AVES ISLAND. 11 



If this be 80 the right of our citizens is clear, and the only question 

 remaining is, whetlier our government can and will procure for them 

 compensation for their loss. 



With much respect, 



HENRY F. FRENCH, 

 Attorney for Wheelright & Cobh. 

 Hon. William L. Marcy, 



Secretary of State. 



Boston, March 2, 1855. 



Dear Sir : We take this method of informing you of a serious loss 

 which we have recently incurred through the occupation of Aves 

 Island, situated in the Caribbean sea, by the Venezuelan government, 

 who had^ a few days previous to the arrival of our vessel at that island, 

 forced the occupants of the same, Messrs. Lang & Delano, of Boston, 

 or their representatives,, to leave the island. That you may come to a 

 full understanding of the facts of the case, we beg leave to make the 

 following statement, and also present for your perusal several affida- 

 vits^ marked severally A., B., C, D., duly executed by parties who 

 visited the aforementioned island as our agents in the prosecution of 

 the voyage to and from that place : 



In November last we made an agreement with Messrs. Lang & De- 

 lano, of this city, for the purchase of a cargo of guano^ to be delivered 

 alongside a vessel at the aforementioned Aves island. We accord- 

 ingly chartered a vessel, the brig Panola, of New York, com- 

 manded by Warren W^ass, for a voyage to the said Aves Island, 

 there to take on board a full cargo of guano, to be brought to 

 Baltimore or Philadelphia. This vessel sailed upon the voyage afore- 

 said from this port, on the twenty-seventh day of November, 1854, 

 and as it appears from statements made by Captain Wass, also, our 

 agent on board, Mr. J. H. McClennen, and the first officer, and boy, 

 which you have herewith, upon reaching Aves Island they found the 

 same occupied by the Venezuelan government^ the representative of 

 which informed our agent that his government had taken possession 

 and forced the former occupants of the said island to leave. This 

 officer in charge, however, agreed to furnish our agent a cargo of guano 

 upon the payment of a stipulated sum of money, whereupon our agent, 

 not being in possession of the requisite funds, proceeded with the ves- 

 sel to St. Thomas to procure the same, being fully assured by the said 

 officer in charge, that upon his return to the island with the required 

 amount the guano would be in readiness for immediate shipment. 



However, after going to St. Thomas, procuring the money under 

 great disadvantage, and returning to the island with the same, the 

 guano was then refused our agent, who tendered the stipulated amount 

 in gold. Our agent, captain, and crew were driven from the island 

 under repeated threats of violence at the hands of the occupants, so 

 that our vessel, after cruising in vain for some two and a half months, 



