NEWS OF THE WEEK.
LORD ROSEBERY on Friday week drew from Lord Salisbury a most important speech on the campaign in the Soudan. Something, indeed, must have eccurred in Europe of which the country is not aware, or he would hardly have been so frank. He avowed it to be his policy to reconquer for Egypt, and with Egyptian resources, the territories which were given op under our influence in 1884. We, as trustees, were bound " to fp) that, though our speed in doing it must be limited by the resources of Egypt, which alone among States had not the control of her own finance. The Egyptian army, however, had become under English officers a very different thing from the crowd of conscripts, carried to the field in chains, which formerly composed it. At present the Egyptian army was going to Dongola, but the great value of Dongola was that it was the road to Khartoum. As to the time, that had been fixed by the defeat of the Italians ; for if the Dervishes had taken Kassala, the tribes who, with the exception of the Baggaras, only followed the Khalifa for what they could get, would have become most formidable. If any millionaire, said Lord Salisbury, with a grim reference to the recent Raid on the Transvaal, liked to help ns we might not refuse; but though we might move slowly "we shall not have restored Egypt to the position in which we found her, or placed her in the position of safety she deserves until the Egyptian flag floats over Khartoum." Lord Rosebery, in reply, pointed out that Mr. Chamberlain had said that advance from Dongola would depend on the amount of resist- ance, and that Sir M. Hicks-Beach had pledged his word that no reconquest of the Soudan was intended. 'Nor is it,' rejoined Lord Salisbury in effect, until I have the money. Perhaps Lord Rosebery will supply it.' The speech was very fine, the surrejoinder too much in the Saturday Review spirit.
