AVES ISLAND, 359 



well acquainted with tlie value and force of each and all of its articles ? 

 He replied, yes, they were well acquainted Avith their value and force, 

 for Mr. Lang and Captain Cotarro translated the document a second 

 time for Gribbs, who was the one who did not understand Spanish, 



Question. Whether the act of signing it was entirely voluntary on 

 their part, or was the effect of compulsion in any respect ? He replied 

 that it was entirely voluntary ; that they not only thanked him ver- 

 bally, but with demonstrations of gratitude for the benefit he had 

 conferred on them, compelling him not only to dine with tliem that 

 afternoon, but loaded him with presents^ which he took with him to 

 Laguayra, On the other hand, he could not have had printed in said 

 document the names of the houses to which they belonged. 



Question. How many individuals comiDOsed the Venezuelan guard ; 

 and what munitions of war had they ; and what were their means of 

 resistance ? He replied, that the garrison that he left on the island 

 consisted of ten men under command of First Lieutenant Nicolas 

 Pereira ; that they were taken from the twenty-five to twenty-seven 

 which formed the schooner's whole complement ; that they were armed 

 each with his musket and he does not remember how many cartridges, 

 (paquefes,) and a four-pounder with twenty-five loads ; that he has 

 already stated that there were some eighty Americans ; that they had 

 about fifty pairs of ]3istols, carrying an ounce ball, forty or more guns, 

 some boarding pikes and axes, two small cannon, six pounders to eight 

 jpounders, with corresponding balls and a certain amount of powder, 

 which was not less than two quintals. 



Question. What provisions, implements, machines, timber, rope, 

 houses, furniture, or other effects had the Americans on the island ; 

 and of these things what remained there, and for what reason, when 

 they retired from the island, on the 31st of December, 1854 ? He 

 replied, that he does not know what provisions ; that in regard to im- 

 plements, they had some seventy to eighty wheelbarrows, and the 

 shovels requisite for that number of individuals to work, of whom some 

 were filling and others were loading ; that in regard to machines, he 

 did not see any ; that the only timber was that of the vessel which had 

 been lost ; that he did not see any rope ; and that he has already men- 

 tioned the houses ; that the furniture which he saw was that belonging 

 to the cabin of the brig which had been lost, and consisted of a table, 

 a looking-glass, some ship's chairs, and a chronometer; that he cannot 

 say which of these things remained there, nor for what reason, if any 

 remained, as he was only on the island on the 13th of December ; that 

 concerning this last matter, information can be furnished by Captain 

 Joaquin Vale, and the first lieutenant, Nicola's Pereira. 



Question. What preparatory labors had been performed for removing 

 the guano ; what labors are requisite for the digging out of this sub- 

 stance ; whether they had already any guano piled up ready to be 

 shipped ; and whether they shipped it in virtue of the permission 

 which you gave them to continue doing so, or it remained on the 

 island ? He replied : A wharf had been constructed for shipping it ; 

 that for digging it no labor wa« requisite but removing a foot of earth 

 from the top, it being already in a condition to be taken up with a 

 shovel; that they had no guano piled up, because such an operation 



