We have got into another little misunderstanding with Spain, caused
by the overbearing Spanish habit of finding smugglers in every foreign trading-vessel which touches at Spanish ports, and by the somewhat brusque mode in which our English authorities at Gibraltar are accustomed to deal with this little weakness. It appesrsthat s Spanish Coastguard ship had seized a French trading- ship, whose papers were perfectly regular, and which had, as it was said, no smuggled goods on board, in Spanish waters, but had not adequate strength to secure her ; so, leaving a party on board, the Coastguard ship went ashore to get a prize-crew for the Frenchman. In the meantime, the Frendhman proceeded on her way and got into British waters. While there, the prize- crew came off from the land and took complete possession-- her. The transaction was seen from the shore, and the English' authorities sent a gunboat to interfere and take both the French- . man and the Coastguard ship in tow. One of the Spanish sailors cut the tow-rope, and was shot dead by an English gun, pointed, as it is said, above his head, but which killed him owing to the jump which he gave by way of violent gesticulation and protest. After the origin of the affair had been investigated, and it was found that the original capture really took place in Spanish waters, the Frenchman was sent back to Algeciras with the Coastguard ship, but the Spanish sailor's death remains to be atoned for.
Previous page
