New-York tribune., 1902-12-08
DISPUTE OYER ISLANO.
4nother Contention BetzCeen Eng
land and Venezueid.
GREAT BRITAIN WILL NOT ARBi1RA1 E.

washington, Dec. TN Venezuea's yellow
Book for 1901, copy of which has been re-
ceived in Washington recently from the Foreign
Office at Caracas are the exchanges between
the London and Caracas governments last year
in regard to the ownership of Patos island
which has been in dispute between the Two
countries for many years. Significance attaches
to this correspondence in view OF the approach
ing crisis between Venezuela and Great Britain
as it is not improbable that in the settlement
of the claims of British and German citizens
against Venezuela the Patos dispute will also
be involved
Reopening of the Patos question caused
by the action of the Venezuelan gunboat Au-
eusto in January, 1901, in capturing certain
British subjects the island. When the Cara
cas- authorities We're called to account by the
London Foreign Office the former replied by
renewing their long standing claim to Patos,
and diplomatic controversy extending through
out the year was the result.
Venezuela bases her claims to the island on
its proximity to the coast of Guaria, from
which it is distant only three miles, claiming
that it is a tenet of international law that a
country commands waters within marine
league of it's coast; that the international law
institute has defined the territorial sea as six
miles, whereas the island of Patos is more than
ten miles from Trinidad, the nearest British pos
session. Further that the treaty of March,
1916, explicitly confirms the title of Venezuela
over all the islands near her coast which were
under the dominion of Spain in the initiative
period of Venezuelan independence"
In support of this contention the Venezuelan
authorities produce a letter from the royal
Spanish Minister for State in 1873, in which he
denies that royal sanction ever was given to
the concession alleged to have been made to the
Ayuntamiento of Trinidad by the Governor of
Patos, Huevos and Monos.
Great Britain through her charge d'affaires
at Caracas, and later through her Minister,
advanced the contention that when she con-
quered the Island of Trinidad in 1897 sovereign
ty over PatoS also was obtained, and so recog-
nized by the Madrid Government; that Patos
has remained in the peaceful possession of Great
Britain for more than a century. during sew
enty years of which time Venezuela advanced
no counter claim. and that the official map or
Codazzi coors the island of Patos the same as
Trinidad, indicating that both belong TO the
same country.
To this last contention Venezuela replied by
stating that the map of Codazzi was so old as to
make II impossible TO distinguish the various
colors. and produced other maps by the same
author which place Patos as belonging 10 NeneZ-
uela.
Being unable to agree on even the minor
points of the controversy, the British Minister,
near the close of last year informed the Nenez-
further representations in the matter as there
was nothing TO be gained in continuing the cor
respondence.
1t is understood that President Castro VIII
ask that the question be settled by arbitration,
q proposition to which the British Government
will hardly accede. in view OF its contention that
the ownership of Patos is clearly British as
not 10 furnish a suitable subject for arbitration.