310 AVES ISLAND. 



lead to our ruin were not a speedy satisfaction granted to us. We beg 

 of you to consider the wliole matter, and we trust that it will induce 

 you to take immediate steps for our protection." 



Here it is laid down by the Americans themselves, and with bound- 

 less arrogance, that they might, and even should, have resisted Colo- 

 nel Dias, and that they deemed it an easy thing to capture both him 

 and all his force, including his vessels. Thus speaks Shelton, although 

 the Venezuelan officer had but a single vessel under his command. 

 According to his showing, his enormous expenses, his numerous labor- 

 ers, the ruinous consequences of his submission, the frivolous pretense 

 of Colonel Dias, the consciousness of his rights and of his physical 

 force, the certainty of his victory, confidence in the protection of the 

 powerful United States, the important interests of every kind involved 

 in his business, and the lawfulness of his occupation ; each and all of 

 these impelled him to prevent the interruption to his undertaking. 

 But, as they did not act in this way, and as he^ who has it in his 

 power, and holding it to be his duty, to do one thing, yet performs 

 the reverse of it, may well charge himself with the consequences, it 

 will not appear strange that Venezuela should maintain that they, if 

 perchance they had any right, which is denied, stripped themselves of 

 that right by their own will, and are bound to put up with the conse- 

 quences of their own acts. No one will believe that they obeyed, in 

 consideration of the fact that Colonel Dias was an officer of a sister 

 republic of America, at peace with their country, and was acting under 

 the authority and through the public force of that republic. Persons, 

 convinced of the rectitude of their conduct, and of an intended unjust 

 violence against them, would not have abstained from the use of their 

 force against any one thus attempting to offend them, and especially 

 against the agents of a small and weak Spanish-American republic, as 

 they are all small and weak, which from those very circumstances 

 could not impress them with much respect. We find the proof of this 

 in the fact that they have explored other national guano islands and 

 taken that article from them, without any regard for the rights of their 

 lawful owner. What, they, who in the pursuit of gain, did not hesi- 

 tate to commit a tort, for they had been clandestinely exporting guano 

 from other islands of Venezuela, would have abstained from justly 

 repelling a causeless injury inflicted by functionaries of that State, in 

 the transactions of Aves Island ! But let us suppose them controlled 

 by a feeling of humanity. What stood in the way of their leaving 

 the island and entering protest, reserving to themselves the rights 

 which they now claim to have, instead of using the permit as they did, 

 and thence disqualifying themselves at all points, for denying Vene- 

 zuela a right, which they recognized, while on the island ? 



The result of all that has been said is that the departure of the 

 Americans was not the upshot of a lawless and unjustifiable act, but, 

 on the contrary, the consequence of one assented to and authorized by 

 themselves. They did not then, nor afterwards, make opposition or 

 enter protest, either against the document or the order to leave. And 

 if they did, where is it ? Why has it not been presented ? For what 

 time and for what use is it held back? 



Mr. Eames attributes great importance to the argument that, " if 



