New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-10-11
ANSWERED
vrNrz1-E1,A.s MEMORANDUM IN REPLY
TO THE BLUE BOOK.

STRONG DOCUMENT BY DR.. RoJAs on THE
,rrcrn TITLE FROM THE DUTCH AND THE
VIOLATIONS OF TIE AGREEMENT OF $50
washington. Oct 10 (specsD.-Among the import
ar, napers In the Venezuelan case recently Suo-
rnjt,ed TO the Boundary Commission at as'ii"s 'o'
and now made public IS memorandum by Inc
~,,n,s,-v ~ Foreign Affairs al Caracas. Il IL N
-.,lv ~ certain statements contained IN Lord ssis
h,rv.s note Of November 26, addressed 10 Sr 1u.ai
pouncsfote the British Ambassador al Nash'hs
ION In that note. which was soon af'er"aiu 'haue
nub,ic Lord Salisbury attempts 10 JUSTIFY the D'H
lamentations on the lower Orinoco and In the Cuyun
b.sn hv alleging title derived from the Dutch VINO
Re holds had settlements there at the date OF the
treaty OF Minister III 1915 and by alleging Violations
nv Venezuela of the agreement OF 1870 whereby the
disputed territory was neutralized.
The reuoora ndur by Dr. Rojas. the Venezuelan
Minister of Foreign Affairs. purports 10 snow
by historical evidence adduced from both DutcA ana
Spanish sources. that the Ho.lancers never had
single settlement on the coast Of Guiana west OF the
Fssaoubo River or AT the farthest west OF Cape
Naoau more than forty leagues distant from he
Orncos mouth: nor on the Essequho Itself. nor on
the Cuyuni above tidswater. Consequently no po.-
ton OF the territory between the EsseGuibo and the
Or!noco and stretching southwark from The Atlantic
coast 70 the Inataca Mountains ceded TO Holland
by Spain by the treaty OF 1913 and neither could that
eession possibly have Included any territory on the
Cuyuni above the first falls In that river, some
dozen miles from its junction with the Essequioo
This Is confirmed. the memorandum asserts
BY the extradiion treaty Of 7s which established the
divisional line between Spain and Holland az OF near
the right margin Of the EssequbO; and also BY the
archives Of the British colony OF Demerara. covering
the period from 1914 10 ls3G which show the Pumaron
River Qess than dozen miles Of the Essequibo)
,c have been the extreme lni. OF the British claim
II confirmed also by the very agreement OF 1907 IL
self or rather by the complaints and circumstances
which led that Il is calculated also oy
the Official proclamation % the Governor OF Brltisn
Guiana in 1851 wherein British SUBJECTS warned
s TO establish settlements or mining camps IN the
dpu,ed territory Cwest OF the Pumaron or on the
upper CuyunD except at their peril. since Her
Nsesiys Government could not enga ,e 10 afford
them any protection. any Indemnity for pecUnary
losses In case the territory should be awarded 10
Venezuela by final settlement Of the boundary
question
Tn. memorandum further holds that the alleged
marking OUT OF the boundaries Of Dutch Gui-
ara by Great Britain during her military occupa-
tons Of that country in 1896 and In 1899 legal
nudity even II the fact (which is not proved be adj
mittsd because the military occupation OF con-
Quered country holds only BY the fortunes OF VIZ
subject 10 recapture or TO ratification by treaty ana
cannot Ak or alter international boundaries More
over. the title by military occupation III 100 ~
swept away by the Treaty OF Anens III Isy5 1.d
BY the treaty Of 1874 whereby England restored 10
Holland all her possessions IN Gun ma. save on
the three settlements of Berbice, Denerata am
EsseQubo which. by subsequent ssrre'ie,', ~ ~,
esded 70 England for monetary c0hsinti .t t
There have been no cessons 10 England SIM tI'll
either by Holland Venezuela; while II Is Poiitrn
out IN the memorandum that any cesslohH OF .ci'
tory b. native Indian tribes teven hlleihPt,p
watch is not proved would be. under a weil-hno"h
end longest bshed rule Of international law
simple nullity. 60. .,oro,,,
With respect 10 the agreement OF lsD WHEREBY
Venezuela and Great Britain mutually obigsle"
themselves "a IN 10 the other not 10 occupy or at
tempt 10 occuoy any portion of the territory III as
ple the rnemora ndum declares that II was England
which frs; violated that compact But even
roth pa rtes had simultaneously violated II. that
fac. alone would not justify Great Britain ia her
PRESENT arm d occupation of territory never hitn-
s.to in DISPUTE: nor would II JUSTIFY her In 80 eN
Nncing her claim as TO embrace large areas IN the
Interior and on the Atlantic coast which she neI-
~ had many tines and in more forms thah one
sknovledged 10 be the rightful domain OF VEN
0ela 49,, l., 49,.
In addition 70 this memorandum wficn " Wy
English version constitutes printed Lainpli.st y,
ZONE syfy-seyen pages the Caracas n,..u
Is Prepared an exhaustive reply 70 Ine % 10,
Blue Book and its supplements IN So ~, 40 ~
deal with the Venezuelan question INF i'ipo n Iii
and Interesting State paper is now IN press; an ~
submitted in both languages 10 me p p ,,
Commission within the next few days II eoN0''
NE whole ground Of controversy