Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-13
Farce of suppressins tho Slave Trade.

Farce OF Suppressing tho Slave Trade.
The granting of an imperial subsidy tc
the British East Africa Company last week
by Parliament, is another act in one of the
most hypocritical dramas ever played BY
the English Government For many years
it has been conducting sort of imaginary
war against the African slave trade. Be-
ginning with Sir Samuel W. Baker, and
really before his time great noise has been
made about this crusade against slavery.
Repeatedly, and by different methods, the
suppression of the horrible traffic has been
promised. Nobody has beaten this same
British East Africa Company at promising.
They promised to do wonders as soon as
they had enough money. The bait was
strong and the philanthropic Sir Thomas
Fowell Buxton, Lord kinnaird and many
others were caught. the first for $780,
600 and the second for $25,0OO But, after
dropped out of sight and the commercial
objects of the company became paramount
Not single, isolated effort was made in
behalf of the poor slaves. Instead, excuses
and promises have been as numerous as
bacteria in milk, and in the meantime the
slave trade gees bravely on.
In a recent private letter to friend Emin
Pasha, the Governor of Equatorial Africa,
states that the traffic is as bad as ever it was
During his march to the Albert Nyanza
last year he experienced all its horrors
Following the track of well-known driver
named Ben Chalia for six days he counted
in that time no less than 81 fresh corpses,
worn to skeletons, SO with their skulls
beaten in, and he was told that short time
previous one party of l 200 slaves of both
ehoin in
dragged to Mengo. 1t is at this juncture
the East African Company makes demands
of the Government, under threat to with
draw from the savage country in which thev
have accomplished nothing in the direction
promised.
Explorer Baker said many years ago that
nothing would or could be done until the
civilized nations banded together for COM
mon purpose There is not much indica-
tion of this, consequently the slave trade is
likely to continue for at least some time to
come.
In this connection it maybe apropos to
recall the fact that Captain Timothy Mea-
her, noted steamboat man, who died on the
Sd Of the present month, was the importer
of the last cargo Of slaves brought to the
negroes in the party settled in the neighbor-
hood of Mobile, Ala, where they are said
to still preserve their native language and
customs to remarkable degree, even to
being ruled by queen of their own choos-
ing.
French Fertilization of Northern Africa.
1t is rather odd that France should fortify
Bizerta, the'most northerly town OF Africa,
and that SO energetically, employing, it is
stated no less than 3OOO men M other
reason can be assigned for this action other
than that France contemplates having i'm
portant use for this place later on. Bizerta
is really natural fortress, Agathocles, the
Sicilian tyrant Of couple Of thousand years
ago, erecting defenses there as early as 3O7
B. G. With this place as headquarters, he
repeatedly defeated the Carthaginians and
Macedonians, besides ravaging the seacoast
of Italy. The town is surrounded by mas
sive walls and defended now by two castles
1t is only vulnerable from the land side, the
heights . short distance away commanding
it. I understand that these heights are now