Venezuelan Question

Washington, Jan. 8.- While the prospect for a peni-eful settlement of the Ventaiielttn question nppear to be good, it is jftid t thc stnte depwrtment that fchere has been no deflnite .-rtion tnkou by ny af th throe jjoveinments to justify this apiniotl. The prediuúon ís baseil, aecording to members of the diplomatic corps, ou the frienaly feoling shown by Lord Salisbury rather than on anything else. It was (or this reason that the adiuinistratiou ezerteü lts infinence to head off the Davis deelfwation on the Monroe doctrine. It was feared that this would b construcd by Salisbury as a threat, aci henee would delay a settleraont or poesibly upset it allogother. It ia generally understood that au arbitration of the questions involved wegt of fchu Schomburgk line, which Great Britain has already agreed to arbítrate, would, if declded against It, be followed by arbitratlon of the title to the eastern country. The theof.r ia that if Great Britain should succeed in establishing its elaims to the üerritory west of the line, that it would of coursa end the whole matter, as it would nooessarily include the eastern territory. If, howerer, Venezuela should win on the proliinlnary arbitration, the way would then b open, on the plea of newJy disotTsred eyidenoe deTeloped by that tribunal, for Great Britain to retreat f rom it arly poaUion and consent to arbítrate on the ttrritory aast of th Bchombnrgk line wlilch is tos really important question, as In that is invoired th accees to th raouth of the Orinoco. Tha difüculty in the way is that the United Statae is nnw dcb.irred from actIng as arbitrator, and the game thlng would be truo of the o.ther American dstions. Neithor Veneiuela nor the United States inijrht care to submit to an arbitration-with somo Kuropean sovereign as the doclding jmlge, in Tiaw of the fact that tha Monroe doctrine is ispeciflcally directed against Kuropean interest.