A hundred years ago From the 'Spectator,' 6 April 1867 — The
dispute between this country and Spain is rapidly becom- ing serious. On the back of the Tornado case comes that of the Queen Victoria, in which the Spanish Government is so hopelessly in the wrong, that Lord Stanley was compelled, on 9th March, to send in an ultimatum. The Government of Madrid re- fuses, in fact . . . to grant any redress for the seizure of a British vessel fifteen miles from its own coast, and the disappearance of its cargo, and the sale of the vessel by order of a Court which refused to hear the evidence. Lord Stanley demands both apology and compensation, and if They are not granted, a diplomatic rupture must occur, to be followed by hostilities. We trust that the Spanish Government will see in time the excessive gravity of the situation in which it has been placed, but if not, there is literally no alternative open to Great Britain.
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