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                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1



The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Venus Exploration, Inc.:

We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statement
(No. 33-61193) on Form S-8 and registration statement (No. 33-73457) on
Form S-3 of Venus Exploration, Inc. of our report dated April 7, 1999,
relating to the consolidated balance sheets of Venus Exploration, Inc.
and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1998, and 1997, and the related consolidated
statements of operations, shareholders' equity (deficit), and cash flows for
each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 1998 which report
appears in the December 31, 1998 annual report on Form 10-K of Venus
Exploration, Inc.

Our report dated April 7, 1999, except as to note 3, which is as of
December 20, 1999, contains an explanatory paragraph that states that the
Company has suffered recurring losses from operations and has an accumulated
deficit, which raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a
going concern.  The consolidated financial statements do not include any
adjustments that might result from the outcome of that uncertainty.  Our report
also contains an explanatory paragraph that indicates the consolidated financial
statements have been restated to reduce the amount of the impairment expense
for the year ended December 31, 1998 to give effect to escalating price
assumptions in the impairment calculation.

KPMG LLP


San Antonio, Texas
December 20, 1999