There is so little mention of women in Lord Lyons's correspondence that Madame Flourens's indiscretion comes as a welcome relief, although in all probability it got the unfortunate Count Münster into trouble with Bismarck, and afforded an excuse for fresh bullying. Count Münster, who had been for many years Ambassador in London, where he had been extremely popular, found the transfer to Paris singularly unpleasant, more especially as in order to make things thoroughly uncomfortable for him, Bismarck had provided an entirely new Embassy Staff.
Lord Salisbury to Lord Lyons.
Feb. 19, 1887.
* * * * *
We are thinking of renewing our negotiations with respect to the Suez Canal in a serious spirit. But before we sign anything we shall want some satisfaction about Dongorita and the New Hebrides, and possibly about the Corvée.
I think it was very shabby of the French to open the Dongorita affair upon us, just after we had made so material a concession upon the subject of the bait in Newfoundland.
Waddington is gloomy and rather ill-tempered—either from the fogs or the crisis. I have not had any further talk with him about Egypt lately. I think he avoids the subject. Wolff tells me that the French Chargé d'Affaires at Constantinople is a mere creature of Nelidoff's. Our negotiations are dragging on with little prospect of success. We are willing to fix a distant date for our leaving, if we receive a treaty power to go back whenever internal or external security are threatened. The tone in which both France and Turkey have received this proposal may be best expressed by the colloquial phrase 'Damn their impudence!' I do not expect to carry what I want at present, but before modifying these terms, I should like to know what is going to happen in Europe.
Sir Henry Drummond Wolff was at this time at Constantinople endeavouring to negotiate the Convention with regard to the evacuation of Egypt, and the French and Russian Embassies were actively engaged in the senseless opposition which eventually prevented the ratification of the Convention. The above letter from Lord Salisbury is an additional proof of the honest desire of the British Government to carry out the rash undertakings which had been given in the past.