The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-04-07
GOLD GRABBING BRTTONS
They Dislike the Idea of Venezue-
Ian Arbitration.
BITTER AGAINST UNCLE SAM

Should the boundary Dispute be Decided
Against Them Ninety-nine out of Every
Hundred Englishmen in British Guiana
Would Lose Money.
GEORGETOWN, British Guiana, April T.
If the Venezuelan British Guiana bound
ary dispute is decided in favor of Vene-
zuela ninety nine out of every hundred
Englishmen in this country will lose
money by it, and the same may be said of
nearly every American living in the col
ony, except the United States consul.
British Guiana is divided into three coun-
ties, Damarara Berbice and Essequebo
Practically all of the gold fields are sit.
uated in Essequebo county and nearly all
of the territory which comprises that
county is under dispute.
As the sugar industry has dwindled
down to very small factor, owing to the
reduction in the price of sugar the great
expense of keeping the plantations from
being flooded and the difficulty in getting
laborers at a reasonable price, who can
stand the climate, gold has become the
mainstay of the colony, and as it is to
gold, and possibly timber, in the future
from the Essequebo county that the resi-
dents here have to look, it may be imag-
ined that the interest over the boundary
dispute is very great.
While the rest of the world is looking
upon the question as practically settled so
far as it concerns the possibility of war,
the point of view here is entirely different.
The people, that is the Englishmen, who
control everything, despite the large ma
1ority of the foreign population, do not
fear war, looking upon such a thing with
the usual British eyes which see nothing
but victory for themselves. But they do
fear arbitration above all things, for no
matter how little of Essequebo county
were given to Venezuela a number of gold
mines would pass out of British control.
The meager dispatches received here are
scanned most eagerly by everyone.
Under the circumstances it is not to be
wondered at that the feeling here against
the United States is very strong, and the
Americans here do not hesitate to blame
the Washington government openly. In
stead of the feeling diminishing it is
growing with the delay, for until the
question is decided any introduction of
machinery to get out the gold will be i'm
possible. The men will not invest any
more money in Essequebo county with a
chance of having the whole territory taken
out of their hands.
Gold there is here, and to what extent
may be judged by the registrations for
three days amounting to 1881 ounces, and
every bit of it was taken out by placer
mining. Owing to the volcanic nature of
the country, and the difficulty experienced
in getting to the fields, long canoe trips
being necessary, up to the present time
the mining has been very crude. Just be
fore the dispute became acute arrange
ments were being made for introducing
machinery, and since all these things have
come to a stop it may easily be seen how
the whole of British Guiana has been af
fected &S
I The British claim that there were 50, ,00l
British subjects in Essequebo county, ex
elusive of government officials, is very
misleading. If line should be draw
due south from the Morocco river it woulC
be found that the actual settlers between
that and the Schomburgk line would no
number 800, if that while in the north
west district, that on the coast directl.
south of the Orinoco river, where the bes
quartz is supposed to exist, there are no
more than 1000 actual settlers Full,
10000 of the 80, 1000 live on the islands il
the mouth of the Essequebo river, whicl
are not in dispute.