114 AVES ISLAND. 



The answers of Nathan P. Gibbs to the forgoing interrogatories 

 made before me, Joseph C. Lawrence, a notary public of the State of 

 New York, residing in the city of New York, the said Gibbs being by 

 me first duly sworn to testify the truth, the whole truth, and nothing 

 but the truth, in said answers, and being also duly cautioned accord- 

 ing to law. To each of said interrogatories he answers and deposes 

 as follows : 



HE ANSWERS TO THE FIRST. 



I am a native citizen of the United States of America. I was born 

 at, and my residence and domicil is, Wareham, in the State of Massa- 

 chusetts. My occupation or employment is that of a mariner, and 

 has been from my youth. I am about twenty-eight years old. I am' 

 at present master of the ship Marion, of Boston, now in this port,, 

 (New York.) I sailed in command of said ship in the month of April,, 

 1855, from New York, and went to Havana, Matanzas, Marseilles, 

 Genoa, Constantinople, Balaklava, [in the Black sea,] and thence to 

 Palermo, and thence back to this port, where I arrived about the 15th 

 of last month. 



TO THE SECOND. 



Prior to my taking command of the ship Marion, I had been for a 

 long time in the employ of Philo S. Shelton, Esq., merchant of Boston^ 

 in the United States, who was extensively engaged in the guano trade. 

 In the early part of the year 1854, I commanded and sailed the brig 

 John K. Dow, of Boston, owned, I believe, by him ; and was also his 

 superintending agent in the procurement of guano in the Caribbean 

 sea, and also to aid him in the Gulf of Mexico, in which business said 

 Shelton had at that time several vessels and many laborers employed 

 at heavy expense. 



TO THE THIRD. 



Under said Shelton'* instructions, and at his expense, and as his 

 agent, and for him, I sailed in said brig John R. Dow on a cruise in 

 the Caribbean sea for the discovery of guano islands, leaving Balti- 

 more in the month of March, 1854, and spent some time in making 

 such discoveries amongst the desert keys or rock isles in said sea, 

 several of which I visited ; and whilst so engaged, early in April, 

 1854, (I believe the 6th day of said month,) I found Aves, or Bird 

 Me, in said sea, (called since by Mr. Shelton "Shelton's Isle,") 

 being in about 15° 40' north latitude and 63° 38' west longi- 

 tude from Greenwich. I personally landed on said isle, and staid 

 there with my vessel one day, engaged in taking soundings and obser- 

 vationSj and I made a sketch of said island and of the approaches 

 thereto. I explored and examined it thoroughly, and ascertained it 

 to be about 1,400 feet in length and from 350 to 400 feet in breadth, 

 and from fourteen to sixteen feet above the ordinary level of the sea, 

 and that it was a desert isle, not having any trees or herbage thereon, 



