The San Francisco call., 1896-03-07
AIR ANCIENT DISPUTES.
Centuries Ago, 1t Is Claimed, the
Dutch Obtained the Only
Valid Title.
PRETENsIONs OF THE SPANISH.
Early Controversies and Correspond.
ence Cited to Back Up British
Contentious.

LONDON. Eng, March 6.-The expected
Venezuelan blue book, which is entitled
Documents and Correspondence Relating
| to the Question of the Boundary of Guiana
and Venezuela" will be issued by the Gov
ernment tonight. The volume consists of
| 443 folio pages, with separate portion
| containing nine maps. The book opens
with forty pages, comprising preliminary
| statement dealing with the history of the
| territories from 1920 until the issuance of
her Majestys memorandum to Venezuela
in March, 1890. The book is divided into
historic periods, from the earliest time to
164S from 164S to 1796, and from 1796 to
1S40 After that period references are
made to various claims and dispatches,
and the report concludes with a brief
summary. The preliminary matter is
summarized as follows:
THE purpose of the present statement"
the book says. 'is to explain general out
line of the position of Great Britain in the
| long-pending dispute with Venezuela as
| regards the boundary between British
Guiana and that country. The territories
| now known as British Guiana and Vene.
zuela had been discovered before 1920.
Between the date of their discovery and
1648 the Spaniards and the Dutch occupied
portions of this territory, the extent OF
such occupation by each country con:inu-
ing to be matter of considers tion."
In 1880 the united provinces of the
Netherlands threw off their allegiance to
the Spanish crown and war ensued, which
lasted almost uninterruptedly for seventy
years. In January, 1648, peace was con.
cluded by the treaty of Munster, by which
Spain acknowledged the independence Of
the Netherlands, and the two.countries, re.
spectively, confirmed their then posses.
sions on the South American continent.
From 164S to 1876, with the exception of
the interval between 1871 and 1888, the
Dutch remained in possession of the terri
tory they had occupied prior to the treaty
| of Munster, and extended their settle.
ments within it,
In 1856 the territory now known as
British Guiana was acquired by Great
Britain. That acquisition was recog-
nized and confirmed by treaty cons
cluded in 1914. In 1910 Venezuela re-
volted, but her independent existence
apart from the United States of Colom-
ba, by which she was for q time
merged, did not commence until 1880,
and was not formally recognized by
Spain until 1S45. 1t is therefore held
that the following conclusions have been
clearly established:
First-That prior TO 1890 the Dutch had
established themselves on the coast Of
Guiana.
Second-That prior to 1886 the Spaniards
had established no settlements in Guiana.
Third-That by 164S the Dutch settle
ments in Guiana extended along the
coast the whole way from the River
Maroni to the Barima, and inland to vari-
Gus points in the interior upon the rivers
Essequibo, Luyuni, Pomeroon, Waini and
Barima and their tributaries.
/ Fourth-That up to 1928 the only settle-
ment of Spaniards in Guiana was San
Thome de Guayana, on the south bank Of
the Orinoco, originally founded in 1886 at
site shown on the sketch-map.
4 Fifth-That between 1923 and 1876, tha
only additional settlements founded by
Spaniards in Guiana were those established
by the Capuchin missions south of the
Orindko, in the direction of the River
Yuruan, and two villages on the upper
/ Orinoco, several hundred miles above San
/ Thome de Guayana.
Sixth--That Dutch occupation to the
extent above indicated was perfectly well
known in Spain, and that the attempts of
the Spanish to dispossess the Dutch had
wholly failed.
Seventh-That subsequently to 1796,
Great Britain has continuously remained
in possession, and her subjects have oc-
| cupied further portions of the territory to
! which the Dutch established their title.
"From the first settlements to 164S," tho
report continues, 1.-THE Dutch appear to
have been the first. Early in the sixteenth
century they, turned their attention to
Guiana, and there is abundant evidence
from Spanish sources that during the lat
ter half OF the century, prior to 1880. the
Dutch established themselves ON the coast
of Guiana. In 1896 the explorer Captain
Charles Leigh found the Dutch established
near the month of the Orinoco, fact
which is confirmed from Spanish sources.
The first settlement by Spain in Guiana
!; was in 1896, when Antonio de Ia Hoz Berro
founded San Thome de Guyana on the
south bank OF the. Orinoco. A dispatch
from Rogue de Monies, Treasurer of Gu
mana, to the King of Spain, dated April,
1886, shows that the Spaniards did not
then hold any part of Guiana"
In tho early part of the seventeenth
century the various companies which
were afterward merged into the great
West India Company were employed in
colonizing Guiana, and had established
several settlements there before 1914, and
the existence of these settlements was
officially reported to Spain. The follow
ing extracts from memoranda on Guiana,
which was deliberated upon by the Span
ish Privy Council, are dated 1914. They
say in regard to the Dutch settlements
then existing:
"It well clear that those coasts belong