AVES ISLAND. 143 



Mr. Marcy to Mr. Sanford. 



Department of State, 



Washington, July 7, 1856. 

 Sir: I have to acknowledge the recept of your letter of the 30th 

 ultimo, transmitting an authenticated copy of the deposition of John 

 McCabe in relation to the claim of Shelton and others against the 

 government of Venezuela. 



I am, &c., 



W. L. MAECY. 

 Henry S. Sanford, Esq., 



Derhy, Connecticut. 



Mr. Thomas to Mr. Sanford. 



Department of State, 



Washington, July 8, 1856. 

 Sir: Your letter of the 3d instant is received, and, in compliance 

 with your request, I inclose herewith a copy of the letter of Lang & 

 Delano to the Attorney General of the 29th August, 1855, and which 

 was referred to this department, and is here filed in original. 



In reply to your inquiry whether the depositions of Captain Wheeler, 

 Kichard Thornell, and John McCabe have been forwarded to Caraccas, 

 I have to acquaint you that a copy of your letter of the 24th June, 

 1855, and of the accompaniments, among which were Captain Wheel- 

 er's depositions of the 8th and 15th June, 1855, was sent to Mr. Eames 

 on the 20th December, 1855. 



It is not convenient to discover with certainty whether, among the 

 many documents forwarded from time to time, the deposition of Thornell 

 has been included ; and with reference to that of McCabe, received a 

 day or two ago, I have to state that, inasmuch as the department 

 expects to learn, by the first arrivals from Caraccas, something defi- 

 nite of the views and intentions of the Venezuelan government in the 

 matter under consideration, it is deemed inexpedient to cumulate 

 further testimony until it is known upon what points the government 

 of Venezuela fail to acknowledge the sufficiency of the evidence already 

 presented. 



If, however, as the representative of Mr. Shelton, and those more 

 immediately connected with him in his claim, you do not acknowledge 

 the propriety of this reserve, the deposition of McCabe will be for- 

 warded to Venezuela, and, if it be in your power to refer to the letter 

 with which Kichard Thornell' s statement was inclosed to the depart- 

 ment, a copy of that also will be sent to Mr. Eames. 

 I am, sir, &c., 



J. A. THOMAS, 



Assistant Secretary. 

 Henry S. Sanford, Esq., 



Derhy, Connecticut. 



