On the day after Prime Minister Gladstone met with the Portuguese ambassador, the British ambassador to Spain urgently sought an audience with King Carlo of Spain to communicate about the Portuguese colonial incident.
Rather than communication, it was more like an accountability session from the British regarding Spain's attitude.
Yes, accountability.
Although the British ambassador's attitude wasn't as arrogant as it was toward Portugal, it also conveyed a tough stance.
The British ambassador spoke at length, the gist being that the Cairo to Cape Town line was Britain's most important colonial plan in Africa, and no interference or disruption by any country would be tolerated.
The implication was that if Spain decided to stand with Portugal to disrupt Britain's colonial plans, there could very likely be a war between Spain and Britain.
Carlo certainly did not accept the British threat. Although the British were indeed powerful, Spain had nothing to fear.
