part05+-第33章

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ability　to　keep　the　whole　field　of　investigation　in　his　mind；　and



his　fidelity　to　truth　and　justice。　He　was　set　at　the　problem；　and



given　access　to　the　libraries　of　Congress　and　of　the　State



Department；　as　also　to　the　large　collections　of　books　and　maps



which　had　been　placed　at　the　disposal　of　the　commission。　Of　these



the　most　important　were　those　of　Harvard　University　and　the



University　of　Wisconsin。　Curious　as　it　may　seem；　this　latter



institution；　far　in　the　interior　of　our　country；　possesses　a



large　and　most　valuable　collection　of　maps　relating　to　the



colonization　history　of　South　America。　Within　two　weeks　Professor



Burr　reported；　and　never　did　a　report　give　more　satisfaction。　He



had　unraveled；　historically；　the　whole　mystery；　and　found　that；



the　government　of　Brazil　having　played　false　to　both　Spaniards



and　Dutch；　Spain　had　allowed　the　Netherlands　to　take　vengeance



for　the　vexations　of　both。　We　also　had　the　exceedingly　valuable



services；　as　to　maps　and　early　colonization　history；　of　Mr。



Justin　Winsor；　librarian　of　Harvard　University；　eminent　both　as



historian　and　geographer；　and　of　Professor　Jameson　of　Brown



University；　who　had　also　distinguished　himself　in　these　fields。



Besides　these；　Mr。　Marcus　Baker　of　the　United　States　Coast　Survey



aided　us；　from　day　to　day；　in　mapping　out　any　territories　that　we



wished　especially　to　study。







All　this　work　was　indispensable。　At　the　very　beginning　of　our



sessions　there　had　been　laid　before　us　the　first　of　a　series　of



British　Blue　Books　on　the　whole　subject；　and；　with　all　my



admiration　for　the　better　things　in　British　history；　politics；



and　life；　candor　compels　me　to　say　that　it　was　anything　but



creditable　to　the　men　immediately　responsible　for　it。　It　made



several　statements　that　were　absolutely　baseless；　and　sought　to



rest　them　upon　authorities　which；　when　examined；　were　found　not



to　bear　in　the　slightest　degree　the　interpretation　put　upon　them。



I　must　confess　that　nothing；　save；　perhaps；　the　conduct　of



British　〃experts〃　regarding　the　Behring　Sea　question；　has　ever



come　so　near　shaking　my　faith　in　〃British　fair　play。〃　Nor　were



the　American　commissioners　alone　in　judging　this　document



severely。　Critics　broke　forth；　even　in　the　London　〃Times；〃



denouncing　it；　until　it　was　supplanted　by　another；　which　was　fair



and　just。







I；　of　course；　impute　nothing　to　the　leading　British　statesmen　who



had　charge　of　the　whole　Venezuelan　question。　The　culprits　were；



undoubtedly；　sundry　underlings　whose　zeal　outran　their　honesty。



They　apparently　thought　that　in　the　United　States；　which　they



probably　considered　as　new；　raw；　and　too　much　engaged　in



dollar…hunting　to　produce　scholars；　their　citations　from



authorities　more　or　less　difficult　of　access　would　fail　to　be



critically　examined。　But　their　conduct　was　soon　exposed；　and　even



their　principals　joined　in　repudiating　some　of　their　fundamental



statements。　Professor　Burr　was　sent　abroad；　and　at　The　Hague　was



able　to　draw　treasures　from　the　library　and　archives　regarding



the　old　Dutch　occupation　and　to　send　a　mass　of　important　material



for　our　deliberations。　In　London　also　he　soon　showed　his



qualities；　and　these　were　acknowledged　even　by　some　leading



British　geographers。　The　latter　had　at　first　seemed　inclined　to



indulge　in　what　a　German　might　call　〃tendency〃　geography；　but　the



clearness；　earnestness；　and　honesty　of　our　agent　soon　gained



their　respect；　and；　after　that；　the　investigators　of　both　sides



worked　harmoniously　together。　While　the　distinguished　lawyers



above　named　had　main　charge　of　the　legal　questions；　President



Gilman；　who　had　in　his　early　life　been　professor　of　physical　and



general　geography　at　Yale；　was　given　charge　of　the　whole　matter



of　map…seeking　and　…making；　and　to　me；　with　the　others；　was　left



the　duty　of　studying　and　reporting　upon　the　material　as　brought



in。　Taking　up　my　residence　at　Washington；　I　applied　myself



earnestly　to　reading　through　masses　of　books；　correspondence；　and



other　documents；　and　studied　maps　until　I　felt　as　if　I　had　lived



in　the　country　concerned　and　was　personally　acquainted　with　the



Dutch　governors　on　the　Cuyuni　and　the　Spanish　monks　on　the



Orinoco。　As　a　result　lines　more　or　less　tentative　were　prepared



by　each　of　us；　Judge　Brewer　and　myself　agreeing　very　closely；　and



the　others　not　being　very　distant　from　us　at　any　important　point。



One　former　prime　minister　of　Great　Britain　I　learned；　during　this



investigation；　to　respect　greatly；Lord　Aberdeen；　whom　I　well



remembered　as　discredited　and　driven　from　power　during　my　stay　in



Russia　at　the　time　of　the　Crimean　War。　He　was　wise　enough　in



those　days　to　disbelieve　in　war　with　Russia；　and　to　desire　a



solution　of　the　Turkish　problem　by　peace；　but　was　overruled；　and



the　solution　was　attempted　by　a　war　most　costly　in　blood　and



treasure；　which　was　apparently　successful；　but　really　a　failure。



He　was　driven　from　his　post　with　ignominy；　and　I　well　remembered



seeing　a　very　successful　cartoon　in　〃Punch〃　at　that　period；



representing　him；　wearing　coronet　and　mantle　and　fast　asleep；　at



the　helm　of　the　ship　of　state；　which　was　rolling　in　the　trough　of



the　sea　and　apparently　about　to　founder。







Since　that　time　his　wisdom　has；　I　think；　been　recognized；　and　I



am　now　glad　to　acknowledge　the　fact　that；　of　all　the　many　British



statesmen　who　dealt　with　the　Venezuelan　question；　he　was　clearly



the　most　just。　The　line　he　drew　seemed　to　me　the　fairest



possible。　He　did　not　attempt　to　grasp　the　mouth　of　the　Orinoco；



nor　did　he　meander　about　choice　gold…fields　or　valuable　strategic



points；　seeking　to　include　them。　The　Venezuelans　themselves　had



shown　willingness　to　accept　his　proposal；　but　alleged；　as　their



reason　for　not　doing　so；　that　the　British　government　had　preached



to　them　regarding　their　internal　policy　so　offensively　that



self…respect　forbade　them　to　acquiesce　in　any　part　of　it。







Toward　this　Aberdeen　line　we　tended　more　and　more；　and　in　the



sequel　we　heard；　with　very　great　satisfaction；　that　the



Arbitration　Tribunal　at　Paris　had　practically　adopted　this　line；



which　we　of　the　commission　had　virtually　agreed　upon。　It　need



hardly　be　stated　that；　each　side　having　at　the　beginning　of　the



arbitration　claimed　the　whole　vast　territory　between　the　Orinoco



and　the　Essequibo；　neither　was　quite　satisfied　with　the　award。



But　I　believe　it　to　be　thoroughly　just；　and　that　it　forms　a　most



striking　testimony　to　the　value　of　international　arbitration　in



such　questions；　as　a　means；　not　only　of　preserving　international



peace；　but　of　arriving　at　substantial　justice。







Our　deliberations　and　conclusions　were；　of　course；　kept　secret。



It　was　of　the　utmost　importance　that　nothing　should　get　out



regarding　them。　Our　sessions　were　delayed　and　greatly　prolonged；



partly　on　account　of　the　amount　of　work　to　be　done　in　studying



the　many　questions　involved；　and　partly　because　we　hoped　that；



more　and　more；　British　opinion　would　tend　to　the　submission　of



the　whole　question　to　the　judgment　of　a　proper　international



tribunal；　and　that　Lord　Salisbury；　the　prime　minister；　who；　in



his　rather　cynical；　〃Saturday…Review；〃　high…Tory　way；　had　scouted



the　idea　of　arbitration；　would　at　last　be　brought　to　it。　Of



course；　every　thinking　Englishman　looked　with　uneasiness　toward



the　possibility　that　a　line　might　be　laid　down　by　the　United



States　which　it　would　feel　obliged　to　maintain；　and　which　would



necessitate　its　supporting　Venezuela；　at　all　hazards；　against



Great　Britain。







The　statesmans