seems to have been made when Germany was allowed to take Kiaochou. Had Lord Salisbury joined Russia in a protest against that step, there would have been no excuse for the seizure of Port Arthur, and the integrity of China might have been saved for a time at least. And having made that mistake Lord Salisbury committed the further blunder of entering futile protests against Russia'sreply to Germany—protests which could only result in a snubbing. As for the withdrawal of the British ships from Port Arthur in deference to Russia at time when our treaty rights gave us a erfect right to send them there, and when it was obviously necessary that our prestige should be maintained, it is difficult to imagine what excuse Ministers will be able to make for this step.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.