, 1893-04-29

radicals Of the Court would have saved to the
gold diggers thousands of dollars, aud obvi-
ated loss of Wife in the rapids of the Esse-
qnebot And TO his Eforethought and compre-
hensive range of vision are we indebted for
the establishment of the Northwest district,
for Mr.. i'm Thurn's warmest advocacy OF the
extension would have been quencied by a
Governor Of less progressive spirit; and now
we have in the Barima one OF the CoIony's
richest aurifersus districts, already a great
benefactor to the public revenue, and promis-
ing to be 40 in a far greater degree IN the
future. 80 far as the Gold Industry is con-
csrned, it could not have fulfilled the years of
it's infancy under more generous treatment,
and it is now SO firmly set up that its future
welfare may be said truly to be in its own
hands. n connection with the Gold Indus.
try it is appropriate to allude to the Cover
nor's persistent efforts to get the question Of
disputed territory between British and
Spanish Guiana amioably and definitely set
tied. 1t is not generally known that from
first to last Of his career here, Lord Gormanss
ston kept this question prominently before the
Secretary of State, and that when he was on
furlough in England, he strove to his utmost
to urge the Foreign Office to take up the
question and dispose of it. But he was un-
successful, although it is possible, his EFFORTS,
which he intends to renew when he reaches
London, may vet lead to a diplomatic
triumph being added to his record.
We willingly give Kim full credit for the
anxiety he has shewn to obtain for the colony
a recognised boundary; at the same time We
cannot neglect our duty here to state that one
of the deepest blemishes upon the lustre OF
his administration is in connection with this
same question Of boundary. When Nix. Nc
Turk was despatched from here OH 8 special
mission via the Cuyuni to the Venezuelan bor-
der, he went as the representative OF the
Government of this colony. The Venezuelans
seized him when he reached their territory,
detained him in custody at G0acipati, and
ordered him to return to his country via Las
Tablas and Trinidad. From that dey to this,
no reparation has been demanded from the
Vrnezuslans for this outrage upon q British
subject, who was also the representative Of
the Government Of this colony. Again.
quiet decent black man, belonging to the
Northwest district crossed the Amacura to
the Venezuelan side and was SO barbarouSly
treated by the soldiery there that he died OF
the wounds inflicted upon him. Mr.. i'm Thurn,
the Government Agent, referred to the muir
der in his official report; but in this case as IN
that Of McTurk's, Governor Gormanston never
uttered one word in public, in denunciation OF
the perpetrators of the deed, or sought to
obtain indemnity from the Venezuelan
Government for the illegal acts of their SER
wants. He may have represented both matters
strongly enough to the Secretary of State,
but he ought to have declared openly before
the colony that he had done what he could to
demand satisfaction for the arrest Of Mr..
MoTurk and the murder of the black man,
and saved us all the humiliation of finding
that we are the subjects of a country whose
strength is allowed to become a source of
weakness when brought into contact with
petty states like Venezuela. in one other
matter, Lord Gormanston was found wanting
in decision Of action,-we aIlade to the riots
in Georgetown in the springof 1889. a de-
p~utstion of the Town Council waited upon
him at the close Of the ceremony of opening
the Combined Court, and explained to him
that the rabble were already breaking into
shops and getting drunk, preparatory to a
fercer demonstration after dark; and that 1t
was necessary to provide the services OF a
large number Of special constables. The
Councillors having done their duty thus far,
naturally expected that the constables would
be enrolled, and the Councillors arranged to
take their place in heading patrols in the
several districts of the city; but no intimation
Of the Governors plan was vouchsafed to
4. them, and it is a matter Of history how the