and monopolize the traffic of those rich territories, and which, if possessed by a warlike Power, might immediately paralyze the authority and gradually destroy the tenure by which Spain holds her vast Empire in South America."* McCreagh's testimony as to importance of Bari ma Point. Schomburgk, on various occasions, gave his testimony Schomburgk's testimony as to to the same effect. Referring to Colonel Moody's importance of Basurvey of the Orinoco in the early part of this century, he says: "This point (Barima point) in the possession of Great Britain is of great value in a military respect. The peculiar configuration of the only channel (Boca de Navios), which admits vessels of some draught to the Orinoco, passes near Point Barima, so that if hereafter it became of advantage to command the entrance to the Orinoco, this might be easily effected from that point. This assertion is supported by Colonel Moody's evidence, who visited this spot in his military capacity in the commencement of this century." Expressing his own opinion Schomburgk, on another occasion, says: "Of equal importance is the determination of the western boundary, the limits of which have never been completely settled, and it merits the greatest attention on account of the political importance of the mouth of the Orinoco."‡ Again, speaking of the importance of the Amacura and Arature, he mentions an inland waterway or pass which there exists; and adds that it "offers an uninterrupted passage in canoes from the Amacura to Appendix to Case, iii, 82. + Parliamentary Papers, 1840, Vol. 34, p. 327. rima Point. Schomburgk's dered abortive in a military aspect if Great Britain possesses the testimony as to im portance of Barima right or eastern bank of the Amacura."* Point, In his work on British Guiana, he says: "Between the Essequibo and Orinoco are the rivers Pomeroon, Marocco, and Wa-ina or Guayma; and although these outlets are comparatively of small size, they are so closely connected by branches and tributaries, that they afford an inland navigation from the Marocco to the Orinoco. Their importance in a political and commercial respect becomes therefore evident."t In a note in his edition of Raleigh's Guiana, published in 1848, Schomburgk also says: "A strong battery established at Punta Barima, where the Dutch had as early as 1660 a fortified outpost, would prevent any vessel from entering the Orinoco drawing more than eight feet of water. Punta Barima, or Point Breme, as it was called by the Dutch, commands entirely the entrance of the Orinoco by the Boca de Navios; and when on a late occasion the right of possession to this point was the subject of discussion between the British Government and the Republic of Venezuela, Punta Barima was appropriately and emphatically styled the Dardanelles of the Orinoco."" A confidential letter of Schomburgk to Governor Light, dated October 23, 1841, deserves to be quoted in full in this connection. He says: Sir, The River Orinoco may be termed the high-road to the interior of the territories of Venezuela and New Granada. It has at its * Appendix to Case, iii, 89. Schomburgk (R. H.) 1840, p. 17. Description of British Guiana, etc., London, Schomburgk (R. H.) Discovery of Guiana, by Sir W, Raleigh, London, 1848, p. 115, note, Barima Point. mouth the appearance of an ocean, and articles of commerce Schomburgk's testimony as to may be transported on this stream for 400 or 500 leagues. Nearly importance of three hundred tributary streams, of more or less importance, flow into it, which may serve as additional canals and facilitate the commerce of the interior. Santa Fé de Bogota may be reached within a distance of eight miles by one of its tributary streams, the Meta, and operations of commerce or war, combined with others from the Pacific, could be carried on by means of the vasť plains or llanos. A small fleet may go up the Orinoco and the Meta within fifteen or twenty leagues of Santa Fé, and the flour of New Grenada may be conveyed down the same way. And the only access to this vast inland communication for sailing vessels of more than ten feet draft of water is by means of the Boca de Navios, which is commanded from Point Barima. The River Barima falls into the south side of the Orinoco near the most eastern point of its mouth and in a direction almost parallel to the coast. Point Barima is, therefore, bounded to the west by the river of that name, to the north by the Orinoco, to the east by the Atlantic, and to the south by impenetrable forests. Colonel Moody considers this position "susceptable [sic] of being fortified so as to resist almost any attack on the sea-side-the small depth of water, the nature of the tides, and its muddy shores, defend it. The Barima, and the uncultivated forests on marshy ground, present an impenetrable barrier against the interior, and debarkation from the Orinoco might be put under the fire of any number of guns-and the land-reproaches [sic] on that soil could be easily rendered inaccessible to an invading force." This is the importance which Colonel Moody in a military respect has attached to this point, and which, so far as my knowledge goes in this matter, is fully borne out by personal inspection during my late survey of the entrance to the Barima. The Venezuelan Government, as at present organised, tottering in their interior relations, and embarassed by a number of slaves who would hail the opportunity to shake off their fetters, hated and despised by the aborigines, whom maltreatment and cruelties have alienated, would be an insignificant enemy-but in the hands of any of the maritime European powers, matters would assume another aspect. France has attempted to establish a fortified position at the mouth of the Amazon near Macapa, which she claims as the eastern Point. Schomburgk's boundary of Cayenne. A settlement at this spot commands the testimony as to importance of Barima commerce of the Amazon, and this, no doubt, is the reason why this Power puts such importance upon its possession. Supposing that unforeseen circumstances should put France in occupation of Point Barima at the Orinoco, and that Macapa at the Amazon is ceded to her, she will then command the commerce of the two first rivers of South America and hold the military keys of the northern provinces of Brazil and of the former Spanish provinces of South America, north of the equator, which territories will be always at the mercy of that power which commands the channels to their Importance of Barima Point ad Britain. commerce. Finally, trusting to the prospects of prosperity and a continued emigration to British Guiana, there could not be a more favourable position for a commercial settlement than Point Barima. The capital of Spanish Guayana is Angostura, situated a distance of 85 leagues from the mouth of the Orinoco, and the intricate navigation of that river presents numerous difficulties to foreign vessels going up the Orinoco as far as Angostura. A commercial settlement established at the extreme point of Barima, where one part of the town would front the River Barima, and the other the Orinoco, would soon induce foreign vessels to dispose of their cargoes at the new settlement, and leave the further transport to the interior to smaller craft; naturally this premises the supposition that amicable relations and commercial treaties exist between Great Britain and Venezuela. The bar at the Barima admits vessels of sixteen feet draft of water, which if once entered, may safely anchor in from four to five fathoms water. The peculiar formation of the fluvial system of the coastland between the Barima and the Essequibo admits an inland navigation, in punts and barges, to Richmond Estate, on the Arabisi Coast of the Essequibo, which with a few improvements might vie with any of the interior canals of England.* The recognition of what is here so forcibly set forth in mitted by Great the preceding extracts is by no means confined either to foreign writers or to minor British officials. It has, in words, been admitted by no less than three of Great Britain's Prime Ministers, and it has been acted upon * Appendix to Case, iii, 125-127. by at least four of them. On March 30, 1844, Lord Aberdeen wrote as follows to the Venezuelan Government: Believing, then, that the undivided possession of the Orinoco is the object most important for the interests of Venezuela, Her Majesty's Government are prepared to cede to the Republic a portion of the coast amply sufficient to insure Venezuela against the mouth of this her principal river being at the command of any foreign power. With this view, and regarding it as a most valuable concession to Venezuela, Her Majesty's Government are willing to waive their claim to the Amacura as the western boundary of the British territory, and to consider the mouth of the Moroco River as the limit of Her Majesty's possessions on the seacoast."* On September 15, 1881, Lord Granville wrote as follows: "8. They [Her Majesty's Government] are disposed, therefore, to submit the following as a line of boundary, which they consider will yield to Venezuela every reasonable requirement while securing the interests of British Guaina :— "The initial point to be fixed at a spot on the sea-shore 29 miles of longitude due east from the right bank of the River Barima, and to be carried thence south," etc. "9. This boundary will surrender to Venezuela what has been called The Dardanelles of the Orinoco. It will give to Venezuela the entire command of the mouth of that river, and it yields about one-half of the disputed territory, while it secures to British Guiana a well-defined natural boundary along almost its whole course, except for about the first 50 miles inland from the sea, where it is necessary to lay down an arbitrary boundary in order to secure to Venezuela the undisturbed possession of the mouths of the Orinoco.t On June 7, 1886, Lord Rosebery wrote: Importance of Barima Point ad mitted by Lord Aberdeen. Importance of Barima Point admitted by Lord Granville. Importance of Barima Point ad "The line which they [Her Majesty's Government] intend to mitted by Lord trace will run as follows: * "The initial point to be fixed at a spot on the sea-shore 29 miles Appendix to Case, iii, 210. Rosebery. |