v08_1866 - RÉPUBLIQUE DE LA GUYANE INDÉPENDANTE Essai de 20 centimes 1887 Bruxelles ?

REPUBLIC OF INDEPENDENT GUYANA

(1887)

The inhabitants of Counani, a disputed territory between France and Brazil, founded a republic under the direction of a Mr. Gros with some French adventurers in 1886. This republic was recognized neither by France nor by Brazil. She disappeared after a year. France requested the arbitration of Russia to fix the border between French Guyana and Dutch Guyana, which agreed to recognize the course of the border fixed by the Treaty of Paris in 1814. The course of the Awa River became the border line between the two countries. The discovery of gold in 1895 in the Carsevène region reignited the Franco-Brazilian conflict. Cabral, a Brazilian gang leader, seized the disputed territory of Counani. France and Brazil have recourse to the arbitration of Switzerland by the convention of April 10, 1895. On December 1, 1900, the Swiss commission decides to delimit the disputed zone by the Yapock river which leads to Cape Orange and will separate the French zones and brazilian. Brazil annexes the territory of Counani which takes the name of Aricary.