Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-12-19
Portugal and England.

| Tho threats of the English press against
and their warnings TO Portugal have had
the effect OF drawing from Lisbon state
ment that the Portuguese Government is
about to issue map showing its claims to
African territory. With this statement IL
coupled the declaration that the Govern
ment will not overstep any legitimate
claim and will nota abandon any, thatitraises
no pretentions to Matebeleland and the
western limit OF Zumboland. and that 1t
makes no claim TO q territorial stretch
across the continent. This declaration
does not coincide with the recent
action of Portugal in Southeast Africa.
but is Of piece with Portuguese diplo-
macy or trickery. Certainly the advance
Of the Portuguese as far rs the Makololo
territory and their operations in Nyassa-
land would appear pretty practical de
monstration Of the fact that they are try
ing 10 drive an entering wedge between
the lake systems that drain into the Congo
and the Nile and those that drain into the
Zambezi and from the Iimpopo BASIN.
and thus cut OF England's northern from
her southern African possessions. But
whether the Lisbon Government is sincere
or not the civilized world would not be
much distressed If the English. who IN tho
past havo been Portugl's best friend and
saved her on moro than one occasion
from being wiped of the map oi
Europe, should make occasion 20 wipe her
of the map OF Africa. II is true that about
a. q Ln
Prince HENRY the navigator. when the
Portuguese were perhaps the most en-
lightcned and euterprlsng people III Eu-
rope. the little kingdom led the world III
the matter of discovery aud in enlarging
geographical knowledge. and after NAsco
pa CASA succeeded, in 1497, in achieving
tho passage to the East Indies by rounding
the Cape Of Good Hope, the Portuguese
were for nearly a century masters OF the
Indian Ocean and of the east coast OF
Africa and the southern coast OF Asia.
Then, however. Portuguese progressive
ness and desire TO acquire and dIuse geo
graphical light began to decline. Cupidlty
in large degree blunted the spirit of
enterprise and comparatively few at
interior of Africa except in instances such
as that of Barreto when the travellers
were lured on by stories Of Fl Doradoes and
Ophirs. Certainly for tho last two and
a half centuries the Portuguese have done
little or nothing for the civilization and
Christianization of Africa. On tho con-
trarv they have contented themselves. save
( in the case Of few Individual explorers,
with maintaining as far as possible chain
Of Matchmaking posts on both the cast
and west coasts of the continent, have en-
couraged the Arab slave-traders IN the per-
petration ofthciratrocities. and by shadowy
claims 20 territory and by stlrringup revolt
among the natives kept other Powers from
opening up the country. Their attack
upon the Makololos is but repetition OF
IN old Portuguese programme, and II
would bea revelationlf il should prove that
any other objects were in view than those
Of adding to Englands difficulty in JOIN
inc her northern and southern African ter
ritOrial lines and preventing the pushing
northward Of the Cape Colony railroad
system and the development of the water
routes in the Limpopo basin and the Lake
Ngami and Tonka territory. An ex-
animation Of d good map Of Africa
viii make il apparent to any one
that should Portuguese influence at
tain the ascendancy in the territory
in which Major SERPo PINTo is now opc-
rating it would seriously rotard the work
ofAfrican civilization. Such an examination
will also make II apparent that the declara-
ton of the Lisbon Government would bet
ter be taken cum paa0 sails. When 1t
comes to the pinch Portugal cannot afford
to brook the vengeance of England, but
she may now, as she has done before, 50
manouvre az to thwart England without
bringing down that vengeance upon her
self, and thus continue to levy exorbitant
tolls upon the products that come from the
interior.