New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-07

T. 80 5ave Of ancient Rome, prior eN
the Christian era, a saying was g, 80, ae
the people of the Eternal CITY Niil,i ,,.T,.o,,,
follows: lex Africa ALOUD hoNuih 80
Africa there is always something le :
49,. ~. r.os usuallv something of disagree
'i!e l,,o.ao+ar The phrase has as much point
ord tireliness at the present moment %
80 10 Thousand wears ago. There is always
something new from Africa, and IN lilie
ont of ten if is something disagreeaple, ~
+ba world has lust become aware ina
Eritain. and King Leopold. in his capacl'S %
sovereign of the Congo Free Stdte' Oh -
o - ,ror in the centre of Africa-that IS 70
so1 near the sources of the Nile and lhasniueii
&C any armed conflict in the Darh
wouId undoubtedly involve trouples -
.,,.rao+er in Furope, into which other powers
zyould probably be drawn. the matter ue
careful study and something more tnah iilei
naseinp note Three months ago Nine dc
rbebas the Partisan seeress Who predicted the
deaths of the MARQUIS de Mores. Ct Empress
Elizabeth and of King Humbert weeks ana
weeks before they occurred, and whose prog
nostications have been realized IN SO many olher
instances. prophesied that II was Belgium or
rather King Leopold, who would not only con-
stitute the principal cause of international al
ferences but Of war between European
powers in the year of our Lord 1906. At that
time no one paid much attention to the fore
cast of Nine de Thebes as the only trouble in
sight in connection with ing Leopold was the
controversy relating to the frightful atrocities
perpetrated upon the natives in the Congo Free
state less. perhaps by the officials Of his gov
eminent than by the agents of the various rub
her companies to which he has farmed out
enormous tracts of territory and in which ne
is usually the principal shareholder. The latest
news however, from Africa imparts "a totally
different and much more serious meaning TO
the words of Nine de Thebes. and it looks very
much as if King Leopold were destined to de-
velop into disturbing element Of the peace OF
the world in 1906
The source Of the tension between King Leo
pold and Great Britain is the possession Of that
particular portion of the former Egyptian prov
ince of Bahr-el-GhaZal. known as the Lado
Enclave. on the western bank Of the Nile. and
before proceeding briefly TO relate the history
of me disnute I would call attention TO the fact
that the English government, or rather, should
say. the AngIo-Egyptian authorities, have Just
issued a proclamation forbidding any vessel or
boat to ascend or descend the White Nile be-
yond Bor, station on the river Just below the
Lado Enclave and have at the same time
adopted measures to prevent any communica-
ton by land between the Anglo Egyptian SOudan
and the Lado Enclave. This has the effect OF
cutting off the Belgians and the Congo Free
State officials stationed at the various fortified
posts and trading settlements in the Lado En-
clave and in the Bahr-el-Ghazal province from
all intercourse with Europe. and with the outer
world in general by way of the Nile and will
compel their mails, supplies, achievements and
merchandise to be sent up the Congo valley
and through that terrible Central African forest
which the late Sir Henry Stanley so graphically