The Washington herald., 1910-05-15

I occasionally raised as TO the policy Of
exchanging Gibraltar for some Spanish
possession, and Mr.. Gladstone was rightly
/ or wrongly credited with being in favor OF
| the idea: but public sentiment in England
would never tolerate any abandonment
of a fortress which stands for so much
| In the history Of Great Britain. and
which constitutes so important factor
Of her line Of communications with her
/ dependencies in the Orient. commanding.
as it does. the entrance 10 the Mediter-
ranean
II these notions were imputed 10 Mr..
Gladstone, it was because he had been
| identified with some other surrenders OF
English possessions. Thus, in 1864. the
Ionian Islands. including Corfu. which
had been assigned 10 Great Britain by
the treaty Of 1914. and upon which an
immense amount Of English money had
been spent in the way Of maintenance,
and in the construction Of public works.
Of harbors, and Of fortifcations. were
presented 20 the kingdom Of Greece. with
out any return whatsoever.
In 1s7 the Beers Of the Transvaal.
treatened with humiliation by warning
/ blacks on every side. had appealed for
protection 10 the English. and volun-
| tarily placed themselves under the Eng
lish flag Three years later a number
Of them rose against the English. and
just when Great Britain had her troops
already on the spot 10 crush the revolt.
England, in the face OF the protests Of
her military advisers and commaH ders.
pulled down her flag at Pretoria. and
restored to the TransvaaI its Independ-
ence, of which she was compelled TO de-
prive II twenty years later after the
war resulting from the Boer invasion OF
the British colony Of Natal
Java, and in fact all Of the Dutch East
Indies, were in the possession Of England
from ISL until 1915. when they were vol
unfairly restored to Holland. without any
compensation whatsoever being given IN
return. Yet these Dutch East Indies are
perhaps the richest colony Of any Euro
pean power; they provide the source OF
most Of the wealth and prosperity Of the
Netherlands, and are likely 70 become
sooner or later part and parcel Of the
colonial empire Of Germany.
A statue Of the British governor Of
Java, and the code upon which the en-
tire system Of justice OF the island is
based. are all that remain to-day 10 re-
call the well nigh forgotten fact that the
Dutch Indies once belonged TO England.
and were deliberately given away by her.
periods formed part OF EngIand's colo
NAL empire. on the last occasion from
1875 until 1903. when It was presented BY
England 10 Spain at the time OF the
treaty OF Amiens.
Corsica. too. for a number Of years
after the great French revolution was
subject not only 10 British protection,
but 10 British administration
The history Of Guiana is even still
more strange. Sir George Rodney seized
u IN T7l. and England then set 10 work
10 improve the country. and 10 develop
its mineral wealth. Several years later
without asking for any compensation in
return. Great Britain voluntarily restored
IL 20 Holland. In 1876 the English seized
it again, held il for several years. then
gave IL back 20 the Dutch at the peace
OF Amiens.
In 1893 Great Britain seized It once
more, at the cost Of much life and treas
ure. and retained 1t until the downfall
OF Napoleon in 1915. when she presented
third OF Guiana as a free gift 10 the
French. by way OF consoling them for
the loss Of the battle OF Waterloo. and
turned over what has proved since 10
be the richest third thereof 10 the Meth
erlands, retaining the other third for
herself.
Heligoland, which commands the mouth
OF the EIbe. and which the Kaiser has
converted into one Of the principal
strongholds Of the North Sea, a strong
hold destined 10 play an important role
IN the future war between Germany and
Great Britain. was presented by England
10 Germany during the premiership Of
Lord Salisbury, in return for the aban-
donment OF certain shadowy pretensions
OF that empire TO share the protectorats
Of England over Zanzibar.
Few people recall that New Guinea.
the biggest island in the world next TO
Australia. was formally annexed by
Queensland. Lord Derby. who was at
the head Of the colonial Office AT the
time, declined 10 ratify the annexation.
and subsequently England, in the face
Of the protests of all Australia. reIin-
pushed one-half Of New Guinea 10 Ger
many. 1t is now known as Kaiser VIII
helms Land
In 1899 England voluntarily abandoned
all her rights in Samoa 10 Germany:
also deliberately gave up Port Arthur
which. after being converted into a pow
erful stronghold by Russia. is now in the
hands Of the japanese; owned Spitzber-
gen for a time and then abandoned it:
made a free gift Of the Bay Islands 70
the republic or Honduras in 1883, and
presented the Cape Of Good Hope col
ony 10 the Dutch in 1902. after having
held II for a number Of years, resuminE
possession thereof. however. in ISl4
Moreover, England has on several occa-
sions during the nineteenth century held
for a time and then deliberately aban-
dOned Afghanistan-
With regard 10 SOmaliland, its evacua-
ton is merely the climax Of a series OF
surrenders Of this kind. At one time
England owned Harrar. which IS the
principal port of Abyssinia. and the key
10 its wealth and commerce; but in spite
Of having pledged herself by the Anglo
Egyptian convention of 1877 never 70 sur
render it, it was given back TO Abys-
sinia in 1854; and whereas England once
owned the whole OF S0maliIand, that IS
10 say that huge triangle Of land lying
TO the south Of Abyssinia, on the east
coast Of Africa, and administered II 10