VENEZUELA. 



825 



soldiers who attempted to reestablish traffic 

 were driven away near Los Teques, which the 

 rebels captured. On Aug. 29 they were joined 

 near Ocumare by 550 soldiers, who brought their 

 general as a prisoner. Gen. Matos long made his 

 headquarters at Barcelona. Insurgents rose in 

 the vicinity of Caracas and had a fight on Sept. 

 5 with the Government troops. The advanced 

 guard of the revolutionary army, consisting of 

 4,000 men, under Generals Mendoza, Batalla, and 

 Riera, were met Sept. 11 by 4,100 troops under 

 Gen. Garrido, who had succeeded Gen. Guerra as 

 Minister of War. When the insurgents had taken 

 Angostura and other interior towns the Govern- 

 ment authorities took forcible possession of two 

 steamboats of the American company to serve as 

 transports. When 1,100 rebels advanced to take 

 Cumana the garrison of 350 men retired. The 

 revolutionists collected the customs at Bolivar, 

 Cumana, Cano, Colorado, Guiria, Coro, and Bar- 

 celona. They received a large shipment of 

 Mausers and ammunition and some field-guns 

 from Germany. They cut the English railroad 

 near La Guayra. Wherever the revolutionists 

 held a seaport President Castro declared it 

 closed and proclaimed a blockade. His gunboats 

 were useless for maintaining a blockade of even 

 one port, and therefore the British and German 

 governments refused to recognize any blockade, 

 and their cruisers protected vessels trading with 

 the ports and in the Orinoco river. The rebels 

 at Barcelona attempted to force a loan from the 

 American consul, who is a Venezuelan citizen, 

 but desisted when the American naval author- 

 ities interfered for his protection. Telegraph 

 communications in the interior were blocked by 

 them since early in the rebellion. The Govern- 

 ment arrested the employees of the French Cable 

 Company at Carupano and cut the cable. Pres- 

 ident Castro issued a proclamation denouncing 

 Gen. Matos as a traitor who offered to hand over 

 the financial administration of the country to 

 foreign capitalists and ordering him to be tried 

 as a private. While Gen. Matos advanced to 

 Camatagua, in the state of Miranda, 50 miles 

 south of Caracas, intending to form a junction 

 with the army of Gen. Luciano Mendoza, who 

 had till now avoided a pitched battle and suc- 

 ceeded in harassing and wearing out Castro's 

 troops, Gen. Mendoza had arrived at Tocuyito 

 with the main body of his troops. Gen. Castro, 

 who was at Ocumare, concentrated his troops, 

 withdrawing those that were posted to stop Ma- 

 tos, and with a force of 3,600 men he marched 

 with astonishing celerity to Valencia. Gen. Men- 

 doza thereupon retreated toward Villa de Cura. 

 Valencia was saved from falling into the hands 

 of the insurgents, but the stratagem only delayed 

 matters. Gen. Matos, finding the way clear, 

 marched through Ocumare and San Sebastian, 

 hoping to effect a junction with Mendoza near 

 Villa de Cura. Gen. Castro earlier succeeded in 

 joining forces with Gen. Garrido and had an army 

 as strong as that of the veteran Gen. Luciano 

 Mendoza, whom he feared more than Gen. 

 Matos. Gen. Mendoza attacked Castro at La 

 Victoria, and there was savage fighting that 

 lasted a week. Gen. Gomez arrived with re- 

 enforcements for Castro on the second day. The 

 wounded perished without care under the tropical 

 sun. The revolutionary army numbered aboxit 

 8,000, Castro's not quite so many. After many 

 hundreds had been killed on both sides Gen. Men- 

 doxa on Oct. 17 abandoned his positions and re- 

 treated. Gen. Castro himself, with a rifle in his 

 hands, repeatedly led the assault, to inspire his 

 men with his own courage and energy. The 



rebels received reenforcement on the fourth day 

 and completely invested La Victoria, which would 

 have fallen if the Government forces had not re- 

 ceived fresh ammunition by railroad. The rebel 

 losses were reported to be 1,600 in killed and 

 wounded, and those on the Government side 1,400. 

 The rebels attacked Carupano and retreated after 

 a hard fight. President Castro still remained 

 at La Victoria with 5,000 men. The revolution- 

 ists returned and renewed the attack. When 

 Vice-President Gomez withdrew all the troops 

 from Caracas, the seat of government was trans- 

 ferred to a provisional capital in the Guacai- 

 puro district. It is the custom of Venezue- 

 lans in their civil wars to spare their beau- 

 tiful capital. The revolutionists had about 10,- 

 000 troops cantoned at San Sebastian, San Juan 

 de los Moros, Cua, Ocumara, and Villa de Cura, 

 forming a ring of stations around Caracas. De- 

 sertions had greatly reduced Gen. Castro's forces, 

 but he still had a formidable and trustworthy 

 force in his 5,000 Andine troops. The revolu- 

 tionists succeeded in cutting communications be- 

 tween La Victoria and Caracas and destroying 

 the railroad. They attempted to take Los 

 Teques, but were repelled. Soon after they 

 were placed on the defensive. Gen. Castro, having 

 learned that they were short of ammunition, 

 began to press them, and drove them from several 

 of their positions. The rebel troops posted in 

 front of La Victoria were routed and pursued 

 toward Guarico. The bodies commanded by Gen. 

 Rieva and Gen. Mendoza dissolved on the ap- 

 proach of the Government troops. The whole 

 organized rebel army broke up into guerrilla 

 bands that disappeared on the appearance of 

 the Government troops. Gen. Matos fled to 

 Curagoa. Gen. Rolando kept 900 men together, 

 with whom he fell back on Lezama. The minis- 

 ters returned to Caracas. President Castro's 

 troops reoccupied Coro and Cumana. Ciudad Bol- 

 iver was still held by Gen. Ferrera and Barcelona 

 by Gen. Pablo Guzman. An armistice was de- 

 clared after Barcelona had been recaptured. 



French Claims. Before the Matos expedition 

 was fitted out the French claim of indemnities 

 for maltreatment and property losses of French 

 citizens during the revolution of 1892 were 

 brought once more to the attention of President 

 Castro's Government, which was anxious to re- 

 sume diplomatic relations with France and settle 

 the claims that had caused a rupture in March, 

 1895, fearing that France would impose duties on 

 cacao by way of reprisal. A protocol was signed 

 relating to the resumption of normal diplomatic 

 intercourse, a treaty of commerce and navigation 

 with the favored-nation clause was negotiated, 

 and an agreement was made referring the claims 

 of French citizens to the arbitration of Sefior 

 Leon y Castillo, Spanish ambassador at Paris, 

 acting with one representative of each of the 

 two countries. The protocol was ratified on 

 April 18. Claims to the amount of 2.000,000 

 francs antedating the last revolution were ex- 

 cluded from the arbitration. The claims to be 

 determined and settled amounted to 54,000,000 

 francs, including 18,000,000 francs for the rail- 

 road running from Maracaibo. which was practi- 

 cally destroyed. It was proposed to assign the 

 receipts of one or two custom-houses to the pay- 

 ment of these debts. 



German Claims. When the Venezuelan Gov- 

 ernment showed a willingness to settle the French 

 claims, Germany, at the time when the revolu- 

 tionary preparations were in progress, became 

 urgent in demanding the satisfaction of the 

 claims of German citizens. There were claims for 



