Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "France" to "Francis Joseph I.": Volume 10, Slice 8 — John Shaqi
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "France" to "Francis Joseph I.": Volume 10, Slice 8Various
History
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "France" to "Francis Joseph I.": Volume 10, Slice 8
Various
Encyclopedias and dictionaries
delimitation was signed at Paris by that minister and by the British
ambassador, Sir Edmund Monson, which as regards the respective claims of
England and France covered in its scope the whole of the northern half
of Africa from Senegambia and the Congo to the valley of the Nile.
Comparatively little attention was paid to it amid the exciting events
which followed, so little that M. de Courcel has officially recorded
that three months later, on the eve of the Fashoda incident, Lord
Salisbury declared to him that he was not sufficiently acquainted with
the geography of Africa to express an opinion on certain questions of
delimitation arising out of the success of the British expedition on the
Upper Nile. The convention of June 1898 was, however, of the highest
importance, as it affirmed the junction into one vast territory of the
three chief African domains of France, Algeria and Tunis, Senegal and
the Niger, Chad and the Congo, thus conceding to France the whole of the
north-western continent with the exception of Morocco, Liberia and the
European colonies on the Atlantic. This arrangement, which was completed
by an additional convention on the 21st of March 1899, made Morocco a
legitimate object of French ambition.
The entente with England.
The other questions which caused mutual animosity between England and
France in the decline of the 19th century had nothing whatever to do
with their conflicting international interests. The offensive attitude
of the English press towards France on account of the Dreyfus affair was
repaid by the French in their criticism of the Boer War. When those
sentimental causes of mutual irritation had become less acute, the press
of the two countries was moved by certain influences to recognize that
it was in their interest to be on good terms with one another. The
importance of their commercial relations was brought into relief as
though it were a new fact. At last in 1903 state visits between the
rulers of England and of France took place in their respective capitals,
for the first time since the early days of the Second Empire, followed
by an Anglo-French convention signed on the 8th of April 1904. By this
an arrangement was come to on outstanding questions of controversy
between England and France in various parts of the world. France
undertook not to interfere with the action of England in Egypt, while
England made a like undertaking as to French influence in Morocco.
France conceded certain of its fishing rights in Newfoundland which had
been a perpetual source of irritation between the two countries for
nearly two hundred years since the treaty of Utrecht of 1713. In return
England made several concessions to France in Africa, including that of
the Los Islands off Sierra Leone and some rectifications of frontier on
the Gambia and between the Niger and Lake Chad. Other points of
difference were arranged as to Siam, the New Hebrides and Madagascar.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account