New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-18
THE COMMISSION MEETS TO-DAY.
MR. MAI.LET-PREvOST LIKELY TO BE ELECTED
SECRETARY 49, PROBABLE LENGTH o.

isl4 II.
SECRETARY 49, PRoBABLE LENGTH OF
THE INot'IRY.
Washington. Jan Ii (specaD.-The Venezuelan
Commission will hold another meeting tomorrow.
A. this meeting il Is expected. the formal election
OF Severe MalletP Provost. OF New-loik. as secre-
tary Of the Commission. will take place Mr. Mailet-
Provost stands high at the New-fork Bar. No'-
withs,anding his foreign name. he Is full-hedsed
citizen of the United Staes. Most OF his early He
was spent at Zacatecas. Mexico where his father
was the American Consul He is a fine Inquest ana
Is especially familiar with the Spanish language.
This knowledge will stand him IN good stead IN
prosecuting the work Of the Commission MI
Malle-Prevost gained special distinction as the Gov
eminent counsel in the celebrated case Of Peralta-
Reavis involving the title TO 10000 acres OF land
in New Mexico. One of the chapters Of the Peraiio
history treated OF the early archives Of Spain. and
10 those archives the Commission must look for
important evidence the boundary dispute. At
the present time Mr. Mallet-Prevost is associate
with. Mr. Coudert, a of the Commissioner, IN
the dispute between Italy and Colombia. which is
before President Cleveland for arbitration
In case il is found necessary TO visit Venezuela
establish facts otherwise Obainabe. the Com
less than six months. In recent interview IN re-
gard to the plan Of operations OF the C9mmission,
freely avail Itself Of the of documentary evil
dence in The State Department and elsewhere in
room he said will be provided with Ions tables s
wall VIII be given = racks for the hanging of maps
dates of issue and the country in which they were
mace. Copies Of documents, too. bearing on this
to be had at the State Department ana at
the Venezuelan Legation The proceedings Of the
Royal Geographical Society of which Sir Robert
SchomburGk corresponding member, VIII be
drawn for material. and, IN fact no trustworthy
will be neglected in our search for the truth
in this matter.
of course. examination of all these documents
and maps is only preliminary our selection and
Authorization While may take the copies of
the documents for this preliminary investigation, it
would. of course. not be proper 10 look on them
authentic without final official verifcation by
one or more of our number by an inspection of the
original documents. 1t Is therefore difficult TO say
how long this work is going to take We have hoped
that labors might be completed in three months.
but IL Is not possible 10 make any accurate state
ment this subject for IT will probably be neces-
sary for OF number not only 10 Visit
Venezuela, but also to examine the documents of
conveyance by the Spanish and Dutch Governments
Madrid and The Hague. | do not suppose that
II will be necessary for all Of TO visit all three
of these countries, but IL viii certainly be necessary
for OF to the original documents If these
original documents cannot be brought 10 Us. These
trips to foreign countries will in themselves prob
ably consume month in each instance, and
il is extremely doubtful whether Will have
completed our work in three months time The in
ternational and Diplomatic importance OF our work
will preclude the possibility of haste in any drec-
ton. and must therefore not be hurried in any
way.