The Times in its issue of the 19th ult. has a leading article on the Czar's Disarmament Proposal, the opening paragraph of which is—5
We are now within a couple of months of the time when it is expected that the representatives of foreign Powers accredited the Court of Russia will enter upon the discussion of the proposals of his Majesty the Crar in favour of a general limitation of national armaments. There is no country in the world where such a proposal would meet with a more earnest and ardent support than in England, if only we could convince ourselves that it was of a practical kind. Nowhere dae i peace more sincerely loved on grounds both of principle and of expodiengy... We desire peace for ite own sake a Christian and a humane people. As 'a race of merchants and of traders we recognise in peace the greatest of our interests. There is hardly a spot upon the globe where it can be broken without a disturbance of those complex commercial relations upon which our material prosperity depends. To such a nation the noble ideal underlying the project of the Russian Emperor appeals, we need hardly say, with peculiar force. Wo are able, perhaps, to bear the burden of our armaments with less effort than others, but that does not diminish our wish to' free them from the increase of the load which presses so heavily on all. But while we have greeted the Czar's manifesto with the heat will, and while we shall await the disclosure of the more definite scheme which Count Muravieff is to lay before the Ambassadors and Ministers assembled at St. Petersburg with every wish that the programme unfolded to the conference may lead to enduring results, we cannot shut our eyes as practical men to the formidable obstacles to the realisation of His Majesty's beneficent design.
The Daily News, which sent the eccentric Mr. Stond round Eurupo interviewing notabilities on the pussibilily ut the Czar's proposal bearing any fruit, writes on the 19th ult.:—
The great demonstration in the St. James's Hall yesterday afternoon, following the numerous meetings set out in our columns on Friday, was a remarkable evidence of: the strength of the peace feeling in this country.
The Czar's Proposals constitute one of the grandest opportunities ever vouchsafed to Europe for promoting the cause of international peace and checking the growth of militarism on safe, prudent, and sensible lines, This was the ground taken in two of the most remarkable of the letters from eminent men which were read at yesterday's Conference—the letters from Lord Spencer and Lord George Hamilton, both of them, by the way, ex-Firet Lords of the Admiralty. Lord Spencer sees in the Czar's proposals a hope of "unlocking for the gond of mankind the argo sums of money which are now devoted to developing the weapons of war." Lord George Hamilton makes the same point in a very interesting way. Some people see in the Czar's proposals a dark and subtle device: for undermining the naval supremacy of this country. As a matter of fact, they might more truly be called proposals for recognising and stereotyping that supremacy.
The more practical Vossische Zeitung, of Berlin, echoes the suzzestion made at the time in our columns by our rhymer, that the Czar should'set the example It wonders "that Mr. Stead did not call the attention of the Czir to the fact that it is in his power to be the benefactor'of the world, not only by words, but by deeds." No State, it is pointed out. is so unassailable as Russia, there is no Great Power which could possibly have any desire to attack her. The Emperor William once testified that Russia had the mightiest army in the world and, in addition, she has at her disposal a strong and complaisant ally." Why," asks the Vossische Zeitung, "does not the Czar show a good example? Why does he not reduce his own army by one-half, and why does he not cause France to do the like?" In the view of the Berlin journal it is beyond all question that Russia could take that step without the slightest danger, and also that every other State would inevit tably be compelled to follow her example. The Czar is reminded that the nations have good reasons to reply to his Imperial Majesty in his own words—We should like to see something practical done."
The Pall Moll Gazette treats the question of the Liberal leadership from the joint of view of those who would flatter ord Rosebery by pretending to regard tim as too good to be thrown away on the leadership of a party. It says Lord Rosebery, to be frank, has few of the alifications of " party chief, wholly apart from his anomalous position asa peer among set of men who would Jike to "down" the Peers. He is impossible for the Radicals, even as a choice of despair; it is difficult to conceive him as Foreign' Secretary in a Unionist, Cabinet. Sir Edward Russell has retailed in the Liverpool Post an interesting anecdote to the effect that the Queen, when Lord Rosebery resigned, recommended hu not to go over to the Conservatives. Her Majesty's motive, if the story is correct, would seem to be the necessity of preserving the party balance. Hutit is also the case t" at Lord Rosebery could not join the without throwing over his Progress other principles, and so sacrificing a character for consistency upon which he sets oversensitive store. He seems doomed, therefore, to a splendid isolation, so far as office goes, but his position is none the less enviable. Short of being the Minister of England, the next best thing is to be her Public Orator.
From the Daily Chronicle we make the following extract on the French wit drawal from Fashoda. The Chronicle does more justice to the gallant explorer than some of its contemporaries The French flag has been withdrawn from Fashoda, and the British and Egyptian fla hoisted on the old fort. In view of the simplicity and peaceful character of this the excitement late which Europe was thzowu ration to-day, it is curious to reflect upon
by the prospect of it six weeks an, Slajor forehand himself has left for Sobat, on hi way to Jibutil vid Abyssinia. It is impossible not to sympathise with this French officer. He accomplished a journey of vast difficulty, only to see its results disappear as soon as it was completed, and to find himself compelled to undertake another journey of seven months through a very difficult and somewhat dangerous country. We do not wonder that he asked permission to resign. He obeys like a soldier, and we earnestly trust that no accident may happen to him, and that his home-coming may coincide with o return of friendly relations between his country and our own. We hope the French people realise that if Major Marchand accepted an invitation to read a paper before the Royal Geographical Society in London, nothing that has pasted would prevent him from receiving the high appreciation of an audience of British geographers.
The Times' Paris correspondent sends the following note. Whoever opens up Yunnan is doing a gond work, and the French have just as much right to do it as we have, but our surprise is that they should think the possible trade worth the expenditure, M. de Lanessan is by no means an Anglophobe M. de Lanessan, writing.in' the Rappely says:—One of the motives which decided the Chamber to vote the sums demanded for the Indo-China railway was the desire to make French influence penetrate into Yunnan before Great Britain has established herself in that province. This competition is so loyal and so practical that our neighbours cannot complain of it. The gigantic project of the British to unite the Indies with the capital of Yunnan, a scheme which their tenacity will probably bring to a successful issue, will hurt our interests considerably if we do not take measures to extend our influence to the whole of that province. No one can dream of mak. ing Yiianan valuable until a railway connects the province with the delta of Tongking and the China Sea.
"The Chamber and the Government, are undertaking a great work in Yinoan. The country will reap material and moral advantages therefrom of such a nature as to compensate it for the mortifications which the barren and clumsy policy followed la the valley of the Upper Nile aod elsewhere has made it undergo, and our rivals in colonist. tion will themselves be more disposed to extend us their consideration and friends) when they see us doing a sound and sofa work."
From the Globe we make two extracts, the former dealing with Russian railway enterprise in Central Asi The completion of the branch line of the Central Asian Railway from Merv to Kushk brings the Cossack within 100 miles of Herat. Only half " dozen miles now separate the Russian and Afghan outposts on this part of the frontier, and as neither. Army much loves the other, any moment may see a chance collision. "It is more likely, however, that the Russian commander will endeavour to win the liking of the Afghans by those methods which were so successfully employed in the case of Shore Ah, If any Governor of Herat happened to have an itching palm—most Afghan officials are so endowed—there is no saying what effect the rouble might not Produce. he unfortunate thing is, that, owing to Afghan jealousy of British influence in the country, British railways have not yet hoon extended across the North-West Frontier. In the event, therefore, of the Governor of Herat throwing off allegiance to the Cabul Government—that would be no'new thing in its turbulent history—a Russian garrison might he introduced long before the Amir could move troops to reinstate his authority. Herat is now too strongly fortified to bs earzied by storm 5 ite reduction would only be effected by regular siege operations. But earth works, however strong, are no safeguard against treachery to minimise that danger, there should be a railway connecting our frontier posts with Kabul and Candahar, so that at any moment the Amir could put himself in evidence with our troops behind him. Nor does the country beyond present serious obstacles to railway construction; for the most part it is almost level, and except the Helmund, the rivers could be easily bridged. Much' commercial advantage would also accrue to Afghanistan from supplying this missing link, and continuing it later to Herat itself, where it would join on to the Russian system, But for this we must, perhaps, await the Czar's millenni ae:
In the second there is nothing political, but as India has nearly killed the China tea trade, the silk growers must be forearmed against her competition In its comprehensive report on the silk crop of the world during the past season, the Lyons Silk Merchants" Union shows that Japan and China are continuously and largely increasing their production and their exports.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.