5 and accessibility from the Orinoco of the two valleys of the Cuyuni and the Massaruni, making the entire valley a natural dependence Venezuelan Case, of Venezuela." As regards the Upper Essequibo, the last of the four so-called regions, it is to be observed that the Venezuelan Case suggests no means of access to this region from the side of the Orinoco, but only attempts to show that it is not accessible 10 from the Lower Essequibo. The argument of the Venezuelan Case that this region is quite shut off from the Lower Essequibo is based on the following assertion : "The falls and rapids which impede the Cuyuni and 15 Mazaruni are repeated in the case of the Upper Essequibo; and, beginning as these do but a short way above the confluence of the three rivers, they, too, serve as a barrier to separate the interior region from the coast." 20 p. 34. The Upper Essequibo Region. Venezuelan Case, Venezuelan Case P. 34. British Counter- p. British App. II, British Counter The Essequibo River has, it is true, a good many rapids along its lower course, especially at a point about 16 miles above the junction of the Massaruni, but these present even less difficulties than those on the Cuyuni and Massaruni. These rapids 25 were constantly passed by the Dutch, who through a long series of years maintained Posts far up the Essequibo, and the British have found them no obstacle to their access to the Upper Essequibo. Moreover, it has long been customary for both 30 Dutch and British visiting the Upper Esse- Case, App., quibo to approach it from the Demerara by certain well known and well established paths, and there has long been free communication between the Upper Essequibo and the Massaruni. It may be added that the approach from the Demerara to the Upper Essequibo has now been facilitated by a railway line which carries large numbers of persons daily from one river to the other. 35 p.406. British App. III British Counter- p: 406. Ethnographic Geography. British Counter Case, App., p. 410. p. 235. "I found that after the posts erected by Schomburgk British App. VII, in 1841 had been removed at the request of the Venezuelan Government, many of the Indian tribes who 20 had long recognized that they were under British protection, had practically confined their residence to the area on the eastward or British side of the line on which Schomburgk had fixed his posts, and in not a few instances had moved across the line from the 25 Venezuelan side, in order that they might reside and be on what they believed to be British territory." "When we were captives in the Spanish country British App VII, p. 229. 35 (beyond the head of the Cuyuni), my father said that we must get away from that country and return to our country, and when we reached the end of the Spanish country, he said he was glad to have reached his own country. My father took Cuyuni and the Acarabisi, and the whole of the Barima, Barama, and Waiboo (Waini ?) country as our country." 40 'Ever since I have been here it has been the custom for the Spanish Arawacks' and the other Indians living on the Moruka to go every year, at the end of the two wet seasons, to Waini mouth and Barima 5 mouth to fish. They used to go all this side up to the Amakuru, but the other side of that is what has always been known as the Orinoque side, and there they could not fish except by hiding and in secret. I know that the Indians have always considered that the 10 English territory went as far as the Amakuru; the other side of the river was Spanish, and not English." In this connection also it may be noted that there are at least two instances in which considerable bodies of Indians, formerly living on 15 the western side of the Schomburgk line as Spanish subjects, have fled across the Amakuru and taken refuge on what they considered Dutch or British territory. One of these instances is that of the Warows. 20 For example, in 1767 the Director-General writes to the Company "That on account of the bad treatment received at the hands of the present Governor of Orinoque, all the Warouws, thousands of whom live in the islands in the 25 mouth of the Orinoque, are fleeing from there, and that hundreds of them have already arrived in Barima." This movement of refugee Warows into the protection of Dutch-British territory has continued, and there is a marked difference between 30 the so-called English Warows and the so-called Spanish Warows. The difference is recognized by the Indians themselves. The Warow Cyriac says: "Only English Warows lived at Aruka then." British App. VII, p. 222. British App. III, p. 144. British App. VII, p. 231. "For example, English Warraus call Sunday Sun- British App. VII, dak,' like the Dutch, while the Venezuelan Warraus P, 218. |