BRITAIN DREADS AMERICAN ALABAMAS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 42, 20 July 1878, Page 3

BRITAIN DREADS AMERICAN ALABAMAS.

Sir Samuel Baker has written a letter to the London Times in which be says: The valley of the Danube is one of the vast cereal producing centres which might at any time be closed to commercial intercourse if Russia were paramount in the Straits or the Black Sea. It is, accordingly, a vital British interest that Russia should be powerless at such important points. It may be argued that Kngland is not solely dependent upon the Danube for her supply of corn : she has Egypt, Australia, America, etc., which would quickly respond to her demands. At the present moment Russia is practically mistress of the situation by the possession of the Black Sea mouth of the Bosphorous. Therefore, at the outbreak of war we should be compelled to dislodge her before a shipload of corn could pass from the Danube. It should not be forgotten that America has reserved her freedom of action : thus, in a war between Kngland anil Russia, the latter power will issue letters of marque to American adventurers, and a swarm of Alabamas may interrupt our commerce. Such a possible computation would be fertile in disputes between England and the United States, and in the event of a rupture, we should he cut otf from tho American granary. The position of Great Britain would be serious, as she would mainly depend for her corn supply upon the markets of India and Australia, unless Egypt could be persuaded to exchange her cotton cultivation for that of wheat. Famine prices of cereals would raise the cost of bread to a rate utterly ruinous to the poor, and a commercial shock of this intensity would be a startling response to the question of British interest.