New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-20
VENEZUELA.
THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE DESCRIBED
BY W. E. CURTIS.

VENEIo6 Eh1 &, IL EIeroy Curtis With Map.
Pp. 315. Harper q Bros.
This volume gives a lively and readaoie oe-
scription of the past history and present coho'-
ton Of that portion Of South America "hich mas
be come prominent in international pohuCs' Twins
10 the long-standing boundary dispute VIII"
Great Britain President Ceveland's message
and the letters of Lord Salisbury end Secretary
Olney in regard to the affair are printed as an
.nnsna,x N this book Mr. Curtis begins his own
story with the voyage IN 1899 of Alonzo de
O,eda q Young Castilian Knight who had been
nth Columbus on his second voyage. Second III
command of the fleet Of four vessels was Juan
AZ Ia Cosa. the author Of the first map or the
Ncw World Ii was drawn upon an OK moe anu
II hangs to this day upon the walls OF the MA
rIne Museum In Madrid. Ojeda estaoiisheo o."
the site OF the present city OF Car'haseHa' W.
lcmbia. the first colony Of Europeans 'ha' en-
listed on the American mainland 10 c0miha"o
the settlement he left Francisco Plzarro' once
swineherd In Spain. but soon to be Famous OF III
famous as the conQueror and destroyer OF the
Inca Empire OF Peru.
The history Of the dominion OF spain over Tue
country is one long narrative of barbarity' Inc
dacree NJ Charles that the natives should be
enslaved, and as a mark OF their supJec'ioh 'hat
zach man woman and child should be branded
name. is a trife compared with what the slave
drivers did TO the victims of their greed. The
Emperor famed out the whole Spanish main 10
n firm of German merchants who employed as
agent and overseer one Alinger. His practice
was TO chain his Indian slaves together by IRON
rings welded around their necks. Thus they
marched, worked. ate and slept together III
groups Of ten or twelve. If one became 100 weak
70 march or work. his head was cut OH al 'he
iron ring and the body dropped 10 save the
<roubIe Of driving the whole group to the piacK-
smith.
For two hundred and forty years Venezuela re-
manned loyal to the Spanish crown alter 'h'
natives had cen either annihilated or ihcorpo-
rated with the civilized population But Only 'He
easy-going peoples of tropical region couio nave
endured so long the arbitrary manners vi '"e
officials sent out from Spain. Men who went to
the province arlstocratic paupers returned u
spain In few years with ample fortunes.
They had done nothing to improve the country
and the people themselves have always been sat
iehed with a slow. unconscious growth. what
Venezuela might become with an area more 'hah
douhle that of Texas Uatered by more than
thousand rivers and of these the Orinoco'
with nearly two million square miles Oh iahu
suited to agriculture with nearly three mhoh
more adapted to grazing and the remainder COW
cred with valuable forest or mountain ranges f'ch
IN mineral products can only be guessed from the
rich returns of a system when mas odieN
+ouchea the fringe of these vast resources tn.
Inhabitants as a rule are Indifferent to progress
They believe in doing as their ancestors uiu'
Hence a steel plough or any Improved hslru-
nent OF agriculture is looked upon with distrust
The plough used is hardly better than that com
mon In Egypt In the time of Moses. Coffee Is the
A,,tN iS a
cocoa-producing country of the world and the
chocolate Of Caracas is unsurpassed
Easy-gong as the people are In matters OF trade
and Industry they are vigorous enough when II
comes to political revolution. There is in Caracas
a building which represents 10 them all that lnde-
, pendence Hall in Philadelphia symbolizes to the
people Of the United States. 1t was In that adooe
4 house that the movement was begun whlch
ended In the expulsion OF Spain from the whole
mainland Of South America. There 1unta OF
leading citizens adopted a Declaration OF lnde-
pendence on July 3. 1911. The revolt was led by
Francisco Miranda who served under Washing
ton in the North American Revolution and whose
eloouence and diplomatic skill very nearly in
volved both the United States and Great Britain
IN the South American struggle. The Venezuelan
Declare ton in his handwriting still hangs on the
walls Of the hall in which IT was adopted But
after all he was not 10 be the liberator or his
country That honor reserved for simon
Bolivar. OF the career Of that impulsive ana
passionate hero tie world has heard much, but
It may have forgotten curious incident. the
capture Of a naval squadron by body OF irregu-
lar cavalry. Bolivar desired to get his army
across the Apure River but was prevented by
Spanish gunboats in the stream. HIS emphauc
wish that the fotilla could be captured aroused
General Ito Paez who called out his cow
fDl1 I'm
To a man they dashed into the river, swan their
horses in the dark to the vessels. ciampereo
aboard. leaving their mounts to swim back to
shore, and in less time than 1t takes TO tell the
story were masters Of every gunboat. when
Bolivar was banshed by his ungrateful country
men Paez became President Of the Republic
The record Of changes in the Presidency is
record likewise Of political violence and disorder
career like that Of Guzman Blanco seems 10
show that the people are pleased with despot'
II only he is one of their own choice He had
all the energy and activity which hts people
lacked A colossal vanity spurred him on TO
endless efforts for the practical good OF his coun'
try. But everything he accomplished had TO beai
his name Under him the country prospered as
Il had never proepered before Though he
amassed great wealth. II was said OF him by
foreign observer that out Of $40 600, 900 he took
$<UVOOVV anu spent the iess III '"e P"oN "N'
vice. while most Venezuelan Presidents would
have pocketed $S.00O.OOO and left $2O00OOO to
the country. His name and self-chosen title
THE Illustrious American" are to be read every
where In Venezuela. His monuments and statues
are hardly less frequent. He coveted every kind
of title, including those conferred on students
and men OF learning but it must be said also thai
ne earned them by dint of labor When he de,
sired to read the life Of John c. Calhoun. he ap-
piled himself TO English with such eagerness tha
he learned both to speak and write the language
in an incredibly short time.
III. raonIa If Venszuela renresented by