The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-07
Report of the Venezuela boundary
Commission.

volumes which are to contain the report Of
the commission appointed By President
C~LEvELASD for the purpose of ascertaining
the boundary between Venezuela and
British Guiana. 1t is, Of course, under
stood that no formal conclusions are ex-
pressed, the labors Of the commission
having been suspended when a reference Of
the controversy to arbitrator was agreed
upon hy the principal parties. For the
enlightenment, however. Of the arbitral
tribunal and Of historical students, it has
been thought well 10 publish the data col.
lected by various agents employed b?
the commission 10 examine maps and the
texts of treaties, diplomatic correspond.
euce, and other documents.
What We have in the preliminary volume
is a report by Mr. J. FRANKLIN jameson
on the Spanish and Dutch settlements prior
to l6is; and several reports by Mr.. GEORGE
LINCOLN BURR on the meaning Of certain
articles Of the Treaty Of Munster: on the
territorial rights Of the Dutch West India
Company; and on the evidence furnished
by the Dutch archives as 10 European occr-
patton and claims in western Guiana. We
purpose TO state with all possible concise
hess the results Of these Investigations.
The account Of Mr.. JAMISON's researches
occupies some thirt y+fye pages Of the
volume, but their outcome may be summei
up in a few words. He finds no evidence
Of any Spanish occupation Of the disputed
territory, that, namely. between the Esse-
quib0 and the Ori1Cco, III 1913, nor of any
but temporary occupation % any portion Of
it before that time. On the other hand. he
finds no certain evidence Of any Dutch oc-
cupation in lG4s n~orthward or west
ward OF the E~s-quibo. and Of KyEo-
verai, the island in the Na7a--n. at
its confluence with the Cuyuni. Neither
does he find any evidence Of their
occupation OF Point Barima before 1875.
Such was the situation at the time
when the Treaty OF Munster was signed,
whereby was guaranteed TO the SIan.
iards and Dutch respectively the posses
sion of such countries in the East and West
Indies, as also in Brazil and on the coasts
Of Asia, Africa, aad America. as the said
Spaniards and Dutch held and possessed.
AS we have just seen, the Dutch held 10
part Of the disputed territory in 1858.
Neither did the Spauiards, but they
claimed the whole Of Guiana b. right of
discovery. The English maintain. how
ever. that the treaty gave the Dutch the
right 10 make further acquisitions in Gui.
ana by virtue of the following clause ::
"Comprchending therein particularly the
places and forts which the Portuguese
have taken from the Dutch since the year
1911 as also the forts ami the DIrces
,riich the DUtch shaN chance TO acquire
and possess after this, IritiOut infrGCtton
ofthe present treaty.
Mr.. GEORGE LINCOLN BURR has made q
careful study OF the meaning Of the itali-
cized lines in the last quoted clause.
and he arrives AT the conclusion! that
they refer exclusively to ~conQucsts or
reconQuests, which might be made by the
Dutch at the expense of the Portuguese.
who, it will be remembered, had recently
thrown off the Spanish yoke. alt is i'm.
probable" says Mr.. BURR, that in the in.
tent of its trainers and its ratitiers the
Treaty of Munster conceded to the Dutch a
right to win from the natives Iof Guianal
lands claimed by Spain. 1t does not ap.
pear that the treaty was ever interpreted
in this sense by either Spain or the Dutch"
So much for the claim OF the British For.
eign Office, that the Dutch, from whom
England derives title, had by the Treaty Of
Munster a right To make fresh acquisi.
tions in Guiana, westward and n~orthward
of the Essequibo.
II has been alleged, on the part of Great
Britain, in the course Of the controversy
over the Guiana boundary, that the char.
tiers of the Dutch West India Compapy
named the River Orinoco as one Of the
limits of its grant, and that within the
limits Of the grant these charters gave
jurisdiction. For the purpose of learning
the grounds for these assertions Nj. BURR
undertook an inspection Of the charters of
the company, and of all the legislation of
the Dutch States General on it's behalf. The
result of his researches Is as follows
From the terms of these grants, unuues.
tionably, may be inferred the assumption
by the Dutch Government of Il right to
plant colonies, either directly or through
the West India Company, in the district
known as the Wild Coast" that is to saw,
the coast eastward from the Orinoco,
There is, however" continues Mr.. BURR,
" in none Of them anything to suggest that
this was counted exclusively a Dutch right
nor is there any claim of sovereignty over
this coast as a whole
BY far the larger part of the volume Is
devoted to the outcome OF Mr.. BURR's ex'
animation OF the evidence in the Dutch
archives as to European occupation and
claims in western Guiana The purport Of
the data relating TO the Dutch claims is
summed up on page 374 as follows: THE
whole coast Of Guiana was, from the be.
ginning Of the seventeenth century, looked
upon by the Dutch as open TO colonization
but no exclusive claim to that coast. as a
whole, seems ever TO have been made by
them" NJ. BURR goes or to say that from
1921 to 1874 the right to COLOMBO that
coast on behalf of the Dutch was vested
in the Dutch West Iniia Company. which