AVES ISLAND. 



Messrs. Sampson & Tappan and Shelton to Mr. Marcy. 



Boston, January 15, 1855. 



Sir: The undersigned, merchants of Boston, beg to call your atten- 

 tion to an outrage which seems to us unprecedented, committed upon 

 our rights by the government of Venezuela. 



The circumstances are as follows : In the month of March last, 1854, 

 the undersigned fitted out the hrig J. E. Dow, Captain N. P. Gibbs, 

 to search for guano deposits on the small island of Aves or Bird Island, 

 and others in that portion of the Caribbean sea. Captain Gibbs found 

 guano on Aves Island, and in June following was fitted out with a 

 force of twenty-five men, and took possession of the island in July, 

 fencing in that portion containing guano. Captain Gibbs has re- 

 mained in quiet possession of the island, although visited by English, 

 French, and Danish vessels of war^ until about the 13th of December 

 last, he was visited by a small schooner under Venezuelan colors, 

 claiming to be a national vessel of the government of Venezuela, com- 

 manded by Domingo Dias, who styles himself Captain de Navio, and 

 second in command of the naval force of the government of Venezuela, 

 This ofi&cer claimed the island in the name of his government, and 

 landed troops with arms, and took possession of the island, hoisted the 

 flag of Venezuela, and notified Captain Gibbs he could only remain on 

 sufferance until such time as they saw fit to eject him. About the 

 21st of December a second armed vessel of the Venezuelan govern- 

 ment called there and landed twenty more troops. They now hold 

 possession, and Captain Gibbs writes he may be ejected by force any 

 day. We address ourselves to you^ sir, with the request that you will 

 lay the matter before the President, and in the name of the under- 

 signed solicit his aid, with that of the government of the United 

 States, to protect us in our rights so far as the government of Venezu- 

 ela is concerned, as that government has not a shadow of a title to 

 this island, for the following reasons : 



First. Aves or Bird Island is in north latitude 15° 50', and longi- 

 tude 63° 43' west from Greenwich ; is a small barren island of only 

 a,bout one mile in circumference ; has been known to exist for over 200 

 years, and never inhabited. It is at least 600 miles from the coast of 

 Venezuela; it is not over 90 to 100 miles from the British colony of 

 Dominica and the French colony of Guadaloupe. 



Second. If Venezuela claims it as having belonged to Spain by pri- 

 ority of discovery, she must fail, as the Spanish colony of Puerto Eico 

 being only about one half the distance from it, or some 300 miles 

 nearer than Venezuela ; and if any such claim were recognized, Spain, 

 and not Venezuela, would have it. 



Third. We maintain that no nation has any title, as it has remained 

 uninhabited for 200 years, until we took possession and built domicils 

 for our laborers and fenced in what we claim as our possessions. 



