The San Francisco call., 1895-11-04

thereby showing claim in that vicinity;
that in 1874 certain concessions were mad e
10 Dutch company in that vicinity; that
in 1877 there was conflict between the
Dutch and the Spanish on the Pomeroon
River, and that the latter were defeated
and driven away; that by treaty with GER
tain Indian tribes (names and dates not
given) Great Britain agreed to protect said
Indians against encroachments by whites.
On these grounds a claim that in 1914 was
stopped at the Essequibo River grew by
1910 to the Pomaroon River. 1t 1910 the
claims of Great Britain were officially an
nounced or indicated as being limited by
the Pomeroon River on the west.
Later in the same year, however, she
claimed all the Atlantic Coast TO the
mouth of the Orinoco, and in 1871 set up a
notice at the mouth of the Barima River
asserting her jurisdiction over that stream
and warning off trespassers. In 1874 she
receded from this position back to the
Morocco River.
In 1886 she shifted west again to the
Guiana River. In 1890 she advanced to a
point at the junction of the Amacura and
Orinoco rivers, and which would give the
practical control OF the mouth of the latter
river.
All the title England can possibly have
comes from the Dutch cession in 1914.
Venezuela fell heir to the title vested in
Spain as the original discoverer when she
threw off the Spanish yoke In 1910. For a
number of years after she became inde-
pendent she was too busily engaged with
other matters to pay much attention to
the encroachments of few British trad
ers on her territory and much too weak to
do anything more than strongly protest
against the same. This she did vigorously
IN 1927 and has steadily insisted on a set
tlement of the question ever since. Though
conscious of her own rights in the prem
ises, for the sake of a settlement of the dis
pute she has conceded much to Great
Britain and offered to accept as bound
ary line run due south from the mouth
of the Morocco River, which was the
western limit of British claims up to 1874.
! This line is known as Roja's line
| England refused to answer this or any
! other proposition, except to assert some
new right or advance some new proposi-
| ton, and in 1887 diplomatic relations were
broken off by Venezuela. England S
| policy in the whole matter has been in
| keeping with that pursued by her in other
cases-admit nothing; claim all in sight
| get all she can, and keep all she gets. In
| this case she has deliberately, by unlawful
occupancy of disputed territory pending
| settlement of boundary question, laid her
! plans to rob a weak South American re-
| public of rich territory greater in extent
than her own populous and powerful
island.
The history of the Schomburg line, the
only actual survey ever made in this con-
nection reveals the true inwardness of the
course pursued by Great Britain and the
method she has followed to consummate
this robbery.
In 1884 the Royal Geographical Society
of Great Britain commissioned r. H.
Schompurg to take up the route dropped
by Humboldt at Esmeralda on the upper
Orinoco, and journey to the head waters of
This expedition, with several others of like
nature, which he undertook in the Quay
anas under the auspices of that society, he
made. Accounts OF his journeys, with
sketch maps, were regularly sent to the So
ciety Zone of these maps, made in 1886, is
especially interesting in connection with
the line run by himself later). On one of
these journeys, in 1878, Schomburg
wrote: MAY the moment soon arrive
when the boundaries of the rich and pro-
ductive colony of British Guayana shall be
decided by government survey
His prayer was soon to be granted. The