The record-union., 1897-12-01
PROF. F. DE MARTENS.
Chosen Arbitrator of the Venezue-
Ian Boundary Dispute.


Ian Boundary Dispute.
1t has been announced to the world
at large that at length the Governments
of England and Venezuela have come
to an agreement in the choice of an ar
bitrator in the dispute that exists as to
the proper boundary between the South
American Republic and British Guiana.
This arbitrator is a Russian who is not
altogether unknown in diplomatic cir
cies. Professor f. de Martens is privy
councillor a permanent member of the
Council of the Ministry for Foreign Al
fairs of Russia. and Emeritus Professor
in the University of st. Petersburg.
Moreover. he has already made q name
for himself as just and painstaking
arbitrator in international affairs.
The appointment, besides being of
great moment on account of the serious
differences that exist between England
and Venezuela, is doubly interesting,
owing to the Professor having sat as
arbitrator in a celebrated and hard
fought dispute between Holland and
ourselves. a dispuate only this year
Il
history as the Costa Rica packet case.
When the Foreign Office and the au-
thorities at The Hague fell to logger
heads over the arrest of the Captain or
the Costa Rica the Gar of All the
Russias was asked to appoint ali aroi-
traitor, and at his command Professor
+. de Martens set to work. The award
made by the arbitrator was highly sat
isfactory to this country-a rather sur
prising occurrence, all things consld-
cred.
The facts about this most celebrated
case are these: The Costa Rica packet
was-she probably is TO this day--a
whaling ship owned by a very we'll
known Sydney IN. S. W.) firm, Messrs
Burns, Phillips & Co., and about the be-
ginning of the year 1888 she set sail
bound for whaling cruise in the Mo-
lucca Seas In January of that year
she fell in with a ntive Malay craft, d
prov, derelict, waterlogged and aban-
doned, and a boat from the Costa Rica
was lowered to investigate. Those in
charge of the boat discovered the dere-
lict to be loaded with native brandy
and gin. and some few cases of these
ardent and blood boiling spirits the
sailors took aboard in the whaler. But
when the cases We're opened it was dis
covered that salt water had trickled
into the spirits. Now, salt water does
not go we'll even with Malay brandy:
consequently most of the packages
were slung into the sea- But, untor-
tunately, not all We're SO treated. At
the next port reached the sailors traded
the remaining cases of brandy and gin
to Chinaman for a few pounds
seventy-five pounds is is stated
of cheap sugar. Captain Car
renter of the Costa Rica reported to
the Dutch authorities his falling in with
the prov, the taking of the brandy
and all He then proceeded upon his
whaling cruise, and that was the last
heard or thought of the matter for some
years
In 1891, however. the Costa Rica
again set sail for the seas visited dur
ing the former cruise, and on the same
enrand. Captain Carpenter was still
in command, and at midnight Of No
vember 1st he put into Ternate for a
fresh supply of provisions. He had
no sooner set foot on shore than he
the time represented the Netherlands
India Government, who told him that
orders for his arrest had come from
the court at Macassar. The official APP
parently did not know on what charge
Captain Carpenter was held, but that
did not prevent him from placing the
aStonished Captain behind bolt and bar
in a prison that was far from perfect
in the way of sanitation, where the food
was boiled rice dished out in the hol-
low of a native convict's dirty hand.
To be sure Captain Carpenter pro-
tested, pointing out that the whaling
cruise would be quite ruined if he were
to be kept from his ship for any length
of time; but his protests We're not even
listened to. After about a weeks i'm
prisonment he was taken from the cell
at Ternate, and, together with his prin-
cipal officers, who We're wanted as wit
nesses, shipped off in custody to
Macassar, some 1000 miles away. The
Costa Rica lay at anchor, with no Off
Ger of sufficient authority and expert
ence left aboard to continue the cruise
The Captain was in custody, the mates
were held as witnesses. the crew was
scattered, and the ship tied up
After a miserable voyage of some
thing like ten days, Captain Carpenter
and his caDtors reached Macassar,
where has was again clapped in prison,
charged with looting the prov, but
after appearing before the law officers
some half dozen times, he was re-
leased on November 2Sth. and left to
make his way as best he could to where
his ship lay at anchor. His discharge
was owing to fact that there was no
evidence to prove that the alleged Of
fense took place within three miles of
land, and therefore within Dutch au-
thority. AS matter of fact, the ar
rest was the result of certain. rather
uncertain evidence that had previously
been given to found warrant for ar
rest, and in this evidence the only two
witnesses who spoke of the distance
from land testified the one that he esti-