The herald., 1896-03-05
From Documents in Spanish
and Dutch Archives
THE VENEZUELAN QUESTION
A Blue Book Prepared for Issuance on
Saturday
IrrefragibIe Evidence In Support Of the British
cIaims-soms Surprises to
Be Sprung

Associated Press Special Wire.
LONDON, March 4.-The ST. James Ga
sette this afternoon publishes a forecast
summary of the British blue book upon the
Venezuelan situation, which is shortly to
be issued. 1t is said to contain extracts
from the archives of Holland, from the
latter part of the sixteenth century to the
second decade of the nineteenth century,
and extracts from the archives of Spain
from Orellate's ascent Of the River ANA
zon, in 1542, and Mariners ascension of
the Orinoco river, down to Venezuela 8
independence, in 1880. All the documents
in this connection, it is said, have been
ransacked in order to establish the British
case against the Venezuelan claim for pos
session Of the west bank of the Essequibo.
1t will be shown, it is said, in overwhelm-
ing strength that the possession of that
bank is Great Britain's beyond doubt.
The statement of Sir Frederick Pollock,
corpus professor of jurisprudence of Ok
ford university, who has prepared the Brit
ish case, is described by the St. James Ca
zettee as being remarkable for mastery
detail and skill in collecting evidence and
for the force and clearness of his conclus.
ions.
"The Dutch archives have been go we'll
kept that Sir Walter Frederick Pollock was
able to establish an irrefragible case for
the British ownership of the Cuyuni basin,
though there is no adducible evidence az to
how the Dutch held the country between
the Schomberg line and the Orinoco."
The Chronicle says the government blue
book on Venezuela will reach Washington
on Saturday, and will be distributed here
on the same day. "There is reason to be-
lieve," says the Chronicle, "that the pres
ent state of the matter is that Lord Sails
bury and Secretary Olney have both made
proposals, and each has declined the 9TH
er's proposition"
The Daily News, in forecast of the Vcn-
ezuelan blue book. says:
The results of a search through Spanish
archives are likely to surprise both the
United States and Venezuela, as showing
that tile date of the first Spanish settle-
ment on the Orinoco was as late as 1896,
and was made on the bank to forestall the
arrival of one Guaterral, who had been
surveying the region and had promised to
return and settle there. 1t is proved that
Guaterral was Sir Walter Raleigh.
The greatest surprise for Venezuela,
without doubt, will be the publication of the
tween Spain and Portugal in $50 for either
expelling the Dutch from Guiana or hem
ming them in on the seashore. If the Dutch
were not in possession. where was the me-
cessity to expel them? The British case
sets up claim by the conquest of both the
Spanish and Dutch colonies before .Vene-
zuela came into existence and although
Holland, by the convention of 1914,
ceded her possessions to us, there was, ac-
cording to the British case, no real cession
because the colony was ours already. Upon
this part of the case-a very strong one =
the government mainly relies. 1t dmin-
ishes the importance of the long diplo-
matte correspc ndence since 1910 and
shows Lord Salisbury occupies a strong
| historical position.