There are some very valid and strongly felt points here. No-ones history is free of shameful acts. How much Queen Victoria knew is debatable. Governments act as a machine. By their very size sometimes, particularly in a constitutional monarchy without the knowledge of the very person who is in charge. That is not to condone what was, if not an outright policy of deliberate starvation, one in fact thanks to incompetent blundering and stubborn refusal to admit all went wrong. We've seen it before, adn we'll see it again. And yes, The United States made it's bid for colonies. Our history bears stains as well. The idea is not to brood over them but to make sure they don't happen again. I'm done semonizing. Kindest reguards, Neil