New-York daily tribune., 1858-07-17
VENEZUELA.


and son, lef; for Barcelona; but ss u - fourteen
aays' jeurney there ara tsck, their f.te s 10
how. Az tie EDgliih Government hss eIteoded
II. yrcse ..ion % the Mon.sas fam their Lives VIII
probably be spared. Various ramors, however,
have been continually circulated regarding Gen.
Bscas marching upon Boiivsr City, sn1 We nave
been IA a fta,e Of siere for the last week. Inc
hmJy Of Monagss befs ior L.gasyra last S,'irdsy'
There 10 considerable jsalouy felt tows'd Amer
van citizen, here, n,.fithst.pling that Ciul
Bolivar has been rai,ed from insenlhcance 70 q
wealthy city by the e1ertion Of tbe Ornoco Steam
Navigation Company aud American citizens resd-
,Ds IN the place.
The Olinoco stesm Navigation Company, now
sn3er .he direction Of Mr.. RswdoD, Wa. s..Ttee in
lS47 oy Capt. A. Turpn, through whose efJrts a
charter WAS obtained. The first boat (Veaezuea)
did not arrive until the tine named for the boats 70
be upon the river had expired, and Mr.. Ellis, onr
Charge at Caracas, eDieavored 70 induce Mr. Fur
pin TO sell the boat TO the Paez party and indeed,
j. vas evidently intended for revolutionary purposes.
Mr.. Iurpn has succeeded IN obtaining a
charter from Monsgas and for a number Of years
he devoted Simsef 10 the success Of the Company,
and finally carried a fortune with him home.
The rise in the value Of property here since the
Company was started has been enormous. Stores
fronting the Orinoco River, which in Isi7 could be
bought for S16 600, are now worm S3j,OoO and
other portions Of the city have increased I'D proper
ton. Very little encouragement bas, however,
been extended 10 the Company and tne Custom
Hcu,e officer, here insisted on receiving duty for
The iron steamer which was brought in the bark
Esther Frances, and at present in process Of erec
lion in this place. The duty has been paid under pro-
test until the authorities at Caracas be settled
and three months is allowed before the funds must
be handed over to the authorities. As affairs will
not be settled al Caracas in three months, and the
Government viii always be too poor to refund,
there is every probability that the Company vii be
the losers.
To chow the manner in which American citizens
have been treated will relate couple of instances
Capt Haeslip arrived at Bolivar about two years
since in the schooner Sullivan with general cargo,
and was well known to be a humane man. The
sailors were a mixed crew Of negroes Spaniards,
&c. and afforded him much trouble. One of the
sailors who had shipped in New York, attempted on
several occasions to desert, and finding he could not
obtain his discharge plead SICK and refused to per-
form his duty The captain on certain occasion,
threatened TO use the ropes end but did not strike
him, and the sailor in order 10 escape fled forward
and Jumped overheard. As he had been in the habit
Of swimming TO the land, notice taken of him.
but before he reached the shore it was perceived
that he sinking, and boat was dispatched from
the ship, but he was drowned before it coud reach
him. Before the body found the captain
taken III with bilious fever. Notwithstanding this,
the captain of the port &. L. Marchado ordered his
arrest and dispatched half dozen soldiers to carry
it into execution The captains wife planted the
American flag before the cabin door and refused
them entrance, but they pushed her rudely aside,
and after beating her husband, dragged him from his
bed and carried him before the criminal Judge, who
ordered him to be confined in prison. The Ameri-
can Consul attempted to protect him. but no atten
ton was paid 10 his protest, and they even refused
- acknowledge him as Consul. shaun trial was
keld and he was confined over four months, and was
only finally released upon the payment OF large
lribe.
The other case is that of Capt. George of the
steamer Barimus, who was imprisoned for pointing
an empty pistol at native who had grossly insulted
and threatened him. After being confined for
months, he was obliged to pay $4,000 brbe for
his release, especially it WINS essential that he
should take command of the steamer lie mas
chmed damages from the Venezuelan Government
The new dynasty which is much more friendly to
Americans, may do something to meet the demands
Of justice in regard to these matters.
The enormous pretensons of the English Govern
Rent have caused disposition on the part of the
Venezuelans to seek friendly relations with our
country Since 1si2 the English Government has
made several Overtures to settle the boundary be-
tween British Guiana and Venezuela. The English
claim Point Barma, which completely commands
the only mouth of the OrinocO naygabe by large YES
sels, and found their right to il Old deed and
survey said to have been executed toward the end
Of the last century by the Dutch, TO whom that
colony then belonged. This Point, i'll fact, COM
mands not only the mouth of the Orinoco but also
the whole Republic of Venezuela. One of the prin-
cipa tributaries of that river is nsygable 10 within
ferty miles of Begota, distance of 1000 miles,
while by the Cassiqiare and Rio Negro, tributaries
Of the Ornoce, a communication be kept up
with the Brazilian tributaries of the Amazon. The
whole extent Of the valley of the Orinoco is COM
puted at ~, 600 square miles.
In 1874, Sir Robert Schomburgh went so far as
to take possession of Point Barimas, in the name
Of her Britannia Majesty; but the excitement the
step created was 70 general that it compelled the
British to desist from establishing a permanent
post Since that time il has been considered as
neutral territory by the English Government; and
although Commissioners have been repeatedly ap-
pointed to arrange the matter, it has never been
brought to a favorable termination. Nor is II likely
70 be easily settled, for since the discovery of the
rich gold mines near Upata, the English Govern
ment insist more strongly than ever upon their claim
ss there is no way Of getting to Upata but by Point
Barima. The English attach much importance
10 this question that they have recently appointed
the Hon. W. Woodhouse, Governor of British
Guiana, to settle it in some manner; bla, ss have
been informed by member of the Provisional Gov
ernment they will fail to come TO any conclusion
nnless the English consent to reinquish their pre-
tensions.
Venezuela not only rejects the terms proposed by
the English, but puts forward her claim to the
Eseequibo River, about 800 miles from the present
disputed territory, and supports IT by agreement