The herald., 1896-06-23
VENEZUELA'S BOUNDARY LINE
Again the Cause of Rupture of
Relations
BRITISH ROAD SURVEYORS
Are Arrested by a Force of Armed
Venezuelans
Hemmlng, the New Governor Of British
Guiana, Makes No Better Progress
Than His Predecessor
Press Special Wire.

| Associated Press Special Wire.
GEORGETOWN, British Guiana, June
22-Mr Harrison, the official who was
| in charge of the laborers who were open
| ing a road from the Barina to the Cuyuni
river within the Schomburgk line when
they were stopped by force of armed
Venezuelans on June 18th, has been ar
| rested by the Venezuelans on fresh or
| ders from Caracas and carried to the
Venezuelan station opposite Uruan, the
Venezuelans claiming the right to arrest
| foreigners on the left bank of the Cuyuni.
| The arrest of Mr.. Harrison has aroused
| the colony Of British Guiana and the
| population demands that Great Britain
| take immediate action in the case. When
the Venezuelans first stopped the labor
ers from proceedingwith the work, or
| ders were sent from Georgetown to Mr..
Harrison not to offer violent resistance,
but to withdraw under protest.
AN UNSATISFACTORY START
WASHINGTON. June %. - Word
reaches official headquarters that Sir
Augustus Hemming, the governor gen.
eral of British Guiana, is meeting with
the same reverses which marked the
administration of his predecessor, Sir
Francis Lees, in exc Alting the policy of
Mr.. Chamberlain to buy Maxim guns for
the Venezuelan frontier. Sir Augustus
recently had his first meeting with the
court or legislative body of British Gui-
ana. He had been appointed to succeed
Sir Francis, largely because Of the defeat
of Mr.. Chamberlain's proposition for
developing the interior in the neighbor-
hood of the disputed boundary along
the Cuyuni river and then fortify it.
1t was believed the diplomacy of Sir Au-
gustus would be more effective in dealing
with the colonists. The mail just re-
ceived here brings details of his first
meeting with the high court In an ad-
dress of welcome to the governor, Mr..
ingalls,, speaking for the court, referred
incidentally to the Venezuelan troubles.
He said his excellency had arrived at a
dark time in the history of the colony,
but they hoped that the dark cloud over
shadowing them would soon pass and
that the sunshine would appear. Sir Au-
gustus expressed his thanks for the
greeting and then proceeded to business
by submitting a plan for the develop
posed by Mr.. Chamberlain last fall. It
was In the then form of resolution re-
citing that as a survey had been author
lied to a point on the Esquibo coast or
the Lower Cuyuni river, 1t was now ex-
pedient to extend the survey between
the Kartuma and Barima river. The
resolution authorized the expenditure
of $4,000 for the survey
The government secretary explained
that it was expected to have a railway
eighteen miles long in this district. He
urged its advantage to the gold fields
without referring to it's military and
strategic value, to which Mr. Chamber
lain had referred in issuing the previous
survey.
Opposition to the plan soon developed
in the court, led by Mr.. Dargan. He
said he understood the government al
ready had made a contract with Mr..
Dardande to build the railroad, adding
that 1T was proposition that the gov
ernment should pay for the survey. Other
members Of the court spoke in the same
line. The government secretary and the
attorney general attempted to overcome
tn opposition. They were warned, how
ever, that If the resolution was put OF
vote it would be defeated.
Thereupon the new governor-general
withdrew the resolution. AS this was
his first step after arriving, in the devel-
oping policy of the British colonial office
the enforced Withdrawal was regarded
as an inauspicious opening for Sir Au-
gustus' administration of affairs con-
nected with the Venezuelan question.
BRITISH COMMENT.
LONDON, June 23-The Graphic,
commenting upon the advices from
Georgetown, as to the arrest by the
Venezuelan authorities of Mr.. Harri-
son, the British official in charge of the
laborers, says:
ut seems that Venezuela overthrows
the American commission, and is de-
sirous of settling with us by the ordeSl
of battle. The duty of the British gov
ernment Isl clear. Reparation must be
Immediately demanded and enforced"
FOOLISH ACTION.
LONDON, June 22.-The Chronicle
says of the news from Guiana:
1T is intolerable that while the United
States and Great Britain are negotiating.
the Venezuelans should take such action.
We must tell the government at Caracas
that they will have to release Harrison,
apologize for his arrest and make
amends.
Venezuela could not have adopted
a more unfortunate action in her own
interest. 1t is easy to see that an at
tempt will be at once made here to re-
move the frontier question from the re-
gion of argument and conciliation to the
atmosphere of passion and prejudice.
But the two questions must be kept
apart. The boundary must be settled
calmly, while the violence done to Har-
rison must be promptly undone"
Aims at q Record
CHICAGO, June 22-Letter Carrier
Arthur Smith left this city on bicycle
at 2:15 this morning for New York, in
tending to lower the Chicago-New York
road record now held by R. p. Searle Of
five days. twenty-five hours and fifteen
minutes. This record was once held by