Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-01-16
pELAGOA BAI.
It is Pronounced the Finest Harbor In
south Africa.

II Is pronounced the
south Africa.
Delagoa Bay. TO which the British
and German ships are being dispatched
is pronounced the finest harbor in South
Africa. and the European powers which
have interests in Africa, have long kept
jealous watch of each others move
ments in relation to it.
In the latter part of September, 1894
there was a report in England that
syndicate purchased a concession for
building a pier in Dellgio, by which the
practical control Of the port would pass
TO the Transvaal Soon afterward
there was an uprising of Kaftirs against
the Portuguese. to whom Delagoa Bay
belongs. and British marines were
promptly landed at Lorenzo Marquee
from the gun boat Thrush, against the
protest OF the Portuguese governor.
Delagoa Bay is the natural outlet OF
the trade Of the Transvaal, ana farlu-
gals interest is to make all the uafhc
of the plateau of the interior converge
toward this port. To this end the Pre-
toria-Lorenzo Marques railway was
comenced in 1886 For half century
prior to this attempts were MADE, DuS
unsuccessfully, to establish commune
cations between the Transvaal ana De-
lagoa Bay. With Basins, quays ana
railways at Lorenzo Marques commu-
nicating with the sold fields and I1cn
country of the interior, Lorenzo Mar
ques will have a great future before IT,
At present its chief imports are arms
and alcoholic liquors; its exports OIL
nuts. caOutchOuc, etc.
The town is surrounded by a wall,
and batteries have been erected 10
defend it against hostile attack on the
land side. The town lies on the north
ern side of the inner harbor, or Eng
lish river, as it used to be called.
Lorenzo Marques has a splendid har-
Dor. capable of holding and shelterins
hundreds of the finest ships. The en-
trance 10 the harb0r is so wide ana
fine that fleet Of ironclads could enter
it. The harbOr covers some 1000
square miles of water, dotted here and
there with wood-clad Islands.
Invack Island guards the entrance
and here the Portuguese have planted
batteries to defend the anchorage. The
entrance to the inner harbor or English
river. where Lorenzo Marques has been
planted. is about q mile wide. Fifteen
feet of water cover the bar at low
water. Vessels drawing twelve feet Of
water can navigate the English river
for forty miles while two miles from
Lorenzo Marques they can lie in suffi-
cient depth and free from every wind.
About five miles from Lorenzo the
Temby. the Dundas and the Mattel
empty into the estuary.
The ownership of the bay Of Lorenzo
Marques became a question Of great :m
pOrtance in 1875.
Portugal claimed possession Of the
whole of it by right Of discovery, Eng
land by effective colonization. The
British settled along the southern part
Of DelagOa Bay, and built town in the
course of time England, while ac
knowledeing Portugals right to the
northern part Of the bay. claimed the
southern as her own. Tho matter was
brought to a crisis when, in 1868. the
Transvaal republic. by proclamation,
NlAl4nNl tNt AHtittb llNDs II jill liz
junction with TIE TongOll TO its mouth
into the southern part of Delagoa Bay.
Both England aAd Portugal strenuous
ly resisted this ella I'M. and set up cOun-
ter petitions. Eventually. Ire natter
was referred to the arbitration of Mar
shall Mcmahon, then president Of The
French republic. In 1875 he declared
that the southern part of Delagoa Bay
including the Maputa river up to the
Lomb0bO mountains, belonged to Por-
tugal England consequently hauled
down the British ensign, but in 1891 an
agreement was made between that
country and Portugal that, in the event
of the latter country wishing to part
with the bay, England should have the
first right Of purchasing it.-Washing-
ton Star