The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-07-06
Which Got the Better of the Bargain i?


1t is amusing to read the comments OF the
English and German press on the partition
treaty. Should We accept with equal faith
the assertions OF the London and OF the Berlin
newspapers, we should have to assume that
each OF the parties to the recent agreement
has overreached the other. The Tory and
Dissident Liberal journals maintain that
Heligoland Is worthless and Zanzibar OF in
estlmablc value. while the German organs
OF Chancellor CAPRIvI assert that Heligo-
land Is OF capital strategic Importance
whereas the island OF Zanzibar loses its his
torical significance from the moment that
the Germans acquire undisputed possession
OF the opposite mainland.
One cannot but feel surprise, for instance,
at reading in Il newspaper usually so well
informed aud sober-mindcd as the London
Spectator. that HeliSoland is "a slndbank II
four hundred acres" and that 1.-THE place is
OF no earthly value to any power the water
being too shallow for great ships" The fact
Is that Heligoland, which formerly presented
n much larger area than it does now, has in
the course OF centuries suffered not only
shrnkage but disruption and now includes
rock island and a sand island. besides out
has suffered from the encroachments of the
sea explains the present shallowness OF the
circumjaccnt waters; but 1t also shows that
the inshore bottom Is OF such a nature as
would facilitate an artificial deepening Of
the harbor. Tho conversion of the island
into q naval fortress has been repeatedly
discussed by the British Admiralty since
1907, and although on grounds OF economy
the project has been deferred, its feasibility
has not been questioned. Decisive testi-
mony to the usefulness OF Heligoland not
only from naval but from n military point
OF view, Is given b. Admiral Won HENK,
who says: I'm the possession OF Ger.
many. covered with batteries, provided
with a formidable armament, Hrlgoland
will become the maritime defence Of the
empire and. thanks to 1t, the German fleet
will be In position to assume almost alone
the important task OF defending the coasts,
which will supply the means Of reducing to
minimum the number OF the troops of tho
land army which 1t Is necessary to reserve
for this purpose" Tho Rsrue Militaire de
PEtTdnDer, the organ OF the French general
STAFF, also recognizes the effect entirely
overlooked in England) OF the acquisition
and fertilization OF Heligoland on tho vol
ume OF the German land force available for
movements on tho French frontier. Tho
possession Of the island. which the Spectator
pronounces "of no earthly value" is rcck-
oned equivalent to the release from coast
duty Of several army corps.
The same London newspapers that deny
the worth of Heligoland naturally cXagGcr-
ate the Importance OF Zanzibar, over which
England is to assume n protectorat". They
describe it as the cato of East Africa aud
the Indispensable vcstibule To the Gctman
possessions on the opposite mainland; and
they insinuate that by the retention of
this island they have tu us an
American slang phrase i!rd - -,ria-; 10
their concessions to q rmauy IN IL" Conf
nent. There is no doubt that 81 long a. East
Africa was sought for purposes not OF edo
nization but OF trade-and the latter Was tho