Evening star., 1896-01-11
TALK ON VENEZUELA
Mr.. VIM. E. Curtis Lecture Before the
Geographic Society.
History of the Discovery of the COun.
try Given and the Gradual En-
crOachments of the British.

Venezuela, Her Government, People and
Boundary" was the timely topic upon which
Mr.. William E. Curtis, the well-known news
paper correspondent, who formerly held the
office of director of the bureau of American
republics, addressed the members of the
National Geographic Society and their
friends at Metzerott Hall last evening. The
interest shown in the subject Is attested by
the fact that the audience filled the hall to
such an extent that many of the invited
guests were glad to find standing ROOM
Many distinguished persons were present,
including the members OF the Venezuelan
legation and the diplomatic representative
of nearly all the South American states.
The lecture was clearly and distinctly de-
iivered and was replete with interesting
facts figures and illustrative pictures OF the
country in which the United States govern
ment has shown such paternal interest Of
late.
Mr.. Curtis gave a brief sketch Of the dis
eovery of Venezuela or Little Venice by
Americus Vespucci in 1899. and its condition
at that time and since. The population OF
the republic today is about 2, 500, 600. not in
Guiding 26O.0GO Indians. The country is still
in primitive and comparatively undevel-
oped state 1t has made little progress
since the yoke of Spain was thrown off.
Manufacturing establishments are almost
unknown. and the agricultural and indus
political revolutions and lack of labor
and capital. According to the lecturer, the
future wealth of Venezuela lies in the de-
velopment Of her agricultural resources,
which are almost boundless, and her min
eral deposits, which are among the richest
al d most accessible of any country. The
bathing arrangements at Macuto are quite
odd Sharks abound and bathers stand a
chance of losing their legs. Ladies and
gentlemen bathe in separate Enclosures.
Everybody bathes au natural. Some of the
modest ladies put on a sort of night dress.
but the pretty ones wear nothing but smiles
and bushes.
Almost Constant Warfare.
Venezuela, the lecturer said, has been
the scene of almost constant warfare since
her discovery. There is no country in the
wcrld whose histt ry is more stained with
blood. She is the Hungary. the Poland, of
South America. Most of her rulers have
been elected by bullets and bayonets in
stead of by ballots. and most of her great
men, like Bolivar Miranda and others, have
died in exile, to have their bones brought
home in after years with great honor AMI
buried under monuments of marble and
co, known as the 'illustrious American
was the uncrOwned king of Venezuela for
nineteen years. One of his duties was to
arrange with Great Britain for a settle
which has since become the cause of
American Interference. 1t was alleged in
that he had attempted to be-
tray his country and waive the claims of
his governme to the disputed territory
west of the EsseQuibo river as far as the
so-called ScEonaburgk line, provided Great
Britain would arrange a compromise with
the English holders of Venezuelan bonds
No positive proof of such proposition was
ever disclosed, but the evidence was suffi-
cient to induce President Palacio to revoke
Guzman's plenipotentiary powers. The
ao ton of the PRESIDENT caused the greatest
excitement NpnpZEQI9 of oil
dc stroyed Guzman's influence in the coun-
try: Ii he had returned there at that time
he would have been hanged by a mob, and
1t is still unsafe for him to visit Venezuela
The rank and file of the army is COM
ICsed exclusively of Indians, negroes and
ha lf-breeds. They are good fighters, not
Withstanding their field uniform is merely
a pair of cotton drawers, a shirt and a
straw hat Mr.. Curtis said there is a
bronze statue of George Washington in
Caracas, which is usually the meeting place
OF the people whenever there is any mis-
chief to be done.
Great Britain Has No Rights.
The lecturer said that the richest gold
mine ever discovered was probably the Con-
Virginia, after which is that of
of this region are within and some without
tie territory claimed by Great Britain. Two
Er1t1Sh SunboatS are On the Orinoco, how
ever, and will take possession of the entire
Cuse Such act" said the lecturer
would be entirely audacious, but would be
heartily welcomed by the people, who would
very much prefer an English colonial gov
ernment to Venezuelan rule. 1 have been
told by dozens of men, Americans, Ger
mans, native VeneZuelans and representa-
tives of other nations, that if the question
were submitted to the miners the decision
Guild be almost unanimously in favor of
England. But regardless of the preferences
OF the population, Great Britain has no
more title to the land she has forcibly oc-
oupied than the United States has to Mani
tota or Chihuahua, and no more right to
occupy the island of Barima at the mouth
OF the Orinoco than she has to occupy the
1ettles of the Mississippi or the islands in
the harbOr of ew York
We frame laws and organize police, and
establish courts to defend the weak against
the strong and protect property from being
unlaWfully plundered. and no honest or
brave man will stand idly by while high
way robbery is being committed upon his
neighbor. The excuse for the interference
or our government in the Samoan case was
tr1fiins compared with the reasons that
exist in the seizure of Venezuelan territory
by England, for beyond and outside the
grounds of ordinary justice there are some
selfish inducements that appeal to- every
business man N this country, if he would
stop to consider the facts and the situa-
tiOn.'
Gradual EncrOachments.
In ancient biographies and gazetteers,
even the official publications of the British
government. the area of British Guiana is
given as 6O,OOO square miles. In 1885 it was
increased to 5000 square miles. THE
same authorities said Mr.. Curtis, now
assert that its area is 100000 square miles,
but give no explanation of the extraordi-
nary enlargement of the territory by 33 900
square miles, which, however, is found in
the argument over the boundary dispute.
There was some gold mining along
the Essequibo and it's aff1uents during the
domination of the Dutch, a hundred years
ago, but it was only casual.
''Since then gold deposits have been discov-
cred on the Barima river in the disputed
territory, where several million dollars of
foreign capital, mostly British, is invested
and some 10000 miners are at work. The
colonial authorities of Guiana have calmly
occupied this territory, organizing police,
appointing local magistrates, assuming leg
islative as well as executive jurisdiction,
laws and regula tions for the gov
of the mining camp, etc. These
regulations have been imposed by the Brit
ish colonial authorities within a. territory
to which they did not claim ownership I'M
til the discovery of gold, and over which
they did not attempt to exercise jurisdiction
until 1888 and as new mines have been dis
covered they have gradually pushed their
frontier line westward until it now includes
rearly twice as much territory as they
claimed twenty years ago. and seven times
as much as was ceded Great Britain Ly