San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-01-07
SALISBURY SCORED.
GUINEA COLONIsTs HOT AT THE
ARBITRATION TREATY.
New Documents Discovered to Prove the
Claim Of Great Britain as
Far Back as 1877.

New York, Jan. THE World this
morning publishes the following spe-
cial correspondence from Georgetown,
b. c.: The announcement that Lord
Salisbury has agreed to submit the
question of boundaries between Brit
ish Guinea and Venezuela to arbritra-
ton has not been accepted by the
British colOnists with satisfaction, for
the further prolongation of negOtia
tons is seriously restricting the in
vestment of foreign capital in the de
velopment of the colonies wealth.
That Secretary Olney has scored as
Il diplomat in this matter is readily
admitted, but Lord Salisbury is sound
ly rated for having yielded to arbitra-
ton upon the territory over which the
Dutch exercised jurisdiction that
has been continued by the British
since they succeeded to the Dutch pos
sessions and rights. That Lord Sails
bury's discesion has that had for the
time being a detrimental effect upon
Investment in the colony of Brit
ish Guinea, is proved by steady fall
in the value of shares in the gold min
ing companies operating within the
disputed territory; the numerous APP
plications for an extension of time in
decisions regarding gold mine options,
and, the almost general inclination to
halt in the further development of the
gold industry, Still the coloniSts are
satisfied that it is but n question of
time when their claims to the entire
gold bearing area north and west of
the ESSeqiboto to the right bank of
the Amacuara river will be fully eS-
tabliShed, retaining to the colony the
valuable property on the Barima and
Barama rivers and their tributaries
As to the Cuyuni, the evidences of
Dutch occupation are still visible and
the documentary proof of British jul
risdiction from the time of the ear
Hest settlement is considered here as
complete.
The British government has had a
specialist searching the old Dutch az
chives of British Guinea, and two
days ago a discovery was made which
in the absence of exact data defining
the lines of the Dutch possession. is
regarded here as conclusive evidence
that the British from their earliest
occupation of Guinea exercised iuTiS-
dictiOn over the entire northwest ter
ritOry up to and by the Amacura
There is now documentary evidence
to show that the British government
not only claimed the territory and as
sumed Il prOtectOrate over the Indian
tribes. but that the Indian chief made
periodical returns to the British gov
eminent. Among the documents Just
discovered is the census return for
1917 sent in by the respective chiefs
of the MOruga. Waini. Barima, Bari
mata, MaSasuni and Cuyuni rivers.
The population is enumerated in the
returns and the number of men in
each tribe capable of taking up arms
is carefully detailed.
There appears to have been four
great Carib CenterS. PawrOoma. Mo-
nurga, Waini and Barima, the chief
towns of which were Maripa, Coop
ararOore, TOcoOpOima and Pekwa.
In each was war captain, reSpjOn-
sible first to the Dutch and afterwarl
to the British government. The Ara
walks. AcawOips and WarrowS. claim
ed the protection of the Dutch from
the earliest settlement, and afterward
of the British. against external and
internal foes.
That the abOrigineS of those days
were not like the scattered cOmmuni-
ties now in the interior. is shown by
the fact that cargoes of tobacco. cot
ton and other products could be OBJ
tanned from the natives at regular
intervals. 1t paid to send trading
vessels on such risky voyages.
While the native tribes refused to
trade with the Spaniards and repealed
their advances, the Dutch were early
on friendly terms with all. That was
the reason why the Spaniards. and
after that the Venezuelans. never &C.
cupied territory as far east as the