Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-06-22
EARLY EXPLORERS
Furnish Material for England's Argu-
ment Before Venezuelan Commission

Paris, June 21.-The Venezuelan
boundary commission reasseinoleu "'
/ II o'clock. this morning, ana Sir h'o"-
ard Webster. the British attorney gen
! eraI resumed his speech in behaH ol
the case of Great Britain. Dealing WIN
| the period from 1900 TO 1857 ne sdlu
Great britain was unable to rely on lhe
Spanish or Venezuelan control ana was
compelfed to fall back upon the DIS
Icoverv and circamnaviGation. so-called,
of the unit of Guiana, Venezuela arSu-
ing that Guiana was defined area
that Spain had discovered that deflned
area and had taken part in the name
Of the whole, taking such possession as
to entitle her to the whole.
In close detail Sir Richard Webster
examined the work of the various eX-
pIorers of the period. upon whom Ven
czuela relied. claiming they were not
relevant to the territory Of Guiana, ad-
ding that the statements made befor"
the United States commission must lot
be used in argument against Great BRIT
ain, az frequent deductions were made
which were totally unsupported, as
Justice Brewer former member OF
that commission, would doubtless re-
member.
According to counsel for Great Brit
ain. the first explorer who really
reached Guiana was De Bcrrio. and his
expedition was intended, Sir Richard
added. to apply to a different part of
the country and for a different object
than that alleged by Venezuela, who
gnfly tn Il small dis Iipt
Counsel protested against it being
pieced on 50 as to establish this so
called Spanish title" further asserting
that 1T had failed mfserably, as both
the Dutch ana Spanish historians
agreed that there was only one Spanish
settlement on the Orinoco before 1920.
AS TO the Spanish coasting voyages
Sir Richard Webster said the Span
iards occasionally traded, but the
Dutch traded and settled. BY the truce
of 1909 the Dutch position was known
ana acknowledged by Spain, and. as
Motley, the historian. had stated, the
Orange flag Of the republic was to
float over all America from Manhattan
Island to the shores of Brazil and the
straits Of Magellan. provided Phillip
had not ships ana soldiers to vindicate
with the sword that sovereignty which
Spaniard's words and genius had once
acquired"
Continuing, the British counsel
claimed that discovery when not fol
lowed by occupation was of no value
as the basis Of title. inasmuch as ma
tiors had never consented to the con
trary doctrine. Discovery. if accom-
panied by a certified or notorious in
tention to acquire, gave prior oppor-
tunity Of acquiring. which opportunity
it would be a violation Of the comfy
Of nations to Interfere with prema-
turaly.
The occupation Of vacant parts of
the world, treated as not in the pos
session of a district owner. was not 4
case of transfer Of possession. for there
were no parties between whom such a
convention could pass. Guiana was
vacant. The Dutch settled ana con
trOlled it, while thu Spaniards held one
miserable spot on the Orinoco, which
could not control tha huge district Iy-
ing between til" Orinucp ana the Essi-
luibo.
Sir Richard Webster then detailed
the exploits Of the Dutch i'll conjunc-
ton with Sir Walter Raleigh bringing
his urSum mt UP to tn" events Of 1851.
Lord Chief Justice Russell caused an
amusing diversion when sir Richard
Webster was describing the cann1balis-
tir attack at San Thomc He asked
Sir Richard if the latter dill not know
that this was a libellous statement.
Sir Richard replied that he could not