The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-28
THE venezuela Dispute
History Of the Trouble Over the
Guiana Boundary Line.
GREED FOR GOLD THE CAUSE
British Investors to Attempt to Annex
the Caratal Gold Fields Which vcne.
Euela Inherited from Spain.
Tho Old Dutch Posts.

AuS os0 DutSu EOStSs
Washington, Oct. 27.-Three centuries
ago. in 1896, Sir Waiter Raleigh headed
an expedition to Guiana for the dis
covery OF the tabled El Dorado, then be
lieved to exist htere. 1t was an ad-
venturous but frultaess quest, of which
on returning, he wrote am account. To-
day, In that same region, modern Bril-
tons have found gold mines, in place Of
the city of gold and gems their ances-
tors sought. The gold-hunting mania
Is at the bottom of Great Brptain's
present determination to despoil Vene-
zuela OF a large tract of territory that
she claims.
MIR. Hugh Watt, chairman and chief
shareholder In the New Chilli Gold Min
ing company. which was formed a
dozen of years ago and more to buy
mining rights in the Venezuelan dis
trtct OF Caratal, once showed clearly
how the gold-hunlting business was in
volved lin tine boundary dispute. ''Our
shareholders" he said. as reported in
the Mining World. do not consider
their stock at present to be of much
value, but let them consider what it
will be with their property under
British control, with q British bine of
railway and telegraph at command
why, \ will be worth 5000. 900 sterling,
anG de shares can be had today at a
bagatelle price of shillings per
share"
This statement, made long before the
boundary controversy with Venezuela
had reached its present acute stage,
suggests the motives which stimulate
British investors, as well as the colo
n,fc ~
the Carataa gold fields. 1t is proba bly,
true that, while the mining dues might
not be heavier under British than under
Venezuelan rule, railway communica-
tion to the mines under the former
would be open sooner; but that fact af-
fords no excuse for taking away any of
Venezuela's land.
vcnczucla's Title.
AS Is well known, Venezuela inher-
ated the territorial rights of Spain
when she proclaimed her Independence
in 1910, and Great Britain, in 1914. ac-
quired the Dutch colonies of the Esse-
quibo. Prior to that period the boun-
dairy line had not been definitely fixed,
but In 1891 an extradition treaty signed
by the Spaniards and Dutch stipulated
belong to the former and the Esse-
qulbo to the latter.
Now point In the Venezuelan case
is that In 1886 the British legation spon-
taneously recognized Venezuela's SOW
ereignty at Punta Barima by asking
her to build a lighthouse there for the
safety of navigation. But in 1S41 the
Engineer SchOmburgk, for reasons best
known to himself, chose to run an arbi-
trary boundary line, in England'S in
terest, far west of the Essequibo, and
far enough northward to take in Punta
Barima as british, and so to give Great
Britain a hold on the mouth of the
Orinoco. AT Venezuela's prompt de-
mand, the British authorities dis
claimed this line as formal assump-
tion of possession, and said i. was a
step preliminary to settling the boun-
daly; and, thereupon, the posts and
other marks were removed.
During the last half century Great
Britain's encroachments have in
creased, and the exploring of the Car
atai and Yurari gold mines has IN
creased the trespass. AS is we'll known,
Great Britain has Of late insisted on
holding everything east of the Schom-
hergk line, while expressing her will
Irgness to put to arbitration the terri
'ory west of that line. But 1t viii, be
seen that she thus insists on her STRAIT
egic and commercial hold upon tie
mouth Of the Orinoco, in spite Of the
clear treaty provision that Spain
should have all the Orinoco coloniees,
while being willing, for the sake of Sc
curing that hold, to admit doubt re-
garding the ownership of the lands
around the head waters of the Cuyuni,
the latter might with some
reason be at least claimed by her un-
der the watershed theory.
Claims Of England.
Turning now to the claims of Eng
land to the gold field area of the in
terror, 1t lis Ito be observed that even
some British writer's oppose the preten-
sions of theAr government. Several
years ago, Edward d. Matthews, in
the Views of Mr.. Watt, point
ed out that a map published in New
York by Messrs c. z. Pond and w. r.
Kyle based upon the Codazzi atlas, the
BRITISH Admiralty charts, and studies
by Blunt and Rosa, traced THE bound
ary along the left bank of the Essequibo
as far as THE junction of THE Cuyuni
with that stream, and then up the left
bank of the Cuytini to a small affiuent
called the Tapuru, and thence up the
left bank of that stream to the head
waters OF the little river called the
Moruco, already spoken of. This bound
airy Is apparently as arbitrary as
Schomburgh's but 1t has good points.
In the first place, 1t would give to
Venezuela complete control Of the
mouth of the Orinoco and of Punta
Barinna, which seems ito belong to her.
Next, It would give Ito England the an
Client colony Of New Zealand. west ~of
the lower part of the Essequibo, and
this seems clearly ITO belong to her. On
the map in question the old forts
shown, as Mr. Matthews remarks, are
New Zealand and New
on the Pomaro, which emp
ties into the sea with the Moruco; a
fort on the Tapuru, and another on the
MIazuruni at its junction with the
Cuyuni. 1t admits as English whatever
was occupied by the Dutch in their
chain OF outposts against the Span
iards, IN preference to setting up the
watershed theory or theory Of matt
ural boundaries founded upon modern
exploraMons. It can herdly be con-
tended that the old Dutch colonies
really exercised power at a distance of
200 and 300 mdles from the Es-
and yet to this distance
would the English penetrate, taking
from Venezuela q tract roughly es-
timated at 10000 square miles should
they have THE Caroni for a boundary.
% they desire.
There 10 apparently no good reason
why Venezuela should not have q
chance to put before q referee for de-
ctsiom her right Ito at 1east part of the
area east of the Schomburgk line.
That line has no more International
Sh1,rSv7ikV ~ dU1o ns1v s,fj<v T., A.