Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, JAN. 21. 1896. The Gable News.

Manawatu Herald, 21 January 1896, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, JAN. 21. 1896. The Gable News.

• The Attorney-General of tho United States is in favour of purchasing the Danish po^lensions in the West Indies. Oar causing are getting very uneasy and unreasonable. There is perhaps no serious objection to their purchasing thesa islands except that it would bring them into clo-er contact with the nation* of the Old World than they *bou>d de.sire, remembering the formula nf ihe Monroe doctrine. It may not be apparent to our reader*, who have Dot a map of the world before them how extraordinary is this proposal. It will be remembered that between North and South America there lies a body of water called the Guif of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. These waters are bounded by a portion of the United States and by Mexico on tho North, and by Mexico and Central America on the West, and by the northern portion of South America on the South, and by a chain of inlands on thw pasr, which are known as the West, Indies. In all th^ territories we have mentioned the United Starts has no holding, bur. a numb r of European nations have many holdings. Mexico and Central America are both Republics, *

but on the north of South America wo find Colombia, a Republic, then Venezuela another Republic, then British Guiana, Dutch Guiana, and French Guiana. The We9t Indie* islands stretch in a almost continuous line from Cape Pena in Vene znola to On po Sable the southern most point of the Slate of Florida. S'arting from Venezuela the first four islands belong to Britain, the next island is French (Martinique), then British, then a group of French, then a number of small islands to i-h- norfh of the Leeward iflsnc'* which are partly British partly French and partly Dutch. Then comes the small islands owned by Denmark, called the Virgin Inlands, the three largest of which are St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. The next lot of islands belong to Spain, being Puerto Rico, St. Dn raingo and Cuba. The island of Cuba makes the break between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean .Sea. To the north of St. Domingo and Cuba He tha Bahama island* which belong to Britain. What the United States want to have a possession here it is bard to say. They certainly have wanted Cuba for many a long day but have not. yet succeeded in getting it. But Cuba and tbe»e Danish pos sessions are very different property. S'infca Cruz or St Croix, the largest of the Virgin Inlands is only twenty niilfs long by five miles wide, and So. John's contains only 42 .square milpsi. The total population is sora 82,788. An ouMay of two million pounds would appear a bad investmem, not because of the commercial vhlus bat- from bringing iliese touchy people too close to Old World ways. An instance of the feeling of want of elbow room which afflicts the inhabitants of the United States is shown in the cablegrams that friction is likely to ensue from England's retention of an island in American waters ! A boundary line is drawn upon the maps of North . America showing the boundaries through the great water ways which | dividn the United States from Canada. In lake Oatario, the lake adjacent to the State of New York, there is a very small island belong* ing to Britain just wh-re the lakempties into the river St.. Lawrence. This we expect is the island referred to, and the claim is probably raised as a counter action to the offer of tbn captains on Lake Ontario.