The second fact is that, in the year 1836, the British Barima under Venezuela jurisConsul at Angostura and the British Minister at Caracas diction in 1836. both bore testimony to the fact, that Barima point was, at that time, under Venezuela's exclusive jurisdiction. The latter, on behalf of his government, went so far as to make a formal request of Venezuela to erect a lighthouse at Barima point. * *Appendix to Case, iii, 189-190, 209. XVI.-DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. The diplomatic history between Great Britain and Venezuela, relative to the boundary question, began in 1841, and was occasioned was occasioned by the appointment of Mr. Schomburgk* as Commissioner to mark out the boundary. By instruction of November 28, 1840, Sir Robert Ker Porter, the British Minister at Caracas, received instructions from his government "to inform the Venezue * Robert Hermann Schomburgk was born in Freiburg, Saxony, June 5, 1804, and died in Berlin, Germany, March 11, 1865. Between 1825 and 1830 he was in the United States, first at Boston and later at Richmond, Va., where he was in the tobacco business. Failing in this, he went to the West Indies in 1830, where he surveyed the island Anegada. His report and published observations on the cultivated plants of the West Indies brought him to the notice of the Royal Geographical Society, which, on November 19, 1834, engaged him to explore in Guiana. He reached Georgetown for the first time on August 5, 1835. His work in Guiana is comprised in the nine years between this date and May 20, 1844, when he took his final departure. On May 31, 1844, the instruments with which his boundary survey was made were presented by the governor to the "new Astronomical and Meteorological Society" of British Guiana. In all six trips, or expeditions, for surveying and making collections, were made by Schomburgk, the first three under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society, the last three under the auspices of the government. First Expedition-September 21, 1835, to March 18, 1836. In October, 1839, he went to England. Early in 1840, he published his little book entitled "Description of British Guiana." On May 25, 1840, he received one of the gold medals of the Royal Geographical Society. The King of Prussia decorated him with the Order of the Red Eagle. His engagement as Commissary for surveying the boundaries of British Guiana was read in the Court of Policy in Georgetown, October 29, 1840. Fourth Expedition-April 19, 1841, to July 27, 1841. Fifth Expedition-December, 1841, to January, 1843. On May 20, 1844, he left British Guiana and remained for some time at Barbados and wrote a history of that island, which was published in 1847. In 1848 he was made British Consul at St. Domingo. In 1857 he was sent to Siam as Her Majesty's Consul-General. In declining health, he returned to England in 1864, and retired on a pension. He died in Berlin, March 11, 1865. Schomburgk's ap pointment as Com missioner, pointment as Commissioner. Schomburgk's ap lan Minister of Foreign Affairs that Her Majesty has issued a Commission to Mr. R. H. Schomburgk, authorizing him to survey and mark out the boundary between British Guiana and Venezuela." * Venezuela, in 1841, proposed boundary. This information was conveyed to the Venezuelan treaty to define Government on January 13, 1841;+ and on the 28th of the same month the Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs replied by proposing a treaty for the purpose of defining the boundary in question. The Minister also suggested that the appointment of Commissioners to mark out the boundary be deferred until after such a treaty had been concluded.§ Answer of British Government. Survey and erection of posts by Schomburgk. Report that Brit ish flag had been The answer of the British Minister, on the 30th of the same month, was that Mr. Schomburgk had already been commissioned by his government, and that he was probably already at work on the ground. He stated, however, that he his government. T would lay the matter before In the meantime, and without any further notice, Mr. Schomburgk actually began the survey, and erected posts at various points to mark the line by him laid out. He made his first report on June 22, 1841; ** and followed it by a second report in August of the same year.tt On August 17, 1841, the Venezuelan Minister of Forhoisted in the Am- eign Affairs, Mr. Aranda, wrote to Mr. O'Leary, the British representative at Caracas, asking information with acura. * Appendix to Case, iii, 193. regard to a report received by him to the effect that a Brit- reclamations and protests." On October 5, 1841, Señor Fortique, the Venezuelan Minister in London, addressed a note to the Earl of Aberdeen, asking for an explanation of Schomburgk's conduct and urging, at the same time, "the necessity of proceeding to the negotiation of a treaty of boundaries as a preliminary step to the operation of demarcation." § The instructions sent at this time to Señor Fortique by his Government, relative to the proposed negotiations, were in part as follows: "Although Venezuela's rights in Guayana extended to the banks of the Essequibo, as you should show, this Government being anxious to remove all obstacles to a speedy adjustment, is not disposed to insist upon its rights to that extent, it being manifest that England will not agree to surrender her establishments on the Pumaron and Moroco rivers. You may, therefore, direct the course of your negotiations accordingly, making gradual concessions until an agreement can be had on the following line of boundary between Venezuela and British Guiana, viz.: The Moroco from its mouth to its headwaters in the Imataca mountains; thence southward along the highest ridge of these mountains to Tupuro creek; thence along the waters of said creek to the Cuyuni river; thence along the northern side of the Cuyuni * Appendix to Case, iii, 195–196. Appendix to Case, iii, 195. Appendix to Case, iii, 196. Appendix to Case, iii, 197. |