inopportune.

"In this I, of course, concurred, reminding him of the terms of
your lordship's telegram of the 9th inst.; but I told him, as
emphatically as I could, that I looked upon the situation at
Fashoda, if M. Marchand had occupied that town, as very serious,
inasmuch as Her Majesty's Government would certainly not acquiesce
in his remaining there, nor would they consent to relinquishing
the claims of Egypt to the restoration of all the country latterly
subject to the Khalifa, which had heretofore been a portion of
her territory. I felt it to be my duty, I said, to speak with
extreme frankness, and to assure him that on this point no
compromise would be possible.

"M. Delcasse listened to me with grave attention, but his reply
was chiefly to the effect that if the two Governments discussed
the matter with calmness and a sincere desire to avoid a conflict,
there could be no doubt of our arriving at a peaceable and
satisfactory solution. France does not desire a quarrel. In saying
this he could speak with absolute certainty. All his colleagues in
the Government are, like himself, anxious for good relations with
England. If this anxiety is reciprocated on the other side of the
Channel (and the tone of the English Press inspires him with
doubts of this) there can be no danger.

"I replied that Her Majesty's Government have no desire to pick a
quarrel with France, but that nothing could be gained by my
concealing from him the gravity of the situation as I regarded it,
or the fixed determination of Her Majesty's Government to
vindicate claims of the absolute justice of which they hold that
there can be no question. I, of course, avoided the use of any
expression which might sound like a menace, but short of this I
did my best to make my declaration of the impossibility of the
French being allowed to remain at Fashoda as clear and distinct as
could be expressed in words."

On 25th September, the day the expedition returned from Fashoda to
Omdurman, Mr Rennell Rodd, who during the absence of Lord Cromer in
Europe was in charge of affairs in Egypt, telegraphed to Lord
Salisbury the following despatch, which had been received from the
Sirdar:--

"I found at Fashoda, whence I have just returned, M. Marchand with
8 officers and 120 men. The French flag had been hoisted over the
old