THE ANGLO-VEXEZUELAN BOUNDARY DISPUTE 137 



What map this was does not appear, but it was at about this time 

 that tiie second edition of the Great Colonial Map appeared, the map 

 bearing the expanded Schomburgk line. Prior to this notice, viz., 

 in March, 1885, the British minister had commissioned two rural 

 constables for the Amacura River, and in August, 1886, a British post 

 was established on that river. Venezuela protested, and in Januar}', 

 1887, demanded the immediate evacuation of the territory between 

 the Amacura and the Pomeroon. This was not complied with, and 

 Venezuela then Ijroke off diplomatic relations. For ten years there- 

 after fruitless attempts w'ere made to settle this old and irritating 

 dispute. Meanwhile, and as earl}'- as 1886, the United States had 

 manifested its interest in the question by offering to Great Britain 

 its good offices in the matter. Finally, in Februar}'^, 1896, after the 

 famous Cleveland message of December, 1895, were begun the nego- 

 tiations which led to the treaty of arbitration, which in turn ended 

 the long dispute. 



United States Intervention. — Mr Olne}', Secretar}'' of State in 1895, 

 following up a correspondence begun as early as 1886, corresponded 

 with Great Britain with a view to bringing about a settlement of the 

 boundary question. This correspondence w^as, on the part of Mr 

 Olne}', direct, vigorous, logical, and forceful. In due time, which 

 means several months, came, late in 1895, Lord Salisbury's careful, 

 courteous, diplomatic, and dignified repl}', again declining to arbitrate. 

 Thereupon i)romptly followed Cleveland's message to Congress, a 

 message wherein, after briefly' summarizing the situation, he said that, 

 having sought in vain to induce a jvist settlement by impartial arbi- 

 tration and being finall}^ apprised of Great Britain's refusal to so 

 settle, nothing remained Init for the United States to determine for its 

 own }iuri)oses where was the true divisional line between Venezuela 

 and I>ritish Guiana. He thereupon recommended that a commission 

 of five be appointed to investigate and determine the true divisional 

 line between Venezuela and British Guiana, and that an adequate a{)- 

 ])ropriation be made for its use. Then followed these weighty and 

 significant words, whose power to thrill has not yet vanished : " When 

 such report is made and accei)ted, it will, in my opinion, be the duty 

 of the United States to resist I)}' ever}' means in its ])ower as a willful 

 aggression upon its rights and interests the appropriation by Great 

 Britain of any lands or the exercise of governmental jurisdiction over 

 any territory which, after investigation, we have determined of right 

 belongs to Venezuela." Within four days from tlu' writing of this 



