The Washington herald., 1908-03-15
BY Ex-ATTAcHE.

I Il
To nine persons out Of ten the Falkland
Islands are nothing amore than mere
geographical expression. and the vast
majority Of people nave no knowledge (
Of them beyond the fact that they are
situated somewhere in the Southern At
lantic
Yet they are likely 10 become in the
near future a subject Of considerable in
terest here and in Europe. as a bone Of
very serious contention between the Ar
gentine Republic and Great Britain Il
is a conhic: 10 which the United States
cannot remain Indifferent. for reasons /
which are obvious. and 81 may safely be
asserted that every resource Of Uncle
Sans diplomacy viii he called into ac-
ton for the purpose Of bringing about a
friendly understanding. with or without
recourse 70 the international tribunal Of
The Hague. and to avert at all costs the
developing Of the controversy into an
armed struggle between Argentina and
Great Britain.
Bolt from Clear sky.
II is Argentina that has provoked the
present trouble and that. too. out OF
clear sky. Senior Zeballos. the minister
OF foreign affairs at Buenos Ayres. who
owes his Office largely 10 his afnliations
with the extremely aggressive Young Ar
gentine party. noticing that the Falkland
Islands figure as English possessions in
the documents relating 10 the new inter-
national postal convention al Rome, has
replied officially TO the effect that -the
Argentine Republic considers the Falk-
land archipelago as belonging 70 itself.
and cannot accept the convention with
out protesting against the inclusion Of
the Falklands among the British colo
MES"
The contention Of SenOr Zeballos with
regard 70 the Falkland Islands has oc-
casionaIly formed the subject % private
discussion. and even Of newspaper ar
ticles in some OF the minor organs OF the
Argentine press. without. however. at
tracing any notice abroad, or even. so
Tar as IL is known. engaging the attention
either Of the government or or the legis-
iature at Buenos Ayres.
Affair Important One.
The fact. however. that the pretensions
OF the republic 20 the FaIklands should
have been put forward by its minister OF
foreign affairs. acting in the name Of the
government in An official communication
addressed virtually 20 aE the foreign pow
ers forming part OF the International
postal convention. places an entirely DIFF
ferent complexion upon the affair. II
may safely be taken for granted that
responsible government. such as that or
Argentina. would never have embarked
-
pared TO 20 considerably further in the
direction Of pushing its claims 20 the
Falkland Islands, while. on the other
hand the English government can no
longer afford 10 ignore the attitude OF
this most prosperous OF the independent
states OF South America with regard 20
an archipelago which was first discovered
by Sir Richard Hawkins in 1592, and
which since 1S23 has been in uninterrupted
possession OF England. and administered
as British colony.
In south Atlantic.
Situated in the South Atlantic. the
Falkland Islands. some 80 in number.
embracing an area OF 700 or S,oo0 square
miles. lie AT about 30 miles east CT the
nearest point OF the mainland OF South
America. and from geographical point
OF view form part Of Patagonia, with
which they are connected by an elevated
submarine plateau. After their discovery
by Hawkins they were visited four years
later 10y the Dutch captain. SebaId de
Vert. who gave them the name OF the Sc
bald Islands, by which they still figure on
some Of the Dutch maps and charts
Nearly hundred wears afterward Capt
Strong, OF the British navy. sailing be-
tween the two principal islands. called
the passage Falkland Sound. from which
the group afterward took its English
name In the early portion OF the eight
eenth century the islands were seized by
/ tffe- French. who established a colony at
( Port Louis, on Berkeley Sound. from
which. however they were expelled by
the Spaniards, these being in turn driven
out by Commodore Byron, Of the British
navy. who took possession Of the archi-
pelago in the name OF England. on the
ground OF prior discovery.
Treaties Are Arranged.
( IN I77l. however. conventions were con-
cluded by both France and Spain. under
/ the terms OF which they surrendered their
claims upon the archipelago to England.
England was so busy az the time with
. I
/ she had no time 10 give much attention
I to the Falkland Islands az the close Of
the eighteenth century; and taking ad-
vantage OF the absence OF any duly con-
stituted British authority there the
newly formed republic Of Buenos Ayres
/ established a settlement on the islands In
! 1S2o. settlements which were destroyed
/ by a naval force of the United States in
( consequence Of a misunderstanding with
/ this government Two years later the
English flag was once more hoisted at
Port Louis. and since that tine. the Falk-
/ land Islands have been a regular British
colony. under a governor. and the seat of
a colonial bishopric.
Important 10 England.
To England the islands are important
as eoalins station and they so faT
command the eastern entrance 10 The
Straits Of Magellan that they are in
striking distance thereof. But, save as a
eoaling station. they cannot be said to be
OF any particular use to the British em-
pire. For, although yielding sufficient re
venue TO pay the cost of the colonial
administration. they are not otherwise re-
munerative. for they have no mineral
wealth, and now that the whaling and
sealing in the Southern Atlantic is 10 ali
/ intents and purposes ended. the raising OF
sheep may be regarded as the sole indus
! try of the archipelago. Just what the
| Argentine Republic wants with the islands
/ il is difficult 10 say. II cannot certainly
be for the disposal OF the surplus popula-
I ton. since its own vast territory on the
mainland is so Sparsely populated that IL
Is compelled to permit virtually Unre-
stricJed immigration from Europe. IN or
der 10 furnish the means OF developing