The record-union., 1896-03-14

| WASHINGTON March 13. - The
| Venezuelan Commission at it's regular
meeting to-day with all the members
present, virtually reached the conclu-
sion that the main points at issue in
the dispute hinged on documents lying
in the royal archives of Spain and Hol-
land, and perhaps some other countries;
that While such documents would prob
ably be quoted by each of the dis
putants in support OF the contradictory
claims presented, the duty would de-
volve on the commission not only to
verify by actual examination all such
citations, but if practicable to develop
contemporary documents which might
throw strong side lights upon the evil
dence submitted.
While definite action was postponed
until the full British and Venezuelan
cases shall have been formally brought
under consideration, there remains no
doubt that some of the Commissioners,
| or, at all events, the Secretary of the
commission, Mr.. Mallet-Prevost and
agents under his direction will soon be
sent to Madrid and The Hague. 1t is
explained that this determination is not
Cue to the alleged discovery of misquo-
ltations in DEGREES and treaties already
! in the Commissioners possession but
from the question that the final decision
of the commission ought not to be open
/ to any attack as to concIusiveness of the
evidence upon which decision will prob
ably be found to depend
| At all the primary examinations of
tho commission they have been con-
| fronted by conflicting statements
While geographical discrepancies are
within the power of the commission to
| harmonic, the enormous mass Of cor
roborative evidence it commands, com
paratively indeciphera BILE and partial
/ lillegibility of royal DEGREES are thought
to be matters which necessitate per-
sonal and expert examination
| The commission expects to be in pos
session Of the British blue book as well
as the greater part of Venezuela's case
early next week, and in view of this an
ticipation, Mr.. Coudert and President
Gilman, who have hitherto spent little
time in Washington, will remain here
FIR the present for daily meetings, at
which the weighing and comparison of
/ u adence will be prosecuted continu-
ously.
had an opportunity to carefully ex-
anime the British case, as the only
available copy that has reached them
was one of the advance editions sent by
ambassador Bayard to the State De-
partment, which may contain typo
! graphical or other errors incident to
hasty preparation. The regular copies
| for the commission will arrive here in
all probability tomorrow evening or
Monday next. While access to a State
| Department copy mas been allowed.
/ there has been no opportunity to ex-
anime it fully.
! The agents of Venezuela have pre-
sented to the commission, among other
| documents, the official report of the
Ministry of the Interior at Caracas to
| the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
dated May %, 1890, consisting of forty
| printed pages, covering the radical ad-
vances of the British Colonial Office into
the disputed territory after the rich dis
| ccveries of gold, as investigated by a.
national committee appointed by Vene-
zuela to make a scientific exploring ex-
pedition in Guiana territory.
The elaborate report of this commit
tee is now for the first time disclosed.
and shows, according to the testimony
of the British magistrates and others in
| the territory, that as late as 1883 no
british settlements existed even as far
west as the Pomeroon River As late as
1898 the settlements are referred to by
the English as the recently acquired
district and the Colonial Government
! is shown to be exerting its authority
in every way to rush emigrants into the
interior, its success in some degree be-
ing shown by these figures of gold ex-
ports: 1885, 800 ounces; 1886. 6.5S4
ounces; 1887, II ,906 ounces; 1883. IA
80 ounces, and for the~first six months
of 1889, 14,424 ounces.
These documents, and especially those
relating to Venezuala's formal protest
against the usurpation, seem to place
Viscount Gormiston. Governor of Brit
ish Guiana, in the light of suppressing
the facts, although it is shown that he
was in constant communication with
Lord Salisbury. Testimony is adduced
to demonstrate that the British authori
ties were most generous to the Indians,
thereby securing access to the gold
fields in the interior deserted by Vene-
zuelans, who were attracted by British
Establishments to the coast settlements.
The publication has been submitted
without argument Venezuela relying
altogether upon the simple statement of
facts.
1t appears from the Venezuelan Off
cia1 report of the Guiana boundary dis
pute that the expedition was sent out
because Venezuela became alarmed lest
the British should attempt to seize the
entire Orinoco River, and prevent the
republic from using it in any way. The
| chief of the commission, r. F. Zeigas,
formerly Venezuelan Minister to Eng
land, found everything to confirm the
most serious fears of his Government.
and only through his energetic protests
to the Colonial Government and the
activity of Venezuelan Ministers abroad
was the policy of the boundary extern
sion temporarily allowed to rest by
Lord Salisbury
NOT YET SETTLED.
LONDON, March 13.-The "St. James
Gazette" says that the Venezuelan dis
pute will not be settled until the United
States no longer insists that we must
abitrate before it on terms fixed by
itself The more quickly the British
and American nations understand that
this demand is unwarrantable. the
greater likelihood there will be of set