Nr. 12878. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Minister des Ausw. an die Botschaft in Berlin. Unterredung mit dem deutschen Botschafter über das vorige. Foreign Office, July 23, 1902. Sir, The German Ambassador spoke to me to-day about the state of affairs in Venezuela. I told his Excellency that we had various causes. of complaint against the Venezuelan Government, and that we intended to obtain satisfaction for the claims of British subjects. We should be quite ready to confer with the German Government with a view to joint action. Lansdowne. Nr. 12879, GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Minister des Ausw. an den Gesandten in Caracas. Er soll eine befriedigende Antwort auf die englischen Beschwerden fordern und mit Repressalien drohen. Foreign Office, July 29, 1902. (Telegraphic.) || The liberty and property of British subjects have, in a succession of cases, been interfered with in a wholly unwarrantable manner by the Venezuelan Government. The following incidents have been the subject of serious consideration by His Majesty's Government: The action of the gun-boat ,,Augusto" in seizing and deporting certain British subjects in January 1901; the seizure of John Craig's boat and property on Patos Island in the February following; the similar interference on the same occasion in the case of the „Buena Fé", which was accompanied by violation of territory; and the cases of the vessels ,,Maria Teresa", „Pastor", "Indiana", and "In Time". No satisfactory explanations have been received from the Venezuelan Government in any of these cases. The destruction of the British ship "Queen" is a still more flagrant instance of such interference. || His Majesty's Government cannot tolerate a continuance of the conduct which culminated in the last-mentioned incident, and you should address a formal protest respecting it to the Veuezuelan Government. You should intimate to the President and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in unmistakable terms, that unless His Majesty's Government receive explicit assurances that incidents of this nature shall not recur, and unless the Venezuelan Government promptly pay to the injured parties full compensation wherever satisfactory evidence has been furnished to His Majesty's Government that such is justly due, His Majesty's Government will take such steps as may be necessary to obtain the reparation which they are entitled to demand from the Venezuelan Government in these cases, as well as for any loss to British subjects caused by the unjustifiable conduct of the Acting Venezuelan Consul at Trinidad, and on account of the railway claims. Nr. 12880. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Der Gesandte in Caracas an den Minister des Ausw. Antwort auf das vorige. Caracas, August 5, 1902. (August 5.*) (Telegraphic.) || In reply to the representations made in accordance with your telegram of the 29th July, the Venezuelan Government state that, in their opinion, some of the cases mentioned have been already settled; and that, in consequence of the partiality towards the revolutionaries displayed by the Government of Trinidad, and pending a settlement of the complaints relative to the „Ban Righ", they have determined to postpone the others. || They reiterate that they cannot entertain other cases unconnected with the ,,Ban Righ" until that case is satisfactorily settled; with regard to it they refer to their previous decisions. They further state that the conduct of the Acting Venezuelan Consul at Trinidad must necessarily be taken into consideration in relation to the friendly attitude of the colonial authorities towards the revolutionaries. || The alternative given by His Majesty's Government is ignored. Nr. 12881. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Das Ausw. Amt an die Admiralität. Teilt Nr. 12877, 12879 und Nr. 12880 mit. Welche Maßregeln können gegen Venezuela ergriffen werden? Foreign Office, August 8, 1902. Sir, I am directed by the Marquess of Lansdowne to request you to inform the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that for the past two years His Majesty's Government have had grave cause to complain on various occasions of unjustifiable interference on the part of the Venezuelan Government with the liberty and property of British subjects. || The successive instances which have occurred since the beginning of last year are set forth in the accompanying Memorandum. No efforts have been spared by Mr. Haggard, His Majesty's Minister at Carácas, in his endeavours to obtain an amicable settlement of these cases. In none of *) Die eingeklammerten Daten geben das Datum des Empfangs an. them have satisfactory explanations been forthcoming, and latterly the representations of His Majesty's Minister not only received no attention, but remained unnoticed. || The destruction of the British ship ,,Queen", reference to which will be found in the Memorandum, was considered so flagrant a case that it was felt that a continuance of such conduct could no longer be tolerated. || A telegram, copy of which is inclosed, was accordingly sent to Mr. Haggard, instructing him to record a formal protest against the conduct of the Venezuelan Government, and to intimate in unmistakable terms to the President and Minister for Foreign Affairs that unless explicit assurances were received that such incidents should not recur, and unless full compensation were promptly paid to the injured parties wherever shown to the satisfaction of His Majesty's Government to be justly due, they would take such steps as might be necessary to exact the reparation to which they were entitled. A telegram, copy of which is also inclosed, has been received from Mr. Haggard, conveying the reply of the Venezuelan Government to this protest. It will be seen that no practical attention has been paid to the remonstrance of His Majesty's Government, and that the threat to take such steps as may be necessary to exact reparation has been ignored. Lord Lansdowne is of opinion that the time has arrived when stronger measures must be resorted to for the purpose of bringing the Venezuelan Government to a sense of their international obligations. His Lordship would, therefore, be glad to be favoured with the views of the Lords. Commissioners as to the most effectual and convenient manner of putting pressure on the Venezuelan Government. || I am to add that, in conversation with Lord Lansdowne, Count Metternich, the German Ambassador, has suggested that the Powers concerned should take part in a joint naval demonstration. F. H. Villiers. Nr. 12882. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Die Admiralität an das Ausw. Amt. Antwort auf das vorige. Empfiehlt eine Blockade. Admiralty, August 14, 1902. (August 15.) (Extract.) I have laid before my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty jour letter of the 8th instant, in which you refer to the numerous instances of unjustifiable interference on the part of the Venezuelan Government with the liberty and property of British subjects, and state that, in the opinion of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the time has now arrived when stronger measures than those heretofore adopted must be resorted to, for the purpose of bringing that Government to a sense of its international obligations. If it should be decided by His Majesty's Government to put pressure on Venezuela in order to obtain satisfaction for the acts of aggression committed by that country on British shipping or against British interests, my Lords would be prepared to direct the Commander-in-chief on the North America and West Indies Station to establish a blockade of such ports on the Venezuelan coast as may be selected for this purpose, on the understanding that the blockade should be deferred until November, when the unhealthy season is over. The places selected for blockade would be La Guayra, Puerto Cabello, and possibly three other ports where railways terminate, and also the port of Maracaibo, which is visited by a larger number of vessels than any other port on the Venezuelan coast. Some, if not all, of these ports could be effectively blockaded by the present squadron on the Station. || Should His Majesty's Government as a matter of policy consider it desirable to adopt the suggestion of the German Ambassador, that ,,the two Powers concerned should take part in a joint naval demonstration", their Lordships consider that a blockade in Venezuelan waters would be the best method of giving effect to it. Nr. 12883. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Die Admiralität an das Ausw. Amt. Vorschläge für Maßregeln gegen Venezuela. Admiralty, October 10, 1902. (October 10.) Sir, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to forward herewith, to be laid before the Marquess of Lansdowne, a copy of a letter, dated the 27th ultimo, from the Commander-in-chief on the North America and West Indies Station, relative to the measures in his opinion necessary to carry out the proposed naval demonstration off the coast of Venezuela. | My Lords desire me to state that they anticipate no difficulty in giving effect to Sir Archibald Douglas' proposals, should they meet with Lord Lansdowne's concurrence. Anlage. C. I. Thomas, pro Sec. Vice-Admiral Douglas to Admiralty. „Ariadne,“ at Halifax, September 27, 1902. (Extract.) || I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Admiralty letter dated the 4th September last, directing me to be in readiness to carry out a naval demonstration off the coast of Venezuela in conjunction Staatsarchiv LXVIII. 9 with ships of the Imperial German Navy. || With reference to the second paragraph of the letter above quoted, be pleased to inform the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that I think it will be necessary, in order to bring effective measures to bear on the Venezuelan Government, to blockade the ports of La Guayra, Porto Cabello, and Maracaibo, and other ports on the Venezuelan coast where railways terminate. The most convenient time to commence operations will be towards the end of November, when the Newfoundland fishery season will have concluded, and the vessels at present employed on that division will be available. || I propose, subject to the approval of their Lordships, to place Commodore Montgomerie, of the ,,Charybdis", in charge, with the following vessels under his orders: The „Alert" and "Fantome" will also be available if required. || Having discussed the situation with Captain C. H. Robertson, C.M.G., of the „Pallas", who has recently been employed as Senior Naval Officer of the Barbados Division, and spent some considerable time in Venezuelan waters, and who is well acquainted with the state of affairs in that country, I would submit, as an alternative scheme to the blockade, that all the Venezuelan gun-boats should be seized and retained until our demands are complied with. Nr. 12884. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Denkschrift an den Deutschen Botschafter über das Vorgehen gegen Venezuela His Majesty's Government have within the last two years had grave cause to complain of unjustifiable interference on the part of the Venezuelan Government with the liberty and property of British subjects. In three instances the objects of this interference were British trading vessels from the Colony of Trinidad, which were pursued by Venezuelan guardacostas on a suspicion of smuggling or trading in arms, and this plea was made the excuse for a violation of British territorial waters, the seizure of the property of British subjects, and in one instance the wilful destruction of the vessel. In two further cases a similar unsupported charge was made the excuse for the seizure, and confiscation or destruction of British vessels in Venezuelan waters; while incidents of this nature reached their culminating point, when, on the 30th June |