AVES ISLAND. 147 



to acknowledge tlie sufficiency of the evidence already presented." 

 This sentence cannot be construed to express either an admission or 

 denial on the part of this office of the sufficiency of your proofs, but 

 had reference solely to the view which might be taken of the case by 

 Venezuela, and as no decisive result had been attained by Mr. Eames 

 in his representations of Mr, Shelton's claim, and especially as the 

 department was in daily expectation of receiving dispatches from him 

 containing the exposition of the views of Venezuela, it was thought 

 that no practical good could be accomplished by forwarding additional 

 evidence until it was seen upon what points it was necessary. 



A copy of your letter of the 15th will be transmitted to Mr. Eames 

 with the other papers. 



I am, sir. &c., 



W. L. MAECY. 



Henry S. Sanford, Esq., 



Derhy, Connecticut. 



3Iessrs. Samj^son & Tappan and Shelton to Mr. 3Iarcy. 



Boston^ July 21, 1856. 



Sir : We are in a measure unadvised whether the Venezuelan gov- 

 ernment have indicated any disposition as yet to do us justice for the 

 Shelton's Isle outrage, committed more than a year and a half since. 



Our cpunsel, H. 8. Sanford, Esq., has advised us of all that has 

 taken place, except that he has informed us that the department 

 decline, under its rules, to allow copies of the correspondence between 

 the department and the United States minister, and that of the latter 

 with the Dutch government, to be furnished, and that he has little 

 information on the subject. 



He informs us, however, that a letter from General Thomas, Assist- 

 ant Secretary of State, to him, of the 8th instant, informs him you 

 expect dispatches by the next vessel from Laguayra. We trust on the 

 receipt of them you will advise Mr. Sanford forthwith. 



Our extreme anxiety on this subject is caused by its importance to 

 us and the long delay that has ensued. 



We do hope that if delayed any longer our government will allow a 

 resort to us, under the law of nations, and under the treaty with Vene- 

 zuela, to letters of reprisals, which eminent counsel say are resorted to 

 by other nations, and which it is said are not war nor any just cause 

 for war. We have written Mr. Sanford to-day to address you on this 

 past point. We supposed that he had made it a point in our memo- 

 rial to Congress presented by him, but learn from him that he did not. 

 We have advised him of this letter. We have heretofore refrained 

 from saying but very little to the department respecting the claim of 

 Lang & Delano from motives of delicacy, and because it might appear 

 invidious. It is, however, due to ourselves to say that we have never 

 had any concern in it, and have always repudiated it as unjust towards 

 us. They have no claim as discoverers whatever. They pretend that 

 they had a vessel in the Caribbean sea in 1853, the master of which 



