118 AVES ISLAND. 



water casks or tanks, and places for my provisions, and places of 

 shelter for my workmen, and up to the time I was dispossessed, as I 

 will state hereafter, I shipped for my employers to the United States, 

 I think about 7,200 tons of guano. The guano so shipped was not 

 selected as being of superior quality, but was gathered as was most 

 convenient for landing, because it was expected to ship the whole ; 

 and, in fact, the best guano was left on the island when I was evicted, 

 and what had been shipped facilitated access to it. My employers 

 sent, after I got ready to ship the guano, several vessels to the isle. 

 I remember among them, besides the John K. Dow, the brig Cron- 

 stadt, of Boston, Howland, master; the ship Junius, of Hallowel, 

 Erskine, .first master, and afterwards Titcomb, master; the ship James 

 N. Cooper, of Boston, Nickels, master ; the barque Carlo Mauran, of 

 Providence, Safibrd, master, (dispatched from Liverpool ;) the barque 



Amazon, of Bangor, Stubbs, master ; the brig Viator, of , Ellis, 



master ; and the brig Mary Pearce, of Bangor, Pearce, master ; the 

 barque Brilliant, of New York, Bailey, master , the barque Mary 

 Smith, of Portland, Fitz, master, and others whose names do not 

 occur to me at this time. Captain Howland, of the Cronstadt, and 

 also his son, died on the passage between the isle and St. Thomas, and 

 several of his crew died also. Some were buried at the isle, and also 

 one of the crew of the ship James N. Cooper. All of said vessels be- 

 longed to the United States. I estimate the entire quantity of all the 

 guano shipped by my employers from the isle as about 7,200 tons, 

 and the entire amount shipped by Lang & Delano, including all who 

 shipped under their authority, as not over 2,000 tons. During the 

 time I was in possession of this isle, several foreign vessels visited us. 

 On the same day, or the day after. Captain Wheeler and myself went 

 ashore, a vessel passed near to us, bound to the Island of St. Thomas, 

 and, as I ascertained afterwards, reported there our being in possession 

 of the isle. A few days afterwards, and I believe on the 1st of 

 August, an English man-of-war steamer, called, I think, the Devasta- 

 tion, and commanded by a naval officer, named, I believe, De Horsey, 

 came down to ascertain our objects. The commander was very gen- 

 tlemanly, and landed and made inquiry, and I concealed nothing 

 from him, and told him of my intention to take the guano. He ob- 

 tained some samples, and examined the isle. He appeared to be an 

 intelligent man, and I sounded him as to his opinion, whether any 

 government but my own could claim the isle, and he told me frankly 

 that he thought not, and advised me to keep my flag constantly flying, 

 and to keep possession. We were next visited by an armed French 

 steamer, whose commander was also very polite, who also obtained 

 samples of the guano, and who expressed similar opinions to those 

 expressed by the British officer. Afterwards we were visited by a 

 Danish ship-of-war, and her officers told us to hold on to the island, 

 as no government within their time had ever occupied it or claimed 

 it. Several merchant vessels of different nations, and I think another 

 vessel-of-war, touched at the island that autumn and fall, before we 

 were expelled, and no one expressed any doubt of our being in right- 

 ful possession. I would observe that no United States government 

 vessel visited us during the several months we were at the isle. 



