Evening star., 1923-07-07
BY THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.

BY THE MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.
Formerly, Italys colony of Somali-
land on the northeastern coast OF
Africa was looked upon both at Rome
and in the other capitals of Europe
as an entirely useless possession
Then Immediately after the great
war the royal Duke of the Abruzzi'
who had greatly distinguished him.
self by his daring as a naval COM
mander during the conflict, came
along In search of big game, which
is more abundant there than In any
other part of the dark continent. AL
ready celebrated as an explorer Oh
the polar regions, of the unknown
highlands Of Central Africa, and OF
the mysterious valleys and plateaus
living in the north Mount Everest,
uurtions of the Himalayan country,
until then untrodden by white men. of
a most active and restless character,
;mbued with the most ardent ana
patriotic eagerness to be or fasting
service to the nation. the ouke was
yearning for something 70 10. d i
ambition, in the period of reaction
from the four years of excitement or
the war, and he determined to 1den-
tify himself. therefore. with the fu-
ture of Italian Somaliland, and con-
vert il into a source OF wealth IN
stead of expense to his native land.
So he embarked a considerable por-
ton of the large fortune which ne
and his two brothers, the Duke OF
Aosta and the Count of Turin, had
Inherited from their enormously
wealthy Belgian mother. Of the me-
diatized house Of de Merode, to the
development of the latent resources
Of the colony, induced number or
Milanese and GenOese capitalists TO
interest themselves in the venture
secured a huge grant of handsome
100 900 acres or more-from the gov
ernment at Rome and founded the
Italo- -Somali Company. of which he
Is the very active president. resident
director and chief and moving spirit.
The duke has now been five years
at IL, and this summer. for the first
time. has shipped to Genoa several
hundred tons of cotton of the finest
quality, grown on ltalo-Sonlali COM
pany plantations, along the right
banks of the Juba river: also couple
Of shiploads OF medicinal plants, m
GLIDING a very large crop of castor
oil beans, which have naturally COM
mended the undertaking to Musso-
lini and his fascist followers, who
have employed castor oil so freely
and efficsciously in reducing their
mission. Indeed, Premier Mussolini
has become one Of the dukes warm
est and most enthusiastic supporters
in the development of his depend
ENJOY. which he now regards as offer
ing a very promising solution of the
troublesome emigration problem.
The capital of the colony has now
received the name of "Duca Abruzzi'
and an understanding has at length
been reached whereby Great Britain
,t..l, -N,r
some hundred thousand square miles
of territory on the south of the River
Juba, heretofore the boundary line
and known as Juba Land. This ac-
cession Is an immense advantage to
the duke and to Italy. For 1t COM
ing the seaports to the south of the
mouth of the Juba river, namely,
Kismaya and Port Durnford. two of
the very rare natural har6ors on
are indispensable to the future well
fare of the colony. Now that the
territory on both banks of the Juba
river is about to be devoted to the
and other medicinal plants, as well
as cattle, the colony is assured of
brilliant success, and Italy will owe
to her Royal Prince Luigi. Duke of
the Abruzzi, who was the first man
to scale the summit of the American
deep debt of gratitude as one of the
most useful of her citizens.
1t there has been any delay about
Great Britain's transfer of Jubaland
to Italy now, II has been dues to
a slight misunderstanding between
London and Rome, recently settled.
When Italy Joined in the great war
1t was agreed by France, Belgium and
Great Britain that in the event of
Germany being defeated and losing
her large African colonies to the VIC
torious entente. Italy should be pro-
portionately rewarded by extensive
cessions to her of African territory
belonging to England and France.
Indeed. italy was to have an extern
sion of her frontiers of Tripoli by
France in the west, and by Great
Britain in the east. in the direction
of Egypt. Subsequently, these ces-
sions were rendered contingent on
Italy's abandonment of her military
occupation of the Dodekanese Islands,
which she had temporarily taken over
from Turkey in the first Balkan war,
and which, inhabited entirely by
Greeks, were assigned to Greece by
the peace congress of Paris and by
the treaty of Sevres. italy still holds
the Dodekanese Islands, pending the
establishment OF some sort OF stable
governmef<at Athens, after the gen