We have dealt with the possibilities. We must now set
forth the actual doings of the week in Venezuela. As yet events have not, from our point of view, gone very fortunately. The means of striking a dramatic) blow do not exist there, and the rather niggling pressure which alone the allied squadrons are able to apply does not greatly alarm President Castro. They have, for example, seized five small armed vessels belonging to the Republic but they are of little value, and their capture rather relieves than embarrasses the Venezuelan Treasury. The Germans, indeed, so despised two of those which fell into their hands that they sunk them rather than be at the trouble of putting prize crews on board. The incident annoyed the Americans, it is difficult to see for what reason, and induced President Castro to issue more of his high-flown proclamations. He had already denounced the foreigners "who had profaned the sacred soil of Venezuela," and on the destruction of the vessels be issued a manifesto calling the British and Germans " pirates." All that only means that he has not lost hope ; but it is more serious that his people appear to side with him, that several revolutionary parties have joined his standard, and that his personal power, especially in the capital, appears to be recemented. He is also very angry at the destruction of the forts protecting Puerto Cabello, which were shelled and destroyed by the British cruiser ' Charybdis' and the German cruiser Vineta,' to avenge the seizure by the Venezuelans of the British merchant steamer Topaze.' It is believed that the Venezuelans have collected ten thousand armed men to defend Caracas; but as Caracas is not to be attacked the statement is of no importance.
