SLAVERY IN AFRICA.—CURIOUS PORTUGUESE ATTITUDE.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIE,—The persistent advocacy of the Spectator for the total abolition of slavery leads me to think that your readers will welcome the striking success which has rewarded the efforts of Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland in the League of Nations Assembly this year. Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland, who is, of course, an authority on colonial affairs, felt that the time had arrived to call the attention of the representatives of the civilized world to what seemed to be a recru- descence of slave-owning and slave-trading in certain parts of the African Continent. In pursuance of this effort he has invited the League of Nations to place the subject of slavery on the agenda for next year's Assembly, and to request the Council to examine the situation in the meantime in order that an adequate report on slavery may be presented to the Powers of Europe and America. This action represents the most important international move for the abolition of slavery taken for many years, and it was quite clear that many of the delegates of the foreign Powers heard not only with great surprise, but with grave concern, of the serious dimensions which slave-trading and slave-owning had assumed. But I think they were equally astonished at the extraordinary atti- tude of the representative for Portugal, for whilst men like M. Hanotaux, Dr. Nansen, Lord Robert Cecil, Mr. Fisher, and others were generous in their support of an inquiry into the existing conditions and international obligations, the Portu- guese representative demurred, and made every effort to limit the inquiry to certain areas which would exclude Portuguese territory, and his opposition went so far that the Commission considering the question had to adjourn last Saturday until he was ready with his speech upon the subject. This attitude on the part of Portugal has had a result assuredly unexpected by the Portnguese delegate, for it has led numbers of men to inquire rather pointedly why it is Portugal should wish to exclude Portuguese territories from any such inquiry, Particu- larly in view of the fact that France, Great Britain, and
Belgium have declared that they will welcome any inquiries with regard to their territories.
By the time this letter appears it is now certain that the resolution will have passed through the Assembly, in spite of any opposition which Portugal may raise. Indeed, this oppo- sition appears to have emphasized to the representatives of the Powers the need for the action taken by Sir Arthur Steel- September 16th.
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