Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1899-09-14
OF UNCLES4M
ENGLAND ORDERED DOWN Hre
 FLAG.
She Said the ~ulu Islands. Too, Were
 onrs-captata of Britfsh Merchant steamer Gave the Flag to Natives to
 lsa1Se For Protection.

steamer Gave the Flag to Natives to Raise for Protection.
 On the departure of the spap5ardz
 the inhabitants of some Of the sula Islands notably Palawan Balbabaa aAd Kaiion applied for British protee- ton. and Capt Pfort of the British steamer Labuau, visiting Palawau in response to the urgent request e. the natives handed 10 the latter d British flag. ta be used in case Of emergency. On the matter being reported to Sir Charles Mitchell. governor of the Straits and subsequently, to the for elgh office. the latter telegraphed 10 Singapore orders that the British f8g should at once he hauled down. and ae= eoraiag to adviees just received in Lon don Ii. Nj S Archer Was dis3a.e. C 10 Port RoyaIist Palawan, to haul down the flag. From the report Of Capt f1ort fl appears that it was only on seeing Che really critical state or affairs that he gave the flag to the na- tiEes. The Labuan called at Port Roy 2list. Palawan on February 1. and found the people in great consterna- tlon. The Spaniards had Jeff three months previously, saying that the Americans would talk. over the gov- ernment in three days. On leaving. the SDaniards turned adrift without food. clothes or money. all the native sol diers. The convicts, too. were set al liberty, and all arms and ammunition having been removed the people were entirely at the mercy of the disbanded soldiers and freed eonvicts. who loot ed and pilIaeed the whole country. On his arrival Capt Pfort was asked by the head man there if the governor Of Sandakan would afford them protec- tlon. and he in reply, suggested that a letter ia that sense should be dis patched to the governor Of Sandakan. Capt Ptort also handed to them q Brit ish merchant ensign with instructions to inform anyone seeking to moIest them that the people were under Brit lsh protection. He also gave to them this letter Re it known unto all men that l. Captain Ptort. master of the Brit Sh steamer Labuan, having arrived at this port and found the people de- sireus of British protection have this day given 10 the president of this port a British flag which I have instructed him to use and call upon all men to re speet 1he same until such time as Her Britannic Majest Queen Victoria, notifies her pleasure regarding the pro- lection of this port and the Island of PaIaWan in general. 2 After leaving Port Royalist the Labuan called at Curaray and Jilandak ports. on the mort west coast Of PaIawan, and found 8 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 local republic set up under Aguinaldo. From this place he took on board his steamer a number of refu- gees. 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 Pfort's action. Her majesty government stated that Pala- wan and the adjacent islands, being portions of the Philippines, became by virtue of conquest, American territory.