The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-24
ALLIED SHIPS
lombard
PORT
Continued from Page ID

rade pass before the United States
Legation. Everyone here hopes that 4
the arbitration proposed by Venezuela
through Mr.. Bowen and Washington
will be granted
When the combined fleets seized the
Venezuelan ships at La Guayra the
German commander delivered to the
Venezuelan captains the following doc
ument:
BY order of my sovereign, and at
the command of the commodore of the
tiers, /, the commander of the Panther. |
request you to lower your ships flag
immediately and leave your ship with |
your crew within ten minutes. This |
is not a measure of war on the part of
Germany, but only with the object of
making a provisional seizure of your
ship in order to oblige the Venezue-
Ian government to recognize our just
demands. In case you disobey and
wish TO defend your ship. I shall be
obliged to prevent you from so doing
by the discharge of arms. December
/.
(Signed) "CKERTMAN.
COMMANDER.
Further details of the sinking of the
Venezuelan ships have been obtained
from an entry made in the book of the
signalmen of the fortress of La Quay
ra. 1t is as follows:
Tuesday, December 9, 1870 night
The adjutant called me to see If /
knew the steamer Retribution of the
English navy was towing the steam
ers Crespo and Totune, of the Nation
al navy, three or four miles north
l had heard four cannon shots and
said the two steamers had disappeared
and understood they had been sunk by
the Yineta and Retribution. At the
end of an hour the Retribution return
ed to the harbor alone.
(Signed) SIGNAL COMMANDER,
''Of the Forts
The fact that the Retribution return
ed 20 La Guayra alone two hours af-
ter leaving with the captured vessels
VAS confirmed by English residents of
La Guayra Consequently, she did
not have time to orduct the Venezue-
Ian ships to Curacao or Trinidad.
SCARE AT LA GUAYRA.
LA GUAYRA, Dec. 15.- The arrival
of the British cruiser Charybdis and
the torpedo boat destroyer Quail yes
terday caused bad scare among the
population of this place The COM
mander of the fortress visited the
American, French, Spanish and Dutch
consuls and asked them in case the
British landed marines to intervene to
prevent firing on the fort and to delay
any movement on the fort. as he had
received orders from the government
TO evacuate the place. The command
er added that if the consuls refused
to intervene and the fort was attacked
he would defend his post and could
not answer for the consequences to the
town, which is without any defense
with the exception of a few armed po-
licemen AT o'clock, however, the
Charybdis and the Quail left La Quay
Ia and the fears of the population sub
sided
What caused most of the alarm was
the fact that when the British ships
arrived here they took up command
| ing position, their guns covering the
fort, and remained stationary for a
| few moments, as if about to fire. The
| Charybdis and the Quail steamed away
| in the direction of Curacao.
| The foreign consuls subsequently
called on the project, who assured
| them there avs no danger at present.
| He added that the commander of the
| fort had been needlessly alarmed and
had only succeeded in almost causing
| g. panic.
PRELIMINARY TO ARBITRATION.
BERLIN, Dec. 10 The German gov
eminent has not yet replied to Pres
| ident Castros offer of arbitration, be-
| ing still in correspondence with the
British government on the subject. 1t
| is intirnated that Gerrnany's reply is
not likely to be ready for some days.
! The opinion of the cabinet appears to
/ be that President Castro's proposals
| are merely move in a game designed
| to see what Germany and Great Brit
! ain are now willing to do, and as
| test also of American public feeling.
! The prevailing idea here at present is
that it is too late to arbitrate, and
| that the acceptance of the offer to DO
/ so would place Germany in the posi-
ton Of having put her hand to the
! pillow, and as looking backward. The
/ governments concern at the present
/ moment is to guide the application of
| force SO as 10 8VO1Q what COuiH NC
| taken internationally as a declaration
4 of war, resulting in the recognition OF
/ Venezuela as a belligerent. The con-
duct of the United States is regarded
IN diplomatic opinion here as being
1 strong and dignif1ed, and the State
Departments handling of the affair is
looked upon as establishing Europe S
recognition of the Monroe doctrine, be-
| cause every step Of Germany and
Great Britain was made after taking
into account what the United States
thought of it. At the same time it is
claimed that events in Venezuela are
saving he United States many future
complications by letting the Latin
Republics understand that the United
States will not protect them from the
effects of financial delinquency and in
| ternai disorder.
ITALY TAKES A HAND.
ROME, Dec. 10 The claims of italy
on Venezuela referred TO by Foreign
Minister Prinetti in the Chamber OF
Deputies here yesterday comprise loss
es sustained by Italian citizens during
the recent revolutions. Most of tbs