288 AVES ISLAND. 



garrison thither, in the month of November, 1854, upon learning that 

 in this, and in other national islands, strangers had clandestinely 

 entered and were removing the guano from its deposits. Some Amer- 

 icans -vfere found in the act of loading three vessels with guano. 

 They made no opposition to Colonel Domingo Dias's landing, who 

 had been commissioned to visit the islands and to prevent persons, 

 having no right to them, from making use of them. Neither did 

 they offer any resistance to the two officers who had accompanied the 

 colonel, nor to the ten soldiers who went ashore after those officials, 

 there to remain as a garrison — -nor yet did they prevent, the taking in 

 of water, provisions, &c., &c. ; but, on the contrary, assisted the oper- 

 ation by their own launches. The vessel was nothing more than a 

 small schooner, which carried not more than twenty-five or twenty- 

 seven men, with as many muskets, one four-pounder, a few provisions, 

 and some packages of powder. As soon as communication was estab- 

 lished. Colonel Dias put the first questions to them, for the purpose of 

 learning the cause and object of their presence on the spot.. They did 

 not answer that they were engaged in a lawful occupation, making use 

 of a certain article which was theirs, the United States', or the whole 

 of mankind's ; but they acknowledged that they had gone to other 

 islands of the republic, and thence taken some of the same produce, 

 and afterwards came to Aves Island to do the same thing, as they 

 considered the spot as one where it would be more difficult for the 

 national authorities to discover them. Thereupon, as Colonel Dias 

 declared to them the nature and object of his commission, notifying 

 them that it was imperative that they should leave the island ; they 

 spoke to him of the expenses and losses which their undertaking had 

 caused them, appealing to his humanity to allow them, in order to 

 recuperation, to continue digging out the guano. The Colonel moved 

 to compassion, deferred to their request, although unauthorized to do 

 so, under the condition that the government should approve his con- 

 duct ; moreover, and upon their solicitations, and for their greater 

 security, he agreed to give them the permit prayed for in writing ; 

 this so much gratified them that they beset that officer with attentions ; 

 oiFered to supply him with provisions, of which he stood in need ; put 

 the arms belonging to them under his protection, and finally deported 

 themselves like men who had just been the recipients of a priceless 

 favor. In the permit, signed by the two individuals who, in the name 

 of two American companies whose agents they purported to be, di- 

 rected the excavations, the title of Venezuela to the island was recog- 

 nized, by an act of spontaneous will on their part, and without the 

 least shadow of violence. 



Colonel Dias retired, leaving in the island a single officer, with ten 

 men as. a garrison, to which were added fifteen more men when, on 

 the 21st of said December, another war schooner landed there, which, 

 having put them ashore, made sail for St. Thomas. Upon his return 

 to Aves, the commander was informed by the officer to whom super- 

 vision over the island had been intrusted, that the permit granted by 

 Colonel Dias was abused, which permit was restricted to the comple- 

 ment of the cargo of three vessels, and v/as subject to the approbation 

 of the government, which declined to ratify the permit ; besides this, 



