Lord Salisbury on Friday week made a statement of .extreme
interest to all who are watching the progress of British settlement in South and East Africa. That progress -depends in no slight degree upon the freedom of the Zambesi. 'The Portuguese hold both sides of this mighty river towards its month, and claim, therefore, a right to tax or stop all traders; but this claim has been rejected for many European rivers and for the Congo, and Lord Salisbury stated clearly that he could not admit it for the Zambesi. His words were : —"I agree with my noble friend in thinking that the posses- sion of a vast natural highway like the Zambesi, under the peculiar circumstances of its history, cannot be claimed by Portugal. After all, it was discovered by Englishmen, and it is now principally used by Englishmen. It leads to settlements wherein Englishmen are conducting their opera- tions, religious and commercial. The Congo and other rivers have been declared free, and that being the case, and especially considering the very peculiar circumstances in which the Zambesi is placed, I am convinced that the opinion o( the civilised world will be on our side when we say that the Zambesi must be a route open to all and not confined to one."
Previous page
