or two the Fortnightly Review has printed a series of articles by "Diplomatious," a writer who, whatever may be his real claims to the title he tins chosen, shows at least a very intimate knowledge of foreign affairs, In the November issue of the well-known monthly edited by Mr. W. L. Courtney, "Diplomaticus" treats of Lord Salisbury's dealings with France, and we propose uow to endeavour to compress into the limits of an article an argument that occupies thirteen pages. We must premise that we agree with Lord Sualisbury.in holding that the friendship of France is of the greatest possible value to Great Britain; on the other land we believe that our friendship is of equal importance to France; and "Diplomaticus" in these pages recalls Gambetta's remarkable words to de Freycinet: "Even at the cost of the greatest sacrifices, never bronk the alliance with England and we believe that the maintenance of a firm attitude in the face of French pretensions is much more likely to make France value our friendship than the habitual attitude of concession in which Lord Snlisbury appears to delight.
There has during the last fifteen years been a series of disagreements between England and France, which have sometimes nearly resulted in a rupture. " Diplomaticus" shows that the fundamental responsibility for this rests with the late Lord Beaconsfield. England and France went into the Berlin Congress hand in hand, and while both announced their intention of coming out with clean hands, Lord Beaconsfield came out with Cyprus in his grasp. Naturally France was disgusted; she looked about for compensation in the Mediterranean and decided on Tunis. "The story of the negotiations, as officially told, is not without an clement of comedy, A map was
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.