University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk ...

271
Neither Conservatives nor Liberals were particularly
eager to take on now responsibilities
in Africa
. The
Salisbury administration had laready had experience of
the difficulties caused by chartered companies$ in , the
complainto of the French government against Lugard'n
treatment of the Catholic mission, But the Liberal
Foreign Secretary
. gras Lord Roeebory who wan determined
both to foratall French influence in Africa, and to run
Foreign Policy without interference from other members of
the Cabinet Reginald Brett described hin position "He
is absolute at the P. O. Be informs hin colleagues of very
littler and does as he pleases. If it offends them he
retires, We shall rennin in E&ypt and the continuity of
Lord S1o policy will not be disturbed, " (1)
Fron a belief
in the Empire already acquired, Rocobery had also moved to
a policy of "pegging out claims for the future" as he
put it in hic speech of sot March 18393 at the Colonial
Institute.
(2)
Ilia strongest opponent in the Cabinet was Urcourt,
the Iiocno Secretary, who denied that there was any profitable
(i) 4. uotod in Robinao
(2) R. R. Janao= 1 ot_...
nbt, r',, p, 284.
, GallaCh r and Denny, 9 cit 3 'p. 3i8.