THE SMALL ISLANDS OF THE CHANNEL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2510, 11 August 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE SMALL ISLANDS OF THE CHANNEL.

Bach day the ill will of the strangers towards us, raise some new incident, which might enuse a conflict. Yesterday, it was Germany bringing more dispatches relating to us with Alsace and Lorraine, closinu its limits to us from that side .; it waß M. Tisza attackiug France in full Hungarian Parliament, refusing, through his Premier, Lord Salisbury, to participate at tho Exhibition of ISS9. To-day it is again, England, which underhand seeks some new quarrel, ou account of some miserable islands in the channel, lost in the midst of tho waves at the bottom of the gulf formed by the small island Cotenlin and the Cole Bretonne, an equal distance from the coast of Franco and and Anglo-Norman Islands of Jersey. This time tho blow comes from Guernsey, from which it is sent to the London journal.', that the French have attempted a new effort to annex one oE the Jersey dependencies, known as the Miuquiers. Herein is the contents, of the stupid history:—The French have planted the tricolour flag on the Maitre Island, the largest island of the group, not being so to say inhabited, yet contains about sixteen cabin, used by the jersey fishermen during the fishing season, The Minguiers have always been considered as belonging to Eugland, and a few weeks ajo, after a wreck happening in these neighbourhoods, an English gunboat visited this spot. Lately, a French man-o'-war has been taking soundings around the Minguiers, and some after, tho French planted the tricolor flag on the Ecrehous, another small island on the coast of-Jersey ; but in tho face of the Enirlish Government's reclamations, they did renounce their pretensions. We do not know if some of our countrymen have plauted the tricolor flag on the Minguiers ; bub what we can affirm with all confidence, is that, if they have done it, they had the right to do it, for those small islands belong to France, and it is tho first time they are contested with us, they belong so well to France, that a lighthouse of which we are caretakers, is erected ou that small island since ISG-5. It is already too much to see the English in possession of those fiuo Norman Islands, Jersoy, Guernsey, Alderney and Sarck, which for their geographical sitnation, and above all by the spirit, the character, and the language of its inhabitants, are French Islands, which have been stolen from us after tho wars of middlo ages.—Paris Intransigeunt.