The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-22
Set Forth Before the Venezuelan
Boundary Commission.
THE SESSION AT PARIS
DAY TAKEN UP BY SIR RICH
ARD WEBSTER.
Goes Back to the Discovery of That
Country and Reviews the Work
of Various Explorers = Positions
of the Spanish and Dutch In
South America.

Paris, June 21.-The Venezuelan
o'clock this morning and Sir Richard
Webster, the British attorney general
resumed his speech in behalf of the
case of Great Britain. Dealing with
the period from 1900 to 1881 he said
Great Britain was unable to rely on
the Spanish records of Venezuelan con-
! troll and was compelled to fall back
upon the discovery and circumnaviga-
ton, So-called, of the unit of Guiana
Venezuela arguing that Guiana was a
defined area, that Spain had discovered
that degned area and had taken part,
in the name of the whole, taking such
possession as to entitle them to the
whole.
In close detail Sir Richard Webster
examined the work of the various ex-
plorers of the period upon whom Vene-
zuela relied, claiming they were not
relevant to the territory of Guiana, ad-
ding that the statements made before
the United States commission must
not be argued against Great Britain
as frequent deductions were made,
which were totally unsupported, as JUS
tice Brewer, a former member of the
commission, would doubtless remem-
Der.
According to counsel for Great Brit
ain, the first explorer who really
reached Guiana was De Berrio 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
sought to apply it to a small district.
Counsel protested against its being
pieced on so as to establish this so
called Spanish title" Further assert
ing that ''it had failed miserably as
both the Dutch and Spanish historians
agreed that there was one Spanish set
tlement on the Orinoco before 1920"
Position of the Dutch.
As to the Spanish coasting voyages,
Sir Richard Webster said the Spaniards
occasionally traded, but the Dutch
traded and settled. By the truce of
1909 the Dutch position was known and
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 Philip had not had
ships and soldiers to vindicate with the
sword that sovereignty which Spanish
swords and genius had once acquired
Continuing the British counsel claim
ed that discovery when not followed
by occupation was of 10 value as the
never consented to the contrary doc
trine. Discovery, if accompanied by
a certified or notorious intention to ac-
quire gave a prior opportunity of ac-
quiring, which opportunity it would be
a violation of the comfy of nations to
interfere with prematurely.
The occupation of vacant parts of the
world treated as not in the possession
of a-distant owner. was not a case of
transfer of possession. for there were
no parties between whom such a con-
vention could pass. Guiana was va
cant. The Dutch settled and controlled
it. while the Spaniards held one miser-
able spot on the Orinoco. which could
not control the huge district lying be-
tween the Orinoco and the Essiquibo
Sir Richard Webster then detailed
the exploits of the Dutch in conjunc-
ton with Sir Walter Raleigh bringing
his arguments up to the events of 1887.