EAST AFRICA. 



267 



the boats and stores, and established a fortified 

 camp. Chief-Engineer Alvaro Ferraz with a part 

 of the force marched up on the opposite bank. 

 On Aug. 31, as he approached a Makololo vil- 

 lage, he saw armed men. Signaling for a parley, 

 he advanced with four men to meet a negro who 

 came out. When he came within rifle shot he 

 was fired upon. The Landins then attacked, 

 captured, and burned the village, killing six men. 

 Themudo sent word that the Chief Melaure with 

 a large force was coming from the north to 

 attack the expedition. Ferraz crossed the river 

 to unite his forces, numbering 319 men. All the 

 Makololo chiefs, except one, joined Melaure. 

 While Melaure, who was said to have raised 14,- 

 000 men, armed in part with Martini-Henry 

 rifles and having an abundance of ammunition, 

 held the Portuguese besieged, parties of Makololo 

 raided the villages of other tribes within the 

 organized administration of the Portuguese au- 

 thorities. Acting-Consul Buchanan issued a 

 proclamation declaring a British protectorate 

 over the Makololo and Nyassaland. Senhor 

 Ferraz telegraphed to Major Serpa Pinto, who 

 raised a force of 6,000 men at Quilimane. With 

 the advanced guard of 700 on the right and 300 

 on the left bank of the Shire, with one (ratling 

 gun and one field piece, he advanced in October, 

 and at the Portuguese settlement of Massingire 

 he was attacked on Nov. 8 by 12,000 Makololo, 

 who surrounded the place and continued firing 

 seven hours, and then retreated in confusion, 

 having lost 72 killed. After they first took to 

 flight they rallied and renewed the attack, waving 

 two British flags, but ran away after their king 

 and the two flag-bearers were shot and the flags 

 were seized by the Portuguese. The Portuguese 

 brought up his whole force, and with six mi- 

 trailleuses *and four pieces of artillery captured 

 Chiloma, at the confluence of the Ruo and the 

 Shire, and then overran the debatable district as 

 far as Katungas. After 300 more of the enemy 

 were killed, the loss on the Portuguese side 

 being 6 altogether, the Makololos gave up all re- 

 sistance and made their submission, signing a 

 declaration that the agents of the African Lakes 

 Company had incited them to rebel and supplied 

 them with arms. Leaving Joa5 Coutinho as 

 military governor of the Shire, Serpa Pinto re- 

 turned very sick to Mozambique, after occupying 

 Mesue on Jan. 8. British flags that were flying 

 on what was claimed to be Portuguese ground 

 were pulled down by officers of the expedition on 

 instructions 'telegraphed on Nov. 9 by the Gov- 

 ernor-General of Mozambique, and were sent to 

 Quilimane to be given up on demand to the 

 British consul. 



The British Ultimatum. On Dec. 17 Lord 

 Salisbury directed the attention of the Portu- 

 guese Government to reports that had reached 

 England to the effect that, after the country had 

 been declared by Acting-Consul Buchanan un- 

 der British protection, a Portuguese force had at- 

 tacked the Makololo and made a declaration of 

 war against them and announced their intention 

 of retaking the whole country up to Lake Nyassa. 

 He instructed Mr. Petre to ask for a declaration 

 of the Portuguese Government that its armed 

 forces would not attack British settlements on 

 the Shire river, or upon the coast of Lake Ny- 

 assa, or in the country of the Makololo, or in that 



under the government of Lobengula, or in any 

 other country that had been declared to be under 

 the protection of Great Britain, and to demand 

 the recall of any Portuguese officer who acted in 

 this manner. Senhor Barros Gomes replied, on 

 Dec. 20, with a long explanation of the events 

 as they had been reported to him, pointing out 

 that the expedition, which was of a purely 

 technical character and not provided with means 

 for waging war, had been disturbed owing to 

 rumors spread and intrigues carried on for the 

 purpose of opposing it, and had been attacked 

 at a point south of the mouth of the Ruo, the 

 boundary proposed by the British Government 

 in the treaty of 1884, which was never ratified, 

 and that the subsequent .attack on Major Serpa 

 Pinto's force likewise took place south of the 

 Ruo. He said that the Portuguese Government 

 would not sanction any attack on the British 

 settlements at Nyassa and on the Shire or in the 

 country of Lobengula, but intended to protect 

 its rights in territories belonging to the Portu- 

 guese crown and where there are any chiefs de- 

 pendent on Gungenhemo, and in regard to the 

 proceedings of Major Serpa Pinto it reserved the 

 right of forming a judgment after obtaining the 

 facts. A British note of Jan. 5, 1890, pointed 

 out that .a large military expedition entered the 

 country of the Makololo, and that if they attacked 

 it was to defend their territory, and demanded 

 an assurance that there will be no attempt to 

 settle territorial questions by acts of force or to 

 establish Portuguese dominion over districts 

 where British interests predominate ; otherwise 

 the British Government would take measures for 

 the adequate protection of those interests. On 

 Jan. 8 the Portuguese minister gave the required 

 assurance, stating that instructions had been 

 given to thB authorities at Mozambique to com- 

 mit no act altering the state of the pending 

 questions, and asked the British Government to 

 issue similar orders to its representatives to main- 

 tain the status quo until the questions at issue 

 could be settled by mutual agreement. If an 

 agreement could not be reached he proposed 

 that the disputes should be referred to the ex- 

 amination and decision of a conference of the 

 signatory powers of the general act of Berlin. 

 In case this course failed to receive the approval 

 of Great Britain, the Portuguese Government 

 would place itself under the shelter of that act 

 and ask for the application of the article in 

 virtue of which mediation is obligatory and arbi- 

 tration is optional. Lord Salisbury telegraphed 

 on Jan. 9 that before the reply of the Portuguese 

 Government could be accepted as satisfactory the 

 British Government must know the explicit in- 

 structions sent to the authorities in Mozambique, 

 and demanded the withdrawal below the Ruo 

 of the authorities and forces in the country of 

 the Makololo and the removal of all military 

 stations in Mashonaland. On the following day 

 Mr. Petre telegraphed the answer of the Portu- 

 guese minister that the most stringent orders 

 had been sent to Mozambique, and that Serpa 

 Pinto and his forces had long since returned. 

 The British Minister of Foreign Affairs, who 

 had received a message on Jan. 4 from Acting 

 Consul Churchill at Mozambique that the Portu- 

 guese were still occupying Shire in November 

 and intended to fortify Katungas, and that An- 



