On Dec. 17, 1895.
President Cleveland sent to Congress a special message on this question, which for a time caused great excitement and seemed to threaten to involve the
United States in a war with
Great Britain.
This condition of affairs was caused by the sudden renewal by
Great Britain of an old claim to territory adjoining
British Guiana, but held by
Venezuela.
This territory contains about 500 square miles and is inhabited by over 100,000 people.
It also contains rich gold-mines.
The territory had been a subject of dispute ever since 1814, when
Holland ceded her South American possessions to
Great Britain.
In 1841,
Robert Schomburgk, acting for
Great Britain, erected a boundary-line, claiming for
Great Britain the entire Atlantic coast as far as the
Orinoco.
Venezuela protested and forcibly removed this line.
For fifty years after
Great Britain made various claims.
In 1887 diplomatic relations between
Great Britain and
Venezuela were broken off because of the dispute.
In the
United States the action of
Great Britain was closely watched, it being believed that her attempt to extend her boundary-line was in violation of the
Monroe doctrine.
On Feb. 20, 1895, the
United States offered to arbitrate the dispute, but
Great Britain refused.
Late in 1895 information reached the
United States that
Great Britain intended to land troops on the disputed territory.
Then
President Cleveland issued the message already referred to, for the text of which see
Cleveland, Grover. In his message the
President asked Congress for leave to appoint a commission to visit
Venezuela and sift the claims of both parties.
This Congress at once granted, voting $100,000 for the purpose.
Under this authority
President Cleveland appointed the following commission:
Judge David J. Brewer, chairman;
Richard H. Alvey;
Andrew D. White;
Frederick R. Coudert, and
Daniel C. Gilman.
Upon their report both
Great Britain and
Venezuela agreed to submit the dispute to arbitration, and under this agreement the following arbitrators were selected:
Chief-Justice Fuller,
Associate Justice Brewer,
Lord Chief-Justice Russell, of Killowen,
Sir Richard Henn Collins, and
Professor Martens.
Ex-President Harrison,
Gen. B. F. Tracy,
M. Mallet-
Prevost, and the
Marquis of Rojas were counsel for
Venezuela, and
Attorney-General Sir Richard Webster and
Sir Robert Reed for
Great Britain.
[
39]
The arbitration tribunal met in
Paris on June 15, 1899, and on Oct. 3 following rendered the following award unanimously:
The undersigned, by these presents, give and publish our decision, determining and judging, touching and concerning the questions that have been submitted to us by said arbitration; and, in conformity with said arbitration, we decide, declare, and pronounce definitely that the line of frontier of the colony of
British Guiana and the
United States of
Venezuela is as follows:
Starting on the coast at Point Playa, the frontier shall follow a straight line to the confluence of the
Barima and the Maruima, thence following the thalweg of the latter to the source of the Corentin, otherwise called the Cutari, River.
Thence it shall proceed to the confluence of the Haiowa and the
Amakuru; thence following the thalweg of the
Amakuru to its source in the
Plain of Imataka; thence in a southwesterly direction along the highest ridge of the
Imataka Mountains to the highest point of the
Imataka Chain, opposite the source of the
Barima and the principal chain of the
Imataka Mountains; thence in a southeast direction to the source of the Acarabisi.
Following the thalweg of the Acarabisi to the Cuyuni, the northern bank of which it shall follow in a westerly direction to the confluence of the Cuyuni and the Vanamu; thence along the thalweg of the Vanamu to its westernmost source; thence in a straight line to the summit of
Mount Roraima; thence to the source of the Cotinga.
From this point the frontier shall follow the thalweg of the Cotinga to its confluence with the Takutu; thence along the thalweg of the Takutu to its source; thence in a straight line to the most western point of the
Akarai Mountains, the highest ridge of which it shall follow to the source of the Corentin, whence it will follow the course of the river.
It is stipulated that the frontier hereby delimited reserves and in no way prejudices questions actually existing or that may hereafter arise between
Great Britain and the republic of
Brazil, or between the republic of
Brazil and
Venezuela.
In fixing the above delimitation, the arbitrators consider and decide that, in time of peace, the rivers Amakuru and
Barima shall be open to navigation by the merchant shipping of all nations, due reserve being made with regard to equitable regulations and the payment of like dues and other like imposts, on condition that the dues levied by
Venezuela and
British Guiana, on ships traversing the parts of those rivers owned by them respectively, shall be imposed in accordance with the same tariff on Venezuelan and British vessels.
These tariffs are not to exceed those of all other countries.
The award proceeds also upon the condition that neither
Venezuela nor
British Guiana shall impose any customs duty on goods carried in vessels.
ships, or boats passing through these rivers, such customs being levied only on goods landed upon Venezuelan territory or on the territory of
Great Britain respectively.
