Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-09-25
FABLED Ell DORADO.
French duina Trying to Dust
Mapa Indians.
1T is SAID TO BE RICH in GOLD.
History of the Strip of Land over Which
France and Brazil are Now
Fighting.
1T is SAID TO BE RICH IN GOLD

F1ghting.
The announcement that France and
Brazil have finally agreed to arbitrate
their historic dispute as to the owner.
ship of the Couaani country. which
lies between the boundaries of French
Guiana and the Brazilian republic,
recalls the wonderful stories of gold
discoveries in that region. These
stories. dating from the time of the
first Spanish invaders. have been
verified within the past two years by
the actual location of rich gold mines
in Counani by adventurous French
prospeotors. King Oscar of Sweden
whom France and Brazil have selected
as the arbitrator of their claims, will
therefore have to decide dispute
which involves much more than the
possession of mere tract of uncleared
land. Formerly that was all either
nation considered Counani to amount
to, but quite new aspect was put ON
the case by the finds of the gold dig
gers. In 17l3 it was declared by the
Treaty of Utrecht that the boundary
between French Guiana and Brazil
was the Japook River. The geograph-
ers Of either country have not been able
to locate any such river. According
to France, the treaty indicated the Ma
pook River; and the Brazilians are
equally positive that the Oyapock was
intended. Between the two latter
streams lies Counani.
Sixty years ago France and Brazil
thought SO little of Counani that they
agreed that neither should claim it,
So they Jointly proclaimed it to be
neutral ground Within the last ten
years, however, its population of less
than one thousand formed republic
under the presidency of French news
paper man named Gros, or Crosse.
But France and Brazil promptly sat
upon President Gros, and the political
status of CouEani forthwith relapsed
into its previous condition. Then the
gold fever broke out. and the govern.
ment of French Guiana sent force
AAeO ohO AS6AOh w PlOOCOu UnO fIOuCu
miners who had poured into it, Brazil
objected and captured the French police
on the ground that France was equally
bound with herself to respect the neu-
trality Of Counani. The next thing
was that the United States, seeing the
prospect of trouble between the two
countries, persuaded them to seek arbi-
tration, with the result, as ablve
stated, that King Oscar of Sweden was
selected to decide what rights each of
them had in the hitherto unsuspected
gold fields.
Most people are familiar with the
name of the tabled land called El Dora
do, where gold was SO plentiful that
the very streets were paved with it.
Ell Dorado was supposed to be some-
where in South America; and now
there has been talk, since the gold was
found there, that Counani is none
other place than Ell Dorado About
three hundred and seventy years ago,
when PiaTro was in South America,
conquering the land of the Incas, he
heard from the native Peruvians that
wonderful stores of gold and jewels
were to be found in a region whose
four boundaries We're the Andes and
the Atlantic Ocean, the Orinoco and
Amazon rivers. The natives spoke of
this region as Duyanna. and it is said
to be identical with what we now call
Guiana. The Roucouyennes Indians
occupied it. and in the depths of the
primeval forest, they had formed a
powerful kingdom, where they lived
in houses covered with gold and
studded with jewels, which they dug
up out of the earth as easily as they
did the clay. So ran the natives
story. Pizarro and his followers chris
tened this country Ell Dorado, to signify
that it was the land where gold
abounded, and under the guidance
of the natives Piarro sent out several
parties to discover it. One of these
parties returned after long absence
and said they had gone many miles
along a great river, from which they
had beheld the spires and turrets of
golden cities shining afar under the
sun. But the current of the stream
CARED them out to the open sea.
Though their dangers and difficulties
had been great, these first explorers
were followed by many others, among
whom was an adventurous Spaniard
named Martinez. On his return he said
he had seen the capital Of Ell Dorado.
1t was called Manoa, stood on the
bank of lake with golden sands and
was dream of wealth and splendor
Martinez story induced others to at
tempt the exploration of the wondrou'
land. but all of them failed in the at
tempt. So by degrees the story of E
Dorado came to be regarded as fairy
tale.
To this day, save for the visits o
the gold prospeotors from Frencl
Guiana. this region remains unex
J plored. It's inhabitants are still tn
Roucouyenne Indians, who occupy tn
.vools o-I ;,nu1as 80 ba ;ptorinr