Introduction
Even quite late in Queen Victoria’s reign, Britain and the United States of America were still carving up what had once been British colonial territory. One disputed region was San Juan Island near Vancouver, where a dead pig almost led to war.
THE Oregon Treaty of 1846 failed to make clear whether America or Britain governed the small but strategically important San Juan Island in the Gulf of Georgia, near Vancouver.* The diplomatic stand-off did not prevent American and British islanders alike living there peacefully until June 15, 1859, when Lyman Cutlar, an American farmer, shot a pig helping itself to his potatoes.
The pig’s owner, an Irishman named Charles Griffin, scorned a £10 peace-offering and further outraged the Americans by having Cutlar arrested. Within weeks, a 461-strong American force with fourteen cannon, and over two thousand British soldiers with five warships, had converged on the tiny island, waiting to see who would blink first.
Fortunately, Rear Admiral Robert Baynes flatly refused to engage the Americans over a dead pig, and US President James Buchanan poured more oil on troubled waters. Everything returned to normal, and in 1872 the island was handed over to the USA following international arbitration.
British North America subsequently became the Dominion of Canada; the San Juan Islands group now lies in the State of Washington, USA.
Précis
In 1859, a petty dispute over a dead pig turned into an international incident, when inhabitants of the San Juan Islands, a former British possession near Vancouver which was being claimed by the USA, took their grievances to their respective governments. After an alarming military build-up cooler heads prevailed, and in the end no shots were fired. (57 / 60 words)
In 1859, a petty dispute over a dead pig turned into an international incident, when inhabitants of the San Juan Islands, a former British possession near Vancouver which was being claimed by the USA, took their grievances to their respective governments. After an alarming military build-up cooler heads prevailed, and in the end no shots were fired.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, if, may, otherwise, since, unless, until, whether.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Far. Owner. Rear.
2 First. Over. Wait.
3 Govern. His. Pour.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
gs (7+1)
ages. egos. gas. geese. goes. goose. guise.
gees.
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