SPAIN AND ENGLAND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 122, 15 May 1876, Page 4

SPAIN AND ENGLAND.

a The, question of Spanish interference with British trade ;in the vicinity of Gibraltar,, is likely, Bays the Home Ndwsi at no distant date, to occupy the Berious- attention of our Government. Only a few days since the seizure was reported, under extraordinary circumstances, of the British schooner Amalia by^a Spanish revenue cutter, off Gibraltar. 'The merchantman was placed in of iai' prize brew, whi'ohv how** ejWf was byerpbwered , by the men of . tbe^ Amalia, and the schooner, with the pr'ze crew still on board, was taken to. Gibraltar. - The Spaniards were handed over. to the. lawful authority, Bnd there has' been "a question of trying tbem for Pi£*?Jr.. _. Thje has naturally giyengreat offence at Madrid, where questions hav,e,.bepjv asked, ip the Cortes, and the S'panisn Minister of Foreign Affairs has announced that he bas^demanded satisfao^iopTffr.om the British, Go vernment as for an injury, and protested against thV Wntrabiitid "trSa'de carried on By ? th'6 En^ijß|J^%elSf f^ibi^ltar* VVe hear that the Spanish Government has now formally /demanded the release of its; prize: fcrbw.; -While this dispute is still fresb, n-another seizure has been made by the Spaniards, and this time thefhulucky vessel has been taken into on^of their ports. A British felucca (the San Francisco IL), a vessel which has been for many years ingaged in the regular vl trtfde Gibraltar and Te tu an, left the, f orniiter. port on - Marc jb 7ni;[w ; it*6 f a; l valuM^l*e cargo,7 consisting in great parVof Bntishjroanufactures; On the evening of the same day, when she w^s aboutibalf half a mile from Europa Ei^hthoose, 1 a small boat came out from behind the rock, and out of it jumped seven armed men, who sprang on board the^felucca; and threatebed to shoot any one dead who Bhould either make any resistance or raise any alarmr The close proximity tjt^e vessel to the. .rock J >{ doubtlesßf7 sugge)_ted7 to the Spaniards that if the crew of the San Francisoo ll*. shouted, assistance-would certainly, arrive. The vessel having been thus-captured was taken across the !! of y Gibraltar ftp ; Algesiraß, w.her^it^isJstaPe'd';. tlie Cargo bas been been jdiMharged, and au ibVentory of it ts.ken7 by: the* Spanish Custom authorities. The "'fact that the- felucca had several 'passengers for Tetuan on board, made it extremely improbable that it was engaged in any unlawful enterprise, not to mention that the vessel, when boarded , 1 was steering ■ sou th— ; that is, away from the'Spanish ooast. ■*»^ -^ *~ .