, 1890-09-03
III 1 8 & eIEO ~ ~ e o 8.
spectator 26 july

Congress on Tuesday, shows the existence
of a very unsatisfactory condition of affairs.
On the English side, it is in effect asserted
that Mr.. Blaine has changed his ground
from that of a demand for international
protection for the seals, and for an agree
ment as TO a close season, to the drclara-
tion that Behring SEA is mare claWsum.
The Americans, OH the other hand, charge
Lord Salisbury with having altered his
original proposal, and with having
subordinated the negotiations to Cana
dian wishes. The most important fact
relied upon on our side is the repudia'
tion by John De Quincy Adams, on be-
half of the United States, of the ~;clusive
claims made by Russia wien Alaska be-
lOnged to her. This reputation, however,
Mr.. Blaine declares to be ~inapplicable if
fairly quoted. Meantime, Lord S%aliSbury's
very reasonable proposal that the legality
of The seizures should be referred TO arbi-
"tration; that Till then all interference
should cease; and that, if the decision of
the arbitrators should be adverse TO the
United States, she should compensate
British subjects for their losses, appears to
have been ignored at Washington. The most
serious point in the controversy is the fact
that the American Revenue vessels were
allowed to sail before any arrangement was
come to, and that it therefore rests with
their commanders whether or not grave
complications shall ensue,-fOr it would
obviously be impossible for Lord Salisbury
not to protect British subjects in the exer-
else of rights which, he holds, belong to
them. We cannot of course pronounce de-
fnitely upon the dispute until the full text
Of the various documents is-befOre us; but
we fear that the Nea0 York Herald is right
in declaring that the conduct Of the ne"0-
tiations will not add to Mr.. Blaine'S diplO,
matte laurelS.
Though the result of the negotiations
between Portugal and the UnitedIKingdom
in regard to South East Africa is not yet
known, the negotiations have been made
the subject of attack in the Portuguese
House of Peers. The Foreign Minister,
however, refused to be drawn into disclosing
the nature of the agreement now in process
of making, and the incident practically end
ed in a good deal OF abuse of England, and in
the declaration thatit was better that Por-
tugal should be dispossessed by force, than
diShonoured by yielding voluntarily. In
the meantime, the tribes in the neighbour
hood of the Zambesi are apparently begin
ming to get tixnd of a Portuguese Protecto-
rate. for it is announced that one of the
O0l6IS HdS COuN 0A UCu uo L vi VuSucSC HAYS
into clothing. The incident shows that the
African natives are not only thrifty, but
have IL distinct sense of humOur.
A grave conspiracy is alleged by the Ar
gentine Government to have taken place in
the Argentine Republic, the object being
to Danish President Celman from the coun-
try. General CampOs, Colonel Figueroa,
Major GareSita, and other officers have
been arrested, md for the last five or six
DAYS there has been a good deal of panic at
Buenos Avres, which was however cooling
down at the last advices. The officers ar.
rested are to be tried by court. martial, and
the cavalry detachments which had been
guarding Government House had been
Withdrawn. Certainly the whole of South
America appears TO have caught the con-
tagion of revolution fr0m Brazil, so that it
is impossible to predict how far the fermen-
tation will go. or where it will cease.
On Tuesday, July 18th, the Giffard gun,
the invention ofM. Paul Gifard, underwent
a public trial at the headquarters of the
"London Scottish, before e number of
military experts. The propelling agent,
liquefed carbonic acid gas, is stored in a
tubular reservoir, 8 in. long, fixed under
and in line with the barrel, and possesses
such potency that it gives out a pressure
of 5OO-lb. per square inch when liberated for
actual use. On pulling the trigger, which
opens a valve and permits the instantane-