Venezuelan International Law. 67 



" hitherto ; of all of this Your Excellency, can be in- 

 " formed, if you find it necessary, by DON ANTONIO Bar- 

 " RETO, Captain of the veteran Companies of Guiana and 

 " by the aforesaid Don Manuel Feran, both residents 

 " of this city, well acquainted with the lands in question, 

 " especially the latter who has property and has made 

 " many trips on the river; both of them persons well- 

 " known for their veracity and notorious honesty." 



The foregoing statements of INCIARTE indisputably 

 prove that, even within limits to which neither Dutch nor 

 English have pressed their claims, the authority of the 

 Spaniards was not respe6led by the Indians. Quite as 

 clear is it, that the lands in that region were not occupied 

 by the Spaniards. 



The occupation of the Eastern portion of the lower 

 Orinoco, and particularly of the frontiers of the Colony 

 of Essequibo, was, in December, 1783, still a matter of 

 " to-morrow " with the Spaniards. In the last paragraph 

 of his Report Inciarte wrote : — 



" As regards the populating of the eastern part of the 

 " aforesaid lower Orinoco and of the frontiers of the 

 " Colony of Essequibo, for which I have been commis- 

 " sioned, I beg to refer Your Excellency to what I have 

 " stated both to Your predecessor and to His Excellency 

 " Don Jose de Galvez in my report of 27 November^ 

 "one thousand seven hundred and seventy-nine; but 

 ** hearing that the French have taken possession of the 

 " aforesaid colony of Essequibo during the war, for which 

 " reason the Dutch have abandoned the advanced post 

 " which they held on the banks of the river Moruca, 

 " which post it is most important to occupy before any 

 " new event takes place, I am of opinion that it would 



