6 FEBRUARY 1892, Page 3

On Monday, Mr. Portal, the British Agent at Zanzibar, in

the presence of " five thousand merchants of all nations," declared the island a, free port, every duty being removed, except those on spirits over fifty degrees, and on ammunition. The incident is by no means unimportant. It means that Zanzibar will become the emporium of East Africa,—a position for which she is geographically exactly suited. Before long, we shall no doubt hear of a commercial development by leaps and bounds, and Zanzibar, like Singapore and Hong Kong, will begin to rank among the greater ports of the world. Yet, in spite of such object-lessons, we have little doubt that the French and Germans will continue the policy of crushing their Colonies between the upper and nether millstones of maximum and minimum tariffs.