GULLING THE PUBLIC.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LI, Issue 9137, 9 July 1906, Page 6

GULLING THE PUBLIC.

a-^ATTEMPT TO "FLOAT" A MYTHICAL %,^3 KINGDOM. One of ihe most extraordinary hoaxes J of recent times is having a considerable vogue in London at the present moment, and the perpetrators are being vraAdoed by the police. It arises out of the socalled "independent republic of Cunani." -u_^ The story is well worth telling as an of how a few people, not too scrupulous, can- for own ends deceive the public. A few~y«3&r6~ago there was a dispute between France and Bral zD over their South American frontier. There was a little fighting between the French and the Brazilians, which caused to be referred to arbitration, was settled in Brazill's favor (1900). The territory in question was round about Cunani, a miserable little village with a few score of inhabitants on the sea coast, all peaceful Bazilians. After the settlement Brazil formally took over ' the whole disputed territory, and now administers it efficiently. KINGDOM MADE WITH THE PAINTBRUSH. These are the facts. The next step _ was for the adventurers to see that a great opportunity had arrived fox exploiting the European public, which, as a rule, knows as much about South Am*iica as it does about the moon. The leading spirit was M. Adolphe Brezetb, ■who come over to Europe, associated faimfielf with a few kind Ted individuals, and started what he called the "Free State of Cunani." He issued a blue-b&ok setting out the marvellous natural' products ' v of his country. He told graphic stories j ' oi how tfaey were struggling for freedom, 1 how they kad never been Brazilian and ' never would be, how the Cunanians invited capital, and appealed for European sympathy, recognition and aid. He further issued a guide entitled "Official Map of the Free State of Cunani." In this he calmly colored red thousands of Bquare miles which have always belonged to Brazil, and in which in places the country ifi as highly developed as, say, for instance, Middlesex. Paris was the first spot where he started to exploit the public, but he made a' mistake, which, is significant of what his work is,- of endeavoring to form a syndicate with a nominal capital og £100,000 to open up the country. The French authorities took up the 'matter, and Mr Brezeth was speedily next found in London. In the meantime his cmosIsaacies appeared in Spain, wheTe they axe '■ ', Stow being prosecuted, while in BerJin . his assistants also met with no success whatever.

SETTING THE. KINGDOM IN ORDER. Meantime M. Brezeth himself remains in London appointing what Ec calls "Consuls" for his State, issuing interviews, discussing concessions, putting himself into 'touch with Chambers of Commerce, and even writing letters to the Eoxeign Office, which dropped them regularly into the waste paper basket. J All this' would be harmless enough if 1 it did not deceive many who are not well 1 informed, and the Home Office have given M. Brezeth and his cheif advisers a warn ing as to the baseless claims they are j ' making, claims which are likely to deceive ' ignorant people and may lead to money being parted with for inadequate consideration. Naturally, th& Brazilian Government 1 while not troubling in the least about M. BTezeth's claims, which are simply tRe mental notion of an individual who has _ before in France publicly apologised for making them, does not hesitate officially to denounce the whole agitation as a barefaced fraud and piece of humbug. Many people are, however, further raising the question as to whether additional action could not be taken by the authorities. It might be added that M. Brezeth has many self -assumed titles, one of them being t?he Duke of Beaufort. — Daily Dail.