The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-06-17
.ndfeMnq empires
Trifles Which Have Resulted
in John Bulls Nation of
Perpetual Sunshine.


>o-o-@-~-o-~~~-~-----~-~~-~
Trifles frequently change the course of
history. Many of the outlying possessions
of the British empire We're acquired by
chance, almost, certainly by taking adj
vantage of trivial things
Three hundred years ago the Dutch held
the monopoly of all trade to Asia and
India. Suddenly, in 1899 they raised the
price of pepper from to shilIings
pound.
This was more than Englishmen could
stand. The worthy merchants of London
met together to protest against the "un-
Christian price of pepper" They did more
than protest, for they determined to get
their own pepper from India rather than
yield to the Dutchmans demands.
They formed a company called The
Governor and Company of the Merchants
Of London Trading TO the East Indies"
and subscribed capital of $35O,00O On
the last day of 1600-nearly three CEN
turtles ago-Queen Elizabeth granted them
royal charter.
They opened trade with India, and
got their pepper at a Christian price.
And they got more than pepper, for it
was this comany that gained a footing
for the English in India drove out the
French and established British rule over
that vast peninsula and one-fifth of the
human race.
1t was only after the mutiny in 1858
that the company ceastd to rule India,
and the queen assumed the reins of gov
eminent Thus, for an extra twopence
an ounce of their pepper. a handful of
merchants laid the foundation of the
British Indian empire
More than one BIT of the British en-
pire has been secured to Britons by the
closest of shaYeS
The British flag was hoisted in Ans
traIa-then barren continent, inhabited
by the most degraded of mankind-Only
three weeks before a French vessel ar
| rived 10 make 1t possession of France
BY a narrow squeak New Zealand was
secured to the Anglo-SaXon race
seventy years ago English missionaries
! and few settlers went to New Zealand
The British began to look enviousW on
| the two fertile islands. The British gov
| ernment was begged to annex them. They
| took no steps whatever to forestall the
! French. ard to protect the English al
! ready there.
=, Private enterprise stepped in. A New
Zealand company was formed by the
| Earl Of Durham and Edward Gibbon
Wakefield The company shipped off a
! cargo of settlers to New Zealand The
! voyage took nine months then, and
! seeing the people We're in earnest, the
! government tardily decided to annex the
/ land. In May 1910. a party landed from
I man-of war and hoisted the Union Jack
/ proclaiming the Islands British terri
! tory.
J., They They were Just in time. Three days
later a French ship dropped anchor In
| one Of the natural harbors. Great was
thelr rage on seeing the English flag fly
ing, for they had come to hoist the tri-
color. The French missionaries, in full
canonicals, protested to the British Of
! hcers, but they were foTestalled.
1t was to that lucky chance that the
New Zealand of today, with it's $50, COO
white settlers. forming the most advance d
and Ideal community in the world. owes
its existence.
In the middle of the narrowest part of
the Red Sea is the Island of Pc i'm Alden,
! Englands coaling station and dockyal d
Tor the East Is not far away, and Perrin
! commands the entrance to the Red Sea
| Perrin Is British property The sto. V
OF its annextion shows the value of act
ing on initiative. without waiting for Off
In 1855 all France was agog with ex-
! element about De Lessep's plan for cut
( ing canal across the Isthmus of Suez
and 50 shortening the voyage to Asia. In
| england everybody laughed at the idea
! While De Lesseps's plans We're being
! discussed French admiral received or
! derS TO go and annex Perrin. n sailed
around Africa, and called in at Alden to
coal.
The British governor there smelt rat.
ne lie asked the French admiral to dinner.
The champagne was excellent; he
| t'renchman began to talk, the EngI sh-
two
The admiral let drop the word Perrin "
! Inc governor heard it as he would have
heard Timbuctoo mentioned. But he scrib-
bied two notes in pencil on his menu
card, and sent them out by the butler.
The hrst note was to the harbor master.
telling him to delay the coaling of the
French ships as long as poss BILE TIE
second note was to the commander of the
British gunboat, ordering him to enlba rk
! as many guns and men as possible in two
hours, and to sail TO Perrin and annex it
When the French arrived there mkt
morning, to their unutterab'e chagrin
great show of guns and men, The French
admiral sailed away again. It was per.
fdious Albion ag in!
! Thus was Perrin annexed and the key
OF the SueZ canal secured by Britain II
will be of infinite Importance in the next
naval war.
The possession of Rhodeeia England
Rhodes A dozen years ago, when he
Colonial fever" was claiming every Eu-
rOpean power as its vic I'm Bismarck
turned his ewes to South Africa, and
dreamed of German empire there
IN envoy was sent to "exDl re- M4ta-
! heleland. info tunately for Germ any
fortunately for EGG and-ha fel i'll on he
border of the TTansvaal-having Travelled
by way of Delaqoa Bay Rhodes beard
/ OF his presence there and que Sed- his mis-
sion. He sent Moffat. a missionary. ia
Lebenguia. the Matabele chief A t~eatv
was made by which Loben agreed to hand
over MS country to no one but the Bit
| 1Sh 1t was checkmate to Germany Bis
marck had reckoned on no opposition, but
| he forgot-if he knew-abOut Ri -des Thf
! ENJOYS Ines Oh 7nged history