New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-08
TIE VENETIAN BLIE BOOK.


The British case in the Guianas is now set
forth One Of the ablest jurisis In the hinEhom
has prepared il, with careful de'ibcra'oh anu
scholarly skill The Government las accepted
his work and made II public In an Official bl'i'
Book We may therefore take that document
as the last and strongest argument Great BTU
ain can offer To support her territorial cIilihS.
In q few DAYS IN. complete text ~ I, will be- in
the hands Of the American Commissioners ~
Washington. for comparison with the results "i
their own Investigations. We may also eNP''t
presently formal counter statement from the
counsel Of the Venezuelan Government. which
will be Il similarly final presentation 81 ihat
side Of the ease. Then IL ought not 10 take long
for intelligent and impartial men 20 arrive ut a
lust Judgment upon the merits Of III" contro-
versv. and to determine WHERE the true Ill
yisional line" between Venezuela and British
Guiana should be drawn. In advance Of that
the comprehensive summary of Sir Frederick
Pollock's Blue Book. which has been trans
mittcI by cable to this country affords some
basis for estimating the value and force Of that
document.
II may be said frankly that while Sir Fred
erick has produced an interesting historical
treatise. and one worthy Of high respect rs a
tendency to dwell upon unImportant and irrclc
want matters and 10 pass very lightly over some
points Of crucial interest. lie is not to be
blamed for so doing. His work was purely
cx-parte one. He was to make the British case
appear as strong and the Venezuelan case a
weak as possible 1t was natural and proper
that he should magnify everything In favor OF
the one and minimize everything in favor OF
4 .,in
take that fact fully into account, and not be
misled thereby. For example. all that Is said
about the early settlement Of the Guianns prcvi-
Gus to the Treaty Of Munster in lG4S Is Of pure
~ historical interest. It has no bearing upon
the present controversy For Holland was then
a Spanish province, and the regions explored
| and settled by the Dutch belonged 10 Spain.
II those old settlements gave present title. all
| Of French Guiana and part Of Brazil would be
involved in this dispute for the Dutch settle
| ments, according 10 Sir Frederick Pollock, cx-
tended from the Amazon to the Orinoco.
| The first question u.s. then, not how much terri
tory the Dutch explored and settled, but how
much was granted TO them by the treaty Of
lGis Even that had little direct bearing upon
the controversy between Great Britain and
Venezuela For while Venezuela did become
the slccessor-not "sclf-consiituted." as Lord
| Salisbury says. but by the recognized law Of
nations-Of Spain in the Guianas, and inherited
all the rights and possessions Of Spain, Great
| Britain did not by any means become 10 such
an extent the successor Of Holland. That Is evil
dent from the fact that Holland still retains II
large territory there The British seizure Of the
whole region In 1871 merely temporary.
| II gave no title II only In 1914 that any
territory there was formally and lcgitlmately
acquired by Great Britain. and under the Con
ycnton Of London, OF August IL, 1914, con
frmed by the Peace Of Paris, Of November
30, 1919, such territory was explicitly declared
TO be confined 10 the three settlements OF
| Essequbo, Demcrara and Bcrbcc. This mar
rows the whole controversy down 10 the qucs-
ton, what were the limits Of those settlements.
or rather Of the nrst-named FOR II, lying at the
west, Is the only one that Adults upon Venezuela.
Upon this all-mporiant question Sir Fred
erick Pollock's evidence and argument do not
seem to be conclusive. He cites many auhori-
ties to show that the Dutch, both before the
treaty Of 1913, when they were subjects "
SPAIN and between that date and 1914, when
they were independent, made many explorations
and settlements along the coast from the Essc-
qubo to the Orinoco. and also inland, In the val
leys Of the Cuyun Maznruni, Yurllar and other
rivers Let 1t be granted that such was the ease.
The ready answer Is, that possession Of the
shore does not necessarily imply ownership Of
the country inland Great Britain herself has
made that point clear py her appropriation Of
the "hinterland' OF Portuguese South Africa.
And II the interior vas so much explored and
settled by the Dutch. 1t certainly seems strange
that Sir Robert Schomburgk, as late rs 1890.
should have reckoned it I'M UNEMPLOYED and I'M
known country. Suppose. however, that the
Dutch did have full possession Of the whole
. region as far westward M the Orinoco and