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the hands of such men, and the surprising | thing about the seditious movement in India is that men of the stamp of TILAK do not realise the utter futility, the suicidal tendency of the methods they adopt. But newspapers in India conductel by the modernised native continue to tell us that what the Government calls sedition cannot be killed by repression, which begets only hypocrisy and guarded language. The Government can hardly have been fatuous enough to conceive that its repressive laws would eradicate the poison of sedition from the winds in which it had already settled: what was hoped for, and what is being accomplished, is that the measures adopted would stop the communi- cation of the poison to the minds of the multitudes who are unaffected by the virus. The Moderates in India still hope, as their organ expresses, that Lord MORLEY will yet 80 act that the future historian of his lord- ship's régime may not have to write of it in the language of irreverent parody:- "In its beginning was the Promise, and the Promise was with MORLEY and the Promise was MORLEY. The same was in the end with MORLEY." That must depend very largely indeed on the attijude of the pe ple of India themselves. If the report true that Lord MORLEY has elaborated a Reform Bill for India it is good evidence of his iutention to fulfil the expectations of re- formers in India who welcomed his advent to the India Office. Until, however, the preaching of sedition in India has entirely ceased it is only to be expected that the Bill will remain in its pigeon-hole.
an
BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
(October-26-1908.
losing prestige. However Orientals admire | be drawn into any axpression of opinion virtue in the abstract, there is no doubt which might be interpreted as hostile to the that practice impresses them more, and that government of Turkey, was yet quite in of all other things they have the highest sympathy with the reforming element, and, respect for tangible power. Now our need-could the affair be arranged without dis- lessly paraded abstention from all open turbance, would gladly accept the position, display of power: our withdrawal of our and the general wisdom of the course fleets, our reduction of our army, and our adopted is now acknowledged by all. The general belauding of peace without any con- consequence of all this is that the feeling sideration of the means by which it is to towards England has undergone a marked. be attained; do not strike the Oriental chauge for the better. Much remains, of imagination ELS the outcome of any course, to be done in Turkey; and England, comprehensible virtue; rather they seem if she act in an unbiassed way, keeping in to him a mere exhibition of weakness. view the best inter sts of the Turkish people, How far SirEDWARD GREY has been answer- will be able to do much. Up to this she able for our Oriental failures it is, of course, has succeeded in steering her course satis- impossible to tell; and this lends enhance factorily to all, but recent events have importance to the present posture of affairs complicated affairs. Were the subject 4 in the Bilkan peninsula.
mere question between Turkey and Bul- garia, the task would be comparatively easy, but Austria by claiming to throw off the auzerainty of Turkey, and annexing Bosnia and Herzogovina to the Dual Monarchy has succeeded in complicating affairs. It was hoped at the time of the Treaty of Berlin that Turkey had, at last, reached her lowest point, so the Powers agreed to place the adui sis tration of these provinces in Austrian hands retaining for Turkey the over-lordship. Tue action of Austro-Hungary, at the moment too when Turkey is about reasserting her- self, and claiming to enter as a constitu- tional monarchy the European conclave, seems particularly inconvenient. The step, СЕП hardly be accepted without some imaginary demand for " compensation" by Italy and Russia, whilet over all impen is Germany with obscure, yet persistent, claima to Pan-Germany. England is almost the only Power who can view affairs with a practically disinterested eye, but who only yet, whatever side she may take, is sure ta raise up enemies amongst the contending claimants. The situation is one demanding the highest qualities of statesmanship, and everything will depend on whether Sir EDWARD GREY will prove equal to the taak
It is not to be denied that the position there is fraught with danger, and that a false step may be followed by a war, which may seriously compromise the position of Great Britain as a European Power of the first magnitude. Up to this all sides have acknowledged the disinterestedness of Eng- land's action, and the British Foreign Office has it in its power to restore much of its [ost prestige. The present Sultan ABDUL HAMED has never been a friend to the British Government, uor the English people; and our Foreign Office has more than once had to remonstrate strongly with him on his treatment of affairs, which, it has not hesit- ated to tell him, were bringing the country into dangerous waters. The Foreign Office wisely held aloof from any of the intrigues which have characterised the later years of his reign, and beyond pressing on his government the necessity of introducing order into Macedonia, and aiding in the establishment of a gendarmerie to put down the contesting claus, has carefully abstained from interference. The stablishment of the gendarme in with its well ordered and well paid staff has, however, a curious effect on the Turkish army. It was through no fault of the officers or men that affairs had becu permitted to come to such a stage
the army was literally in a state verging on starvation, and the soldiers were forced, through the extravagance of the SULTAN and his ministers, to live on the country as best they could. The appearance alongside them of the well-paid and wel-fed geudar- merie was too much for mortal men; and
(Daily Press, October 23rd ̧ It has for sme years become almost article of faith in England that the Foreign Affairs of the nation are in safe hands when entrusted to the care of Sir EDWARD GREY. Sir EDWARD GREY has almost hereditary claims to high office being grandson of Sir GEORGE GREY, four times Secretary of State for Home Affairs, commencing with the first ministry of Lord JOHN RUSSELL in 1846, and closing under the same chief twenty years later. Sir EDWARD GREY, it may be remembered, was Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs under GLADSTONE in 1892, 8 SULTAN Hamed would do nothing for when he gained the confidence of the Empire them, they determined to join the Young at large by refusing to be dictated to by Turkey party in demanding reforums. The his chief, as the latter, he thought, was bent SULTAN yielded to necessity, dian-issel his on pursuing a line of policy incompatible obnoxious ministers, and appointel SAID with the general trend of public opinion. PASHA, a progress ve, and former Grand There is little doubt that his general Vizier, to fill the vacant post. SAID PASKA common sense has been largely instrumental at once demanded a parliament, and com. in reconciling the country to the continu-stitutional government, which SULTAN ance in office of the present Government, HAMED, seeing the impossibility of carrying which, notwithstanding its numerical on on the old lines without creating a rebel- majority in the House of Comm ns, has been long felt to be completely out of touch with the country at large. Whether Sir EDWARD GREY will be handed down to posterity as a model Foreign Minister may be a moot point, which only the future can prove. At all events there is no failure to be charged to his tenure of office, up to the present at least, and the prestige of England in this respect has suffered little diminution. In all this he has enjoyed the inestimable advantage of having obtained the unswerv ing support of his Sovereign, while KING EDWARD is himself a persona grata in all the Continental Courts. Notwithstanding all this, and the fact that the British Foreign Office has, by it, abstention from all Continental intrigues, contrived to gain the respect of all, it is not to be denied that in the East, along the entire line, we have been
lion, wisely granted. The reforming party, wise in their generation, refrained from committing any disorder, and the change which they felt themselves strong enough to enforce was carried without any outward act of a revolutionary character. The country was in fact for once unanimous, and the Sultan could not find a single backer in his reactionary policy. The British Government thereupon declared that it was quite willing to abandon its policy of outside control in Macedonia, and trust to the new government; and this with other indications of goodwill at once produced an entire revolution in the feelings of the people at large towards England, whose conduct, all acknowledged, bad been throughout perfectly disinterested.
It is now perfectly wall known in Turkey that Great Britain, though she declined to
HONGKONG'S OPIUM REVENUE AND THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTION.
(Da ly Press, 24th October.)
It is evident from the REUTER's telegram we published a day or two ago that the Anti-Opium League, of which Mr. Taylor, M.P., is a shining light, is becoming res tive under the delay which has occurred in Hongkong in giving effect to the Im perial Government's urgent instructions to the Governor to take steps for the closing of "the opium dens" in the Colony. By asking a question in the House of Commons on the subject Mr. TAYLOR displays an anxiety that the Governments ahould not permit itself to wink at any protracted neglect to carry out the policy indicated in the state- went on the subject made to the House of Commons early in May last by Colonel 8ELY, the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies. The reply given to Mr. Taylor is not a little interesting when contrasted with the declarations made to the House of Commons in May. Colonel SEILY, in answering Mr. TAYLOR's question mid the EARL OF CREW was now considering the proposals made by Sir FREDERIck Lugard and the Government hoped shortly to come to a decision on the subject. Colonel SEELY's declaration in the House of Com- mona on the 10th of May that the Govern- ment would not recede from the position that “we must act up to the standard- set by the Chinese Government ” can leave us in no doubt that the Government intends to
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