Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1899-11-05
AFRAIDOF UNCLE SAM
ENGLAND ORDERED DOWN HER
 FLAG.
She said the suIu Islands. Too. Were ours-Captain Of British Merchant Steamer Gave the Flag to Natives to Raise for Protection.

On the departure Of the spaniards
 the inhabitants of some of the Sulu
 Islands, notably Palawan, Balbabac
 and kulion, applied for British protee-
 tion, and Capt. Pfort of the British
 steamer Labuan, visiting Palawan in response to the urgent request of the natives, handed to the latter a British flag, to be used in case of emergency.
 On the matter being reported to Sir Charles Mitchell. governor of the Straits, and subsequently, to the for elgn office, the latter telegraphed to Singapore orders that the British flag should at once be hauled down. and ac. eord3ng to advices just received in Lon don. H. NJ, $. Archer was dispatched to Port Royalist, Palawan, to haul flown the flag From the report of Capt. Pfort it appears that it was only on seeing the IaaIly critical state Of affairs that he gave the flag to the ns- tives. The Labuan called at Port Roy aIist, Paiawan, on February 1, and found the people in great consterna- ton The SDaniards had lefs three months previously. saying that the Americans would take over the gov ernment in three days On leaving, the Spaniards turned adrift, without food, clothes or money, all tbe native sol. djefs. Tie conyicts, too. were set at liberty and all arms and ammunition having been removed the people were entirely at the mercy Of the disBanded soldiers and freed conYicts, who loot ed and piitaged the whole country. On bis arrival Capt Pfort was asked by the head man there if the governor Of Sandakan would afford them prosec- ton, and he, in reply, suggested that a letter jn that sense should be dis patched to the governor of Sandakan Capt. Pfort also handed to them a Brit isl merchant ensign with instructions to inform anyone seeking to molest them that the people were under Brit ish protection. He also gave 10 them this letter: Be it known unto all men that l. Captain Pfort. master of the British steamer Labuan, having arrived at this port and found the people de sircas of British protection, have this day given to the president of this port a British flag which 1 have instructed him 10 use and call upon all men to re- spect the same until such time as Fer Britannic MajestT, Queen Victoria notifies her pleasure regarding the pro- lection of this port and the Island of Palawan in general" After leaving Port Royalist the Labuan called at Curaray and Jilandak ports. on the northwest coast of Palawan, and found a similar condition of things. the people being in terror in the mountains Pro- ceeding to Kulion, an island seventy miles north of Palawan. Capt. Pfort found a local republic set up under Aguinaldo. From this place he took on beard his steamer a number of refu- sgees. The dispatch from Lord Sails bury to Sir Charles Mitchell in refer ence to Capt. Pfort's action simply or dered the flag to be hauled down, and added that the British government dis approved of Capt. Pforts action. Het majesty government stated that Pala- wan and the adjacent islands, being portions of the Philippines, became by virtue of conquest, American territory