The Progress of the World. 



117 



F'Hotogr,tph i'y] 



Ex-Lieut. Montagu. 



[Record Press. 



He is showing a friend some of the pieces of sliell which fell on 

 the hospital tent at the seat of war in Tripoli. 



last month the Italian warships have overhauled one 

 British and three Irench steamers for the purpose 

 of seizing contraltand of war or mihtant Turks. The 

 first seizure was excused on the ground that 

 the French mail steamer ply'"K ^om Mar- 

 seilles to Tunis had on board an aeroplane 

 which might conceivably be intended for Turkish 

 troops in Tri|.oIi. As a matter of fact, it 

 was merely goini; to Tunis to take part in an 

 aviation contrsi ; and, further, the French have 

 imported directly several aeroplanes into Tripoli 

 for the service of llie Italians without anyone making 

 any objection. Hardly had the aeroplane difficulty 

 been got out of the way when a much greater trouble 

 arose from the si-i/ure of a French, mail steamer, 

 which was taking twenty-nine Red Crescent officers 

 and men to Tunis. But for the extraordinary 

 blunder of the i-'rench Charge d'Affaires at Rome 

 this incident woulii have been settled at once, for the 

 Italians were clunrly in the wrong; but the French 

 Charge ordered the P'rench Consul at Cagliari to in- 

 struct the mail siiamer to hand over the Turks to the 

 Italian aullioritics. Thereupon a great trouble arose. 

 Italy at once proposed to send the question to the 

 H.ngne for arbiti.illon, to which the French Govern- 

 ment replied by s;iying, " First, hand over the men 

 whom you have seized wrongfully under our flag, and 

 then you can arlpJtrate to your heart's content." 

 The Italian Govimtncnt, on making inquiries, dis- 

 covered that thi ri was no gn und or justification Oir 

 the seizure of ilir 'i'urks, who wrre really hon^i ful,- 

 Kcd Crescent ni' n. The im ident was immediately 



arranged, but not without a considerable display of 

 irritation on both sides. If this happened between 

 France and Italy, who were practically partners in 

 the felonious enterprise in Tripoli, what would happen 

 if a similar incident occurred over an Austrian, or 

 Russian ship? 



The Morocco crisis has had a 



The Fall strange sequel. M. Caillaux, the 



the French Cabinet. Prime Minister, who negotiated 



the settlement, has been caught 

 in the act of intriguing against his own Foreign 

 Minister in order to secure a settlement more favour- 

 able to his financial friends at the expense of France. 

 M. de Selves first resigned, and then the Cabinet. 

 It is indeed difficult to see how the Republic could 

 have tolerated M. Caillaux's retention of office. 

 The disclosures forced by the Senatorial Committee 

 of Investigation show that while the French P'oreign 

 Minister was threatening Germany with an Anglo- 

 Russian-French war if she persisted in making 

 unacceptable demands for cessions of territory on 

 the Congo, his own chief was busily engaged in 

 intriguing with the Germans for an arrangeinent 

 on the Congo acceptable to his financial 

 friends, but abhorrent to France. M. Caillaux began 

 the intrigue when he was Minister of Finance. He 

 continued it when Prime Minister. It was probably 

 Sir Edward Grey's knowledge of these intrigues which 

 led him to back up .so reckles.sly the policy of M. de 

 Selves. But just think of the risks he took. It was 

 quite on the cards that M. de Selves, with the aid 

 of Sir F. Bertie, might have entangled us in a war 

 with Germany, out of which M. Caillaux might have 

 slipped by dropping M. de Selves and concluding 

 his own bargain with Germany. The incident Jias 

 left a very unpleasant memory behind it. It is not 

 well to go tiger hunting with a Cabinet whose chief 

 may be arranging a deal with the tiger at the moment 

 when he has provoked the tiger to pounce upon you. 



After a momentary and despaii-ing 



The New eftort to preserve its equilibrium 



French Ministry, the Caillaux Cabinet cullapsed. 



.\1. I'oineare was called to succeed 

 him, and in order to avoid any risk of another 

 scandal he became not only Premier but also Foreign 

 Minister. He rallied round him many of the most 

 notable men in France. M. Bourgeois, Member for 

 France at the Hague Conference, was induced to 

 take the post of Minister of Labour ; M. Briand, 

 another cx-Prime Minister, became Minister of 

 justice ; M. Miihrand, the former Socialfst, is 

 Minister for War ; M. Helcas.sc lemains at the Navy. 



