16 NOVEMBER 1912, Page 19

Let us say in conclusion that though we have felt

obliged to arraign the Foreign Office for their supineness in dealing with Portugal, we do not suppose for a moment that at heart they are anything but perturbed and disgusted with Portuguese inaction. They shelter Portugal reluctantly, and only for fear of "complications." It is for the British public to show them that these dreaded complications cannot be avoided, but will be made infinitely worse by maintaining the status quo of slavery, slave-raiding, and slave-trading in Portuguese West Africa.