THIRD MARQUESS OF SALISBURY 297
Minister to make. He added, however, that it was he who " insisted upon the employment of Kitchener, much against the grain of the great men in London." * The battle of Omdurman (September 2nd, 1898) was followed by the Fashoda incident, which brought France and England to the verge of war. In the firm attitude which he took up in this matter, Lord Salisbury received the support of the whole nation, and the tact with which he handled the delicate situation provided France with as easy a way of retreat as the circumstances allowed. Finally, an agree- ment was arrived at by which France withdrew all claims to the Nile Valley ; and at the same time by the Niger Convention, signed in June, 1898, but not ratified during the Fashoda dispute, the boundaries of British and French territories in West Africa were satisfactorily settled. The way was thus paved for the more comprehensive agreement with France, which was concluded by Lord Lansdowne in 1904.
Lord Salisbury had thus placed to his credit another fine diplomatic achievement. War was a thing hateful to him, and he had worked unceasingly and with success to prevent a breach of the peace. Thus, when the Boer war broke out in October, 1899, though he realised that it was unavoidable and never for a moment doubted the justice of our cause, it came to him, neverthe- less, as a grievous blow. In the actual conduct of the dispute with Kruger, he was not directly
1 Life of Lord Cranbrook, II. 368.
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