occupied by more recent grantholders. The Pomeroon River is now the great provision farm of the Colony.

The Arabian coast, stretching from near the 5 Pomeroon to the Essequibo, is one long line of sugar estates and cattle-farms.

The three large rivers Cuyuni, Massaruni, and Essequibo unite at a point some forty miles from the sea, in a common estuary. The banks 10 of this estuary, and of each of the separate rivers up to the first falls have long been thickly populated.

From an administrative point of view the three rivers, above their falls with their drainage 15 areas, are regarded as one, and are under one. Government Commissioner. It is therefore convenient in part to treat of them together.

The Commissioner periodically visits the Cuyuni as far as Uruan, the Massaruni as far 20 up as circumstances require, and also the the Essequibo itself and its tributary the Rupununi to the borders of Brazil. In all these three rivers the captains of the Indians are nominated by the Commissioner, to whom they 25 look for guidance and protection; and offences committed in these districts are tried by British Magistrates.

On the Cuyuni itself Posts have been established at Uruan, at Ekereku, and at Macapa; 30 and the Postholders and men at each of these are under the Commissioner. The channel of this river, as well as those of the Massaruni and Essequibo, are under British control exercised through the Commissioner.

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On all these rivers gold is being largely worked by British subjects, and under licences issued by the British Government. The workings, generally placers but in a few cases mines, are under the superintendence of British gold 40 officers, who are appointed to reside on each of the rivers by the British Government.

On the Cuyuni this gold industry extends as far up as Waiamu. On the Massaruni the industry flourishes both on the large tributary, 45 the Puruni, and, still more, at a place called Himaraka, very far up on the main river.

On the Essequibo the gold industry is of a still more important nature. It is chiefly situated on both banks of the Potaro, and at various places 50 on the main river above the Potaro and as high as the Siparuni.

Various public works have been undertaken to facilitate travel up all these rivers. Portages have been made past the falls on the Cuyuni; and a road from the Barama, in the north-west district, to tap the Cuyuni at the Acarabisi, has 5 been begun. Another road has been commenced between the Cuyuni and the Massaruni, starting from their point of junction. On the Massaruni also the passage of falls has been facilitated by portages.

A very important road is well advanced from the left bank of the Essequibo at Bartika Grove, through the forest, to tap the savannahs about the head of the Potaro, and so to open up the savannahs of the far interior.

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Up the Essequibo, above the first long series of falls is the terminus of a railway from the Demerara River. At this terminus is a hotel and a gold station, with a resident gold officer and police; and from this terminus a service 20 of steamers runs daily up to Tumatumari, within the mouth of the Potaro.

Tumatumari is the great centre of the gold industry of those parts. The Warden of the gold industry of the district, as well as a 25 subordinate gold officer, lives there. There is a regular post-office and mail service, and a hotel. and a hospital.

From Tumatumari many miles of road have been made on both banks of the Potaro, into the 30 distant mining claims; and large sums of money have been spent in clearing the creeks to admit of water carriage to these same claims.

Above the Potaro is the Mission station of Waraputa and far away on the Rupununi 35 savannah are various British residents in regular communication with Georgetown.

Venezuelan Occupation.

The Venezuelan Government in their Case and Counter-Case have not made any statement as to the nature and extent of Venezuelan 40 occupation or control at the date of the Treaty in any part of the territory in dispute; but the facts are that since 1850 Venezuela has been in occupation of parts of the territory lying to the west of the area coloured purple on the Map 45 p. 4 of the British Atlas, and of certain points on the extreme west of that area, including Tumeremo. In quite recent years she has established stations at the junction of the Uruan

at

with the Cuyuni, and on the left bank of the Amakuru. With the exception of these and some small police-stations recently set up on the north bank of the Cuyuni, there are not, and never 5 have been any Venezuelan settlements east of Tumeremo.

There is thus, in fact, a considerable territory unoccupied between that in the occupation of Great Britain on the one side and Venezuela 10 on the other.

On what ground or upon what principle can Venezuela claim that any arbitrary point should be taken in the drainage area of any one of 20 these rivers as a limit to British territory? It has been shown that there is no justification for the extravagant contention that by virtue of the Papal Bull or Spanish discovery the Dutch, and the British as their successors, were not in their 25 operations independent nations entitled to settle and control territory, but are to be regarded as squatters and raiders, entitled after a certain time only to the actual sites of their houses.

It should be remembered that, as late as 1850, 30 the nearest Venezuelan station was from 30 to 40 miles west of the Amakuru, and her nearest custom-house 70 or 80 miles further up, and on the north bank of the river Orinoco. If the frontier of the Colony is drawn at the Amakuru, 35 Venezuela will still obtain far more than she is entitled legally to claim No reason can possibly be advanced either on historical or on physical grounds for fixing a limit to British territory at any point to the east of 40 the Amakuru, or allowing Venezuelan territory

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The first principle then by which the line should be determined is by following the course of the Amakuru to its source, giving the right bank to Great Britain and the left to Venezuela.

This would take the boundary-line up a river, which is one of the best of physical boundaries, to the source of the Amakuru in the Imataka range of mountains.

From the source of the Amakuru the natural 20 boundary of the territory to which Great Britain is entitled would run along the ridge of the Imatakas to the north-west, following the waterparting between the affluents of the Cuyuni and those of the Orinoco. As, however, has already 25 been stated, Great Britain admits the propriety of modifying the boundary so as to give to Venezuela the savannah territory occupied in the last century by the Missions. Giving effect to this modification, Great Britain is entitled to a 30 frontier which follows the ridge of the Imatakas to the north-west as far as the sources of the Curumo, thence descending that stream to a point situate due eastward of Tumeremo, and then striking due south across country to the 35 junction of the Uruan with the Cuyuni. If the

practical, difficulties of delimiting a boundary across the country between the Curumo and the Uruan are considered insuperable, the frontier could be carried down the Curumo to its junction. 40 with the Cuyuni. This would secure to Venezuela every inch of territory which was ever occupied or controlled by or in connection with the Missions.

On reaching the Cuyuni the boundary should 45 follow the bed of that river to its source, though

such a boundary gives to Venezuela territory to which she can show no title. From the source of the Cuyuni the boundary must be fixed by reference to the physical features of the country 50 in such a way as to give to Great Britain the whole basin of the Massaruni. The determining