New-York tribune., 1903-07-19

he viii be forced to withdraw either by the
Sultan Of Morocco, whose dominions he has in
vaded, or by the French Government, whose
laws ne has violated Should, however, he man
ase to win from the Moorish Government the
permission to retain possession of the tract OF
territory which he has seized, and If the French
Department of Foreign Affairs is able to re-
move the objections which would very natu-
rally be raised to the establishment of French
settlement at that particular point of the Dark
Continent there would be in many respects
cause for cOngratulation since it would mean
the opening up of another portion of Africa
to Western civilization, trade and enlighten-
nent as well as its emancipation from the most
gloomy form of Oriental savagery and bar
barism.
knowledge of this part Of Northwestern At
rica is extremely limited That it belongs to
Morocco is undoubted. The Spanish protec-
torate of the Rio de ORC lies Immediately to
t. south OF the coast which NJ. Lebaudy is
r tie to have landed, and all modern
NJ, ,of Africa official and otherwise, the do
L 'r,o1.s of the Sultan of Morocco are shown as
extending up to the Spanish boundary. Spain
would therefore, according to the rules of inter-
national comfy which now prevail among the
European powers regarding the division Of
Africa into colonial dependencies and spheres
of influence be entitled to raise objections, not
only at Tangier. but also at Paris, to the per-
manent establishment of Lebaudy settlement
on a part of the Moorish coast which, adjon-
ing her boundary, may be regarded as within
her sphere.
Still more serious are the grounds upon which
England might put forward opposition to the
Lebaudy venture. For there is in existence a
treaty bearing the date of March i3, 1899, be-
tween the late Queen Victoria and the late Sui
tan Of Morocco, according to the terms of
which the latter solemnly undertook to cede to
no one the lands lying along the coast from the
Spanish frontier to Cape JUDY without the con-
sent Of the English Government. Some fifteen
years previously British subject named Don
aid Mackenzie had concluded with the Sheikh
of Aghameen a treaty whereby in return for a
payment of cash the latter ceded to him the
territory extending southwark from Cape JUDY,
together with the hnterland to extent of
five miles from the coast, which Mackenzie
utilized for the establishment of a trading sta
ton, the company which he formed to work it
being known the Northwest Africa Com
pany 1t was not until some years Iater, when
France and Spain, having drawn the attention
of the Sultan of Morocco to the Mackenzie set
tlenl4Ix and to the operations of the Northwest
Africa Company demanded analogous conces-
sOns for their own cOuntrymen, that he raised
the contention that the Sheikh of Aghameen
being merely of his subjects, had right
whatsoever to make any such agreement as
that which he had negotiated with Mackenzie
or to ALLEVIATE either permanently or even ten
porarily any Moorish territory without his. the
Sutans, consent. The En-: lish authorities We're
forced to recognize the justice OF this argument
and recommending the company to withdraw
from Moorish territory in accordance with the
Sultan's demands, devoted their efforts to Sc
curing pecunary compensation In this they
succeeded, and the Sultan apprecating the at
titude of the British Government in the mat
ter readily consented to the insertion of
clause in the treaty dealing with the subject
constituting an undertaking by the Moorish
crown not to cede the territory thus surrendered
to any one whatsoever without the concurrence
of England.
few years later expedition similar to that
of NJ Lebaudy made descent upon the same
strip Of coast line. 1t was organized and
financed by the Globe Venture Company, of
which Sir Edward Thornton. formerly British