Sist Aug.
a telegram received by the last Canadian mail from Europe it is stated that it was believed at home that while the French Foreign Office was quite ready to be satisfied with Siam's acceptance of the ultimatum submitted after the Paknam fight, the Forward Party at Saigon was urging M, Pavie and Admiral Humann to insist on further concessions from the unfortunate little kingdom. The telegrams published yesterday morning and in our present issue certainly look as if M. lo Myre de Vilers were listening more to the forward party in Cochin-China and Cambodia than to M. Develle. We were told by Renter that the negotiations at Bangkok were at a standstill, the exact demands of France being kept. secret; that so far from the French fleet coming away at once, as was Admiral Humann's expressed intention, four men-of-war have been sent to Koh Samit, and that Prince Devawongse, the Siamese Minister of Foreign Affairs, had gone to Bang-pa-in to consult the King on the new aspect of affairs. 'I'he later telegram told as that the new demand of M. lo Myre de Vilers was that the French should have the exclusive concession of public works in the two valuable and populous provinces of Battambang and Angkor, and on the right bank of the Meikong. Something similar was demanded of the Chinese at the close of the Franco-Chinese war, but the concession has not proved so profitable to France, as to make her insist on exacting ib from Siam. Now we hear that the French are entrenching themselves at Chantaboon, which they are ostensibly only holding asa material guarantee, and are threatening to recall their fleet to Bangkok, On what grounds M. de Vilers is asking for farther concessions from Siam we have so far no information, In its issue of the 17th inst., the Cow rier @' Haiphong, which is understood to represent the views of M. de Lanessan, the Governor-General of French Indo-China, quotes the story that M. lo Myre de Vilers was being urged from Cuchin-China and Cambodia to exact fresh advantages from Siam, or else refuse to sign the definitive treaty between the two countries, and expresses its sur se at such a statement, "for," it says, what can M. lo Myre de Vilers clu? Nothing more than put on record the arrangement already come to between France and Siam. To make any change whatever is beyond his powers, and M. lo Myre de Vilers would never even think of doing it." The Courrier then gives the text of the ultimatum, and of the supplementary note of the 3ist of July, both of which were accepted by Siam, and adds "Tt will be seen that M. lo Myre de Vilers is not authorised to discuss the terms obtained from Siam, which are clearly stated and formulated, leaving
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.