The Review of Reviews. 



terranean had not been continuing for over a century 

 as one of the foundations of Imperial policy and one of 

 the doniiiuitiiiL; factors in world development and 

 international politics. Where Nelson mourned, the 

 present Cabinet picnic in the Mediterranean, and after 

 an enjoyable few days of official merry-making, deal 

 one of the cruellest and most unnecessary blows at 

 British prestige. How far they have gone from those 

 days when Frederic the Great wrote, " By despising 

 the principle of ecjuilibrium grandeur is attained. See 

 the English ; they have chained the sea, and that 

 proud element can no longer carry ships without their 

 permission." 



We are far from decrying the value of the entente 

 with France, and recognise that France's determina- 

 tion to maintain a two-Power standard in the .Medi- 

 terranean may well be vastly comforting to the advo- 

 cates of scuttle, but we do believe that if the Empire's 

 prestige is to suffer no hurt this country must be able 

 to play, if not the determining, at least the deciding 

 part in the affairs of the Middle Sea ; and that outside 

 of any grouping of the Powers. " To ally oneself for 

 one's advantage is a maxim of State," wrote Frederic, 

 " and no Power is authorised to neglect this. From 

 which follows this consequence, that the alliance must 

 be broken when it becomes prejudicial." Conditions 

 change and alliances and ententes are more or less 

 cordial, as witness Italy in the so-called Triplice, and 

 it behoves us therefore to be strong unto ourselves and 

 make sure of having friends in the Mediterranean by 

 being of value as a friend. 



A former Under-Secretary of State for Foreign 

 Affairs was discussing a question of policy affecting 

 the Mediterranean some years ago with a prominent 

 politician. He outlined the various proposed first steps 

 which this country was going to take in a crisis. The 

 politician asked, " And what then ? " " Oh," he 

 replied, " we never think more than a fortnight 

 ahead I " And that would seem to he the policy of 

 those responsible for the present decision ; it is cer- 

 tainly not worthy of Mr. Winston ChurchSl, whom at 

 least we thought capable of thinking out and acting 

 upon " the grand policy for a century to come." To-day 

 ull the problems of the Mediterranean are in a state of 

 uncertainty, quite a[)art from the fact that there is a 

 war proceeding closely alfecling the approa<'hes to 

 Egypt. What is the value of the various (leels — 

 French, Italian, and Austrian .'' When will the Austrian 

 Dreadnoughts be ready.' Will Italy and .\ustria 

 combine in naval action ? \\ ill the Dardanelles be 

 ODened, and, if so, how inaiiy new \essels is Russia to 



build in the Ulack Sea ? And in connection with the 

 enormous vote recently passed in the Duma, it is 

 significant thai all Dreadnoughts buill or to bo built in 

 Russia are to have coal capacity to enable them to 

 operate in the Mediterranean or the North Sea. Will 

 Italy continue to hold the islands in the ^gean Sea, 

 valuable strategic bases commanding the approaches 

 to the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal ? Will Turkey 

 stand or fall, remain an integral whole working out her 

 salvation, or be dismembered and destroyed ? All 

 these questions remain to be answered, and they can 

 only be answered in the Mediterranean. Are we to 

 understand that they are questions which do not 

 concern us. at least in the opinion of those who wish 

 us* to abandon the Mediterranean ? Because it would 

 be well for those who are responsihfe to remember that 



A'ti'frtii. ] 



IVicn.u 



The Crowning of Falli6res as Viceroy of the Mediter- 

 ranean after the Malta Conference. 



nowadays there is no possibility of any nation, e\'en the 

 smallest, not being affected by the actions of another 

 nation. And if this be true of Montenegro, how much 

 truer is it of a world-wide Empire ? 



So far from being indifferent, we havT given hostages 

 to fortime in all parts of the Mediterranean. It is not 

 onls' the 31'^ millions of hundredweights of cereals 

 which traverse the Middle Sea annually to feed our 

 population, although this i-; not grain which could 

 f'lllow any other route ; nor is it protection of trade in 

 these waters. It is that we have occuj)ied Egypt, and 

 must either resign ourselves to the prob.d)le certaint\- 

 of losing it, or else insist that we exist in the Medi- 

 terranean as a nation speaking with authority. The 

 question of Turkey is still more im|)()rtant, for at 

 Constantinople is the centre ui the acti\e Moham- 



