326 AVES ISLAND. 



James Wheeler, in his first declaration made in Boston on the 8th 

 of June, 1855, acknowledged by him hefore John Clark, justice of the 

 peace, does not speak of Colonel Dias, nor of the document, nor of the 

 departure from the island. He merely relates the breach of trust 

 which he committed against Sampson, Tappan^ and Philo S. Shelton, 

 when employed by them in taking guano from a certain island in the 

 Gulf of Mexico, he was informed that Captain Gibbs, by order of his 

 constituents, had visited Aves Island and discovered a large deposit of 

 guano ; he returned to Boston, gave up the service of that company, 

 and, revealing the secret of the discovery to Lang & Delano, pre- 

 vailed upon them to send him with the brig Comery to procure guano 

 there, and did procure it, arriving at the island before Gibbs's vessel. 



In his second declaration of the 15th of June, 1855, acknowledged 

 before Geo. B. Upton, J. P., he states that while he was on Aves 

 Island the American flag was kept continually flying, and that the 

 man-of-war Devastation having visited the island, he informed Cap- 

 tain D'Orsey that they held the island for the government of the 

 United States, and that they hoped that he would protect them as citi- 

 zens of that republic. He adds that the American flag was respected, 

 and that D'Orsey informed him that they had the right to keep the 

 island in the name of the United States. 



The word of a witness who, from his own confession, stands forth 

 as a betrayer, deserves to be held for little or naught. 



The third deponent is George M. George, first mate of the brig M. 

 H. Comery, and afterwards foreman for Lang & Delano, who ac- 

 knowledged his declaration on the 1st of June, 1855, before Daniel 

 Sharp, Jr., a notary public of the city of Boston. After many irrele- 

 vant details, he gives an account of Dias's arrival and landing ; his 

 taking possession of the island, and the drawing up of the document. 

 He goes on setting forth that the other foremen were required to sign 

 it under threat of expulsion, and that Lang and Gibbs signed it, the 

 former in the name of Lang & Delano, and the latter in the name of 

 P. S. Shelton, in bodily fear, and to prevent outrage and bloodshed ! 

 That the document having been signed, the Venezuela armed schooner 

 left the island, having detailed a certain number of soldiers for shore 

 service. That the same vessel returned about three weeks afterwards, 

 and that the commander ordered all his people to leave the island 

 within twenty-four hours, but that the next day being Sabbath day, 

 they knocked ofi' work. That on Monday they were surprised to find 

 a guard with crossed bayonets at their cabin doors, in the guano pits, 

 and on the wharf. That orders were given to the laborers to proceed 

 to the pits at the usual hour, and to pass on to load the boats ; but 

 that the guard then ordered them to desist from all work, and that, as 

 one of the laborers insisted on working, a Venezuelan struck him with 

 a bayonet. That orders were then given to the foremen to imme- 

 diately leave the island, with all the laborers under their charge, 

 within a period of twenty-four hours, which was done by him, as he 

 then was head foreman in the absence of said Lang, leaving ashore a 

 laxge quantity of water, provisions, houses, the wharf, [the gangways?] 

 and the boats, because time was not allowed them to carry them off. 



This witness states that the document — the contents of which he does 



