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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 18, 15 July 1911, Page 4

VENEZUELA. More trouble is in store for Venezuela if the cable recently printed to the effect that ex-President Castro, with a lihousand men, had landed there, is true. Venezuela, like many of the other Central American republics, dearly, loves a revolution, chiefly because of the loot that is likely to attach to it. Castro, it will be remembered, had a rare innings for nearly nine years, during which he defied nearly every big Power in the world. In 100S, the country which he had misruled so shamefully getting too warm for him, he decided to go abroad for his health's sake. The Power which happened at thp moment to be most deeply incensed with him was Holland. He had deliberately disorganised Dutch trade in the West Indies; he had sent home the Dutch Minis ted at Caracas —whose offence was that of endeavoring to dissuade his fellowcountrymen from emigrating to Venezuela while "the Restorer," President Castro called himself, was in power—and he had siezed a number of Dutch ships on the charge of carrying arms to Venezuelan rebels. The Dutch Government, with praiseworthy spirit, decided to make reprisals, but before taking any active measures communicated with the United States. President Roosevelt's Government, which itself had been flagrantly insulted by the "Restorer," declared that in the circumstances the Monroe doctrine would be no obstacle to armed action by the Netherlands. This was the state of affairs when President Castro set out upon his European trip, leaving the control of the Government in the 'hands of the VicePresident, Gomez. It is believed that his departure on December 13 from Prance, which was the first European country favored by his presence, was hastened by the inconvenient restrict'.ms with which the Government, in its assiduous care for the "Restorer's" safety, surrounded his movements on French territory. His reception in Berlin was scarcely less cold. Meanwhile things were happening in Venezuela. Dutch cruiser seized one of the eight vessels of the Venezuelan navy, and before taking her away to Curacao landed her captain and crew on the Venezuelan coast with a written intimation that she would deal in the same way with any of the other seven vessels which might fall into her hands. The immediate result of this drastic measure was a demonstration in Caracas in support of the Government and a counter-de-monstration against it. This was General Gomez's opportunity. Having assumed the Presidential chair "provisionally," he reconstructed the Cabinet, and invited the United States Government to send warships to Venezuela to maintain order in case of any demonstration in the interests of Castro. He secured the sympathy of the European Powers by promising reparation for the mischief wrought by his predecessor. The reign of the "Restorer" was at an end, though some months elapsed before, he was forced to realise the fact. He underwent a surgical .operation in Berlin (January 4). March 24 found him again in Paris on his way to Bordeaux, where he embarked two days later in the

steamship Guadeloupe. The Venezuelan Government warned the steamship company that the ex-President would be arrested if he landed in Venezuela. The French Government, in response to an enquiry from the Venezuelan Government, intimated that it would .raise no protest even if the passenger were arrested on a French ship in Venezuelan waters. The steamship company therefore proposed to land the ex-President at Trinidad; but the British Government, at the request of the United Stateß, declined this intended honor. On arriving in the West Indies, Castro found that the only port not barred to him was Fort de France, Martinque, and here he was landed (April 6), the steamship company declining to carry him any further. Two days later the French Government ordered him to depart: and as he protested that the slate of his health made it impossible for him to leave his bed, the colonial police, after receiving the evidence of medical experts that another sea voyage would be beneficial to his malady, placed him upon a stretched and carried him—protesting vigorously against this "violation of the rights of man"—to the steamship Versailles, which conveyed him back again to Europe. Evidently, Castro iR now after "utu," and lively times are propably in store for the country.