HOW BRITISH INTERESTS IN THE PACIFIC ARE PROTECTED.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 8, Issue 396, 23 July 1866, Page 4

HOW BRITISH INTERESTS IN THE PACIFIC ARE PROTECTED.

(From the Vapor del Patria, 26th April. The 31st of March, 1866, was a glorious day for Spain. On that day Valparaiso, the flourishing eoatjof commerce iu the South Pacifie, was bombarded. Right was it that the gallant Mendez Nunez should feast his officers in the evening in proud rejoicing over the exploits of that morning, Now or never would the offended Castilian lion be appeased. The Covadonga might have been taken at Papuda, the Bianca and the Ville de Madrid shamefully repulsed at Abtao by a contemptible fo,rce, but at any rate, thanks to that last red silk frock with its tasteful green paletot, wisely presented by Queen Isabel to the propitious idol, on that day the Resolucion and the Bianca had had their revenge by battering the railway station, the Vencedora had conquered a great deal of tbe brick and wood work of the Exchange, and the Bianca and Ville do Madrid vindicated Spanish honor by setting firo to the English and French goods in the Custom house stores.

It was a noble deed—there was no resistance —not a gun fired from shore to spoil the unity of the thing—just a fine clear stage all to themselves, for the destruction of whatever of commerce, science, and art the devoted city contained, with the additional piquancy of the English and American squadrons looking on at the wanton destruction of the property of their countrymen.

The men-of-war o£ the most Catholic Queen on tho day Good Friday even fired upon a Convent, the Chureh of the Jesuits, and almost all the hospitals, although the white flag waved over them.

When all was over and people began to recuon up the cost of the destruction, it resulted, as was expected, that almost the whole loss had been suffered by foreigners. Yalparaiso, like all the towns on the coast, is nothing more than a foreign factory—one might almost say a British factory, where British machinery, British grey domestics and prints are sent for exchange against Chilian copper and corn. Destroy all the places on tho coast and you destroy foreign property merely. Until tho Spaniards can bombard awayonr agriculture and copper mines, they can do no more than as in this case, burn the fruits of English industry.

The distribution of loss sustained turned out to be more or less as follows : —About half-n million lost to the Government of Chile by the burning of their bonded stores, more than counterbalanced, however, by the sum of 700,000 dollars in duties put into its pocket through the immense despatch of merchandise consequent on the alarm of the bombardment, in three or four days, which otherwise it would perhaps never have received, as a great part at least would have been re-shipped. Some millions of dollars in buildings destroyed, lost by private persons, and about twelve millions of dollars’ worth of goods entirely belonging to foreign merchants utterly destroyed in the conflagration of the Government stores.

It was against the Custom-house stoves that the Spaniards directed their most furious broad-sides, against which they raged in preference. -

And on that morning when the amazed En glish and North American merchants saw their property made a great bonfire, there were in the bay two powerful squadrons of British and North American men-of-war commanded by an Admiral and a Commodore' respectively, capable of arresting the outrage ou civilisation and humanity with a word.

Thus under the pretence of doing the Chilian Government damage to the extent of some half-a million, the Spanish Squadron was allowed to rain fire upon some thirty millions of neutral property in the whole range of Custom-house stores, whilst the English Admiral looked on at the atrocious crime from the splendid frigate like Pontius Pilate washing his hands of the blood of that just man.

When Admiral Denman, and Mr William T. Thompson, her Brittanio Majesty’s Minister at Santiago, were implored by the British residents here to prevent this act of barbarism, the answer ■was that they felt very deeply for the cruel position. of the merchants, but that her Majesty’s Government evidently not anticipating such a thing as the bombardment of Yalparaso, had sent no instructions relative to the conduct to be observed.

What! an English Foreign Minister who has grown grey in public efi’airs, in diplomacy, and statecraft, is ignorant of orders having been sent out that almost every one in Europe was aware of, and has never, in the space of seven months that the prospect of a bombardment of Valparaiso has been every where discussed, and almost expected, imparled to his agents here the course to he pursued !

Could it have been believed that the Earl of Clarendon should remain in sublime ignorance of what everyone has looked for ever since Admiral Paroja threatened it in September last, and should forget to send out instructions regarding such an atrocious disgrace to the 19th century, as makes the non-interferers almost as guilty as the actual perpetrators? Put leaving general humanity quite out of the question, although there did prevail a fond delusion that- an Admiral of that great nation whose voice has often been raised for civilisation and right, in accents of the cannon’s thunder, would have some thing to say on that score; what is the protection which British interests and British lives receive in (he Pacific in exchange for the immense sums paid for it?

Are the heavy taxes paid by sweat and toil of the English people only spent that a legion of magnificent pleasure boats adorned with guns that might be painted wood, should flaunt about from port to port, with only the noble end and purpose of receiving dinners on ebore and giving balls on board ?

If these formidable vessels are not in the South Pacific to protect English interest and lives from the brutish vandilio outrages of such a nation as Spain, what are they for? The British residents here are quite secure and contented in the protection of the vigilant police and just laws of the country, and England has no territory to defend in these waters.

Unfortunately a precedent of recent date tells us what English men-of-war are here for, and what is the kind of protection Englishmen receive.

In the early part of 1863, an attempt was made to show the sacreduess of the Givis Romanus. In the unfortuate revolution of 1859 a rash and impetuous young gentleman named Whitehead having, in consequence of attempting to force a passage against the orders of the sentinel on duty, and seizing his musket, instead of being thankful for escaping with his life, made an absurd claim against the Groverment of Chile of 100,000 dollars.

The claim Earl Russell, at that time Secretary of State for foreign, affairs, resolved to support and carry through, and the champion of English liberalism, who in the year 1851 hounded on all the bigotry and prejudiced passion in the country against the Catholics of England, the high-minded statesman who, during the first disasters of the Russian war betrayed his colleagues—the vigorous straightforward politician who lured the Danes to the brink of ruin and left them there —sent out orders to Admiral Kitigcotnbe to enforce compliance with the most outrageously unjust demand that was-ever made.

It is impossible to state what were Admiral Kingeomhe’s order—because a meeting of British residents expressed so strongly tho noble indignation of Englishmen at foul injustice and falsehood, that Mr Whitehead, on the very date of the recent bombardment, three years ago i.e., March 31, 18S3, withdrew his claim—but tho orders were currently believed to have been for a bom■bardment.

This, then, is the protection given—this the blessing of being a citizen of the mistress of the seas—bombardment a discretion.

Bombardment—acts of brute violence to make the English name abhorred in every poor and unarmed state—-and ample facilities for other governments anxious to exalt their flag by similar exploits.

Admiral Denman stated to the deputation of English merchants, that he believed that this unchecked atrocity perpetrated upon Valparaiso, wouk; cause the downfall of the Russell Ministry, and alike Chilians and Englishmen hear lily pray that this prophecy may prove true, and that men so unworthy of the country of Pitt and Canning should cease to disgrace tho British flag.