Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1900-02-09

freight of a big trading steamer in order
to ascertain whether guns and war ma
terial are secreted ut the bottom of the
hold. while in the same way there is no
means of discovering whether there is
any truth in the essentially pacific and
commercial pretexts which the large
number of military looking passengers
give as the object of their journey to
South Africa.
At the outset Of the war Portuguese
sympathies were with the English. :;:.,l
for some weeks before l!ostiities actually
were begun the Portuguese authorities
even went so far in their demonstrations
of good will toward Great Britain as to
stop the conveyance of great guns and
Wa: material Of every kind destined for
the ioers via Del;syna Bay. Their irieni-
IL int tons. however, were frustrated
by the prime minister of the English!
Cape Colony. who. at the time when the
Bocr importation of war su4,p!:rs was
being stopped at Delayu:1 Bay, permitted
President Kruger to bring in all the
heavy ordnance, ammunition. etc. that
he wanted by way Of Cape Town-ti.a1
is to say, over British territory.
This naturally served to discourage the
Portuguese. and the heavy rcverses which
England has sustained since the begin
ming of the war have tended still rurthcl
to diminish their eagerncss to favor the
British at the expense of the Transvaal.
The latter's frontier is but 40 miles from,
DelagOa Bay. which, moreover, is con-
nected by line of railroad with the Boer
capital. Pretoria. less than 800 miles
away. There is nothing whatever to pre-
vent the Beers from taking advantage OF
the railroad to sweep down from their
border line at Komati Poort upon IT,.
renco Marques. twoscore miles away. ana
!. to seize DelagOa: Bay by means of !!
coup de MAN," THE Portuguese gov.
eminent gives this danger as an excuse
I for permitting at present the unrestricted
Bocr Importation Of war supplies and of
re-enforcements via Delagoa Bay. From
very early times the Portuguese have
claimed the bay and the coast to the north
as far as Mozambique. In the latter part
of the seventeenth century they built fac
tories along the shores. y - y
The advent Of railroads into South AT.
RIGA put new light on the occupation OF
Delagoa Bay, The Portuguese. however,
never relinqnisned their hold on the east
coast as far south as the hay. :
In 1888 the railroad from the bay to the
/ Transvaal frontier was completed. but
the next year was seized by the Portu.
guese government. The case was refer.
red to a commission of four Swiss Judges
as arbitrators. and. while reports have
been made. the final award is still being
expected. and a connection is Inferred
,, between this coming award and the re.
cent alleged secret treaty, which. It is
now contended. has been drawn to ena.
bic Portugal to lease certain Of her pos.
sessions in Africa in order to tide over
finances. .";:'% -: - .~.{T, :, = ~
In 1894 the, railroad was continued
through Transvaal territory to the CAPT.
tai. Pretoria. thus reducing the distance
from the coast from 400 to. 400 miles,
Delagoa Bay is 800 miles from Durham,
80 miles from Cape Town and 1,60O
lies from Zanzibar. all British posses.
si"ns. Il VT = y 3
It, is now easy to understand England's
de<:re % years ago that no third party
| should obtain by purchase or otherwise
possession of Delagoa Bay. 7