138 AVES ISLAND. 



boats, and the like,) and lie thinks the freight ought not to he more 

 than $8 per ton to the United States in the winter time ; and if any- 

 one bought it at the island for the price he states, at the generally 

 going prices in the United States, they would make good freights, and 

 covering all expenses he supposes would make heavy profits, provided 

 they know how to get it up for market, and how to sell it. The chief 

 part we sent off was the most inferior sort on the island, which Cap- 

 tain Gibbs got out firsts to reach the best. Captain G-ibbs took out 

 twenty-eight men in the Dow, besides the sailors, twelve or fifteen 

 more, and he built a wharf 80 feet out^ and in 14 feet water ; it was 

 framed, ready to be planted, in Boston, and taking it there, and the 

 labor and time spent there on it, deponent says would make it cost at 

 the island at least |5,500, if not more. Captain Gibbs also carried 

 out and put up seven houses, and deponent thinks that they cost at the 

 isle somewhere about $750 apiece; they were built strong, in order to 

 meet the heavy winds and sometimes hurricanes in that latitude. 

 Besides the houses, there were several sheds, which he supposes cost all 

 together $900 or $1,000. Captain Gibbs took plenty of supplies of all 

 kinds proper for the party, and all sorts of tools and implements, and 

 fire-arms, and two cannon and ammunition, and a supply of boarding- 

 pikes and cutlasses. Deponent says he don't know exactly what to 

 say these things all cost at the island, but there was a full outfit suit- 

 able for such an expedition, and keeping up the same, and he thinks 

 taking them, and all expenses attending them, cost for all the time 

 they were there — for supplies and other things kept coming out all the 

 time — must have cost them well nigh to eighteen or twenty thousand 

 dollars in all, leaving out the wharf, houses, sheds, and several extra 

 boats they had, and extra cables and anchors. He thinks they gen- 

 erally had two months' or more supplies of provisions on hand. They 

 had over a hundred water casks. He can't specify all things. He 

 was there when Dias first came, about the 12th or 13th of December, 

 1854. He had to help boat him and his soldiers ashore, and they 

 were the most miserable, shabby-looking set of vagabonds pretending 

 to be regulars he ever saw. They were badly off in every way, and 

 we had to feed and clothe the poor wretches for humanity's sake. 

 After they eat and drank awhile, some of them would swell and talk 

 large, especially the officers, till they got hungry again. The talk at 

 the island we got from them was, that their government owned all 

 the guano islands in these parts, and that they were part of a squad- 

 ron going round to take possession and drive away everybody else, 

 and that in a few days a big steamer and other vessels with troops 

 were coming to the island. The Venezuelans said that the " Gobierno 

 Yankos' ' had given it up to the republic, and that both had formed a 

 company that had several millions capital, and that several of the 

 principal ofiicers and head men of our country and of theirs were 

 joined in it and would make their fortunes by it, and that they ex- 

 pected a good slice themselves. They said our minister or consul in 

 Venezuela knew all about it, and knew that the ships and soldiers 

 were out visiting the guano islands to drive everybody off but the 

 company. They said we should have to go, as the United States 

 had agreed to it. This was their current talk. We all knew that 



