1°. le paiement immédiat par Lord Lyons d'une somme de deux mille livres sterling à une personne désignée par le Baron de Billing, ancien chargé d'affaires de France à Munich, Tunis et Stockholm.
2°. Le versement d'une somme de 48,000 livres sterling au credit du Baron de Billing chez Messrs. Coutts, ses banquiers ordinaires, le jour même où parviendra à Londres la nouvelle officielle de la remise de Gordon Pasha entre les mains des autorités anglo-egyptiennes.
N.B.—1°. Un compte détaillé sera rendu à Lord Lyons de l'emploi des deux milles livres sterling immédiatement exigibles.
2° Gordon Pasha devra prendre l'engagement écrit de quitter sur le champ l'Egypte et de s'en tenir éloigné pendant une période de 10 ans. (Je crois qu'il sera possible de faire modifier cette dernière prétention qui semble bien peu pratique.)
Le Baron de Billing se porte garant vis-à-vis de Lord Lyons de l'honorabilité des personnes en jeu, et il ajoute que vû son expérience de l'Afrique, il croit à de sérieuses chances de succés.
Un permis de séjour en blanc pour l'Egypte sera remis au Baron de Billing pour un Musulman à désigner par lui.'
(Très important.)
In spite of Lord Granville's life-long acquaintance with the Baron, the proposal (which bears a striking resemblance to some of the incidents in the Dreyfus case) was declined, and nothing more was heard of him in connection with the rescue of Gordon.
The French military operations in the Far East were terminated temporarily by a Treaty with China, concluded in May, under which the Protectorate of France over Tonquin and Annam was recognized, and there was some uncertainty at first as to how the commercial terms would be interpreted. When the Prince of Wales, who was then in Paris, called upon President Grévy, the latter dilated effusively upon the satisfaction which all nations must feel at the new opening of trade to them in Tonquin and Annam. On the other hand, the Temps, a newspaper of considerable authority, talked of the ouverture au commerce exclusif de la France des Provinces de l'Empire celeste limitrophes de nos possessions de l'Indo-Chine. 'I have observed,' Lord Lyons wrote sadly, 'no symptoms lately in France of anything like a decently liberal commercial spirit.' Nor when M. Jules Ferry was congratulated upon the Tonquin settlement, did that statesman let fall any hint of an intention to open to the rest of the world the commercial advantages which France had secured for herself. In fact, the chief result of the French success in Tonquin seemed to be, that, having at all events, got rid temporarily of this difficulty, a more unconciliatory line of policy than ever would be adopted as far as Egypt was concerned.
Lord Lyons to Lord Granville.
Paris, May 27, 1884.
You may have observed that, contrary to my usual habit, I have been sending you lately a great many extracts from French newspapers. My reason is of a very painful kind. I have thought it necessary to give you specimens of the ill will towards England, the suspicions of her, and the irritability respecting her which seem to become more and more prevalent here. To these unpleasant symptoms I might add that exclusive and illiberal commercial views and extreme Protectionist ideas are in the ascendant: and that thus the spirited Colonial Policy now in vogue, becomes a danger instead of an advantage to foreign commerce, which it might be if it opened new areas to the trade of all nations.
The Ferry Government is wafted along by the pleasant breezes from Tonquin, but they must be on the look out for squalls as they near the revision of the Constitution and the discussion of the Budget of 1885.
The Gaulois is hardly looked upon here as a serious paper, but the calumnies upon Sir J. Drummond Hay which it professes to have derived from a report made, I suppose viva voce, by Ordega[41] to Ferry, are too bad. Menabrea says that the Italian Minister at Tangier is a man of herculean strength and fierce temper, and that he is as likely as not to wring Ordega's neck if he catches him. Libre à lui de le faire.
Lord Granville to Lord Lyons.
May 28, 1884.