AYES ISLAND. 361 



tion, some fifty muskets, some tTiirty rifles, thirty cutlasses, some 

 twenty-five boarding-pikes^ and some fifty pairs of pistols carrying an 

 ounce ball ; and that, as regards their justification for being on the 

 island, they represented that they were there taking guano, and that 

 they did not take it from islands nearer the mainland, although they 

 had found guano on them, because they might be discovered, and that 

 from one of them only they had taken a schooner load ; that he does 

 not state the name of the island from which they took a schooner-load 

 because he does not remember it ; that they did not oppose the landing 

 of the Venezuelan force, nor allege any kind of right to the island ; 

 and that they asked Colonel Dias to allow them to load the three large 

 vessels which they had there, and others which, dispatched by their 

 firms, might subsequently arrive, and this in consideration of the 

 losses they had suffered and the expenses they had incurred, to which 

 request Colonel Dias yielded, but only till the government should 

 otherwise dispose, his act being wholly one of humanity, since he had 

 not the power to concede so much, as the colonel himself told them. 



Question. What took place between the Americans and Colonel 

 Dias, and led to the drawing up of the document which he and two of 

 them signed? He replied, that Colonel Dias granted them a favor in 

 permitting them to continue taking guano, and they asked that he 

 would grant it in writing ; at the same time, they offered to render 

 the guard every assistance which it might need, for the colonel had 

 made known to them that he left but little provisions and water, and 

 it was under these circumstances that the writing was drawn up which 

 has been spoken of ; and observing that they had a large number of 

 fire-arms and side-arms in proportion to the small guard which re- 

 mained, he said to them that those arms were to be guaranteed by the 

 military, to which they agreed. That the arms referred to have 

 already been mentioned. 



Question. Who acted as interpreter to explain to Lang and Gribbs 

 the tenor of said document, or of the permission which he (Dias) gave 

 them to continue taking guano ? He replied that Mr. Lang acted as 

 interpreter to Mr. Gibbs; that Mr. Lang spoke Spanish with such 

 entire perfection that he needed no interpreter, but, on the contrary, 

 corrected some small mistakes which were made in the writing ; that 

 the document was written by the deponent in his own handwriting, in 

 their house^ on their paper, and with their pen and ink, which they 

 voluntarily presented to him for that purpose. 



Question. Whether said gentlemen, or others of those who accom- 

 panied them, were acquainted with the Spanish language, and state, 

 in that case, who they were? He replied that besides Mr. Lang, who, 

 as he has said, spoke Spanish, there was a Peruvian Indian, called 

 Santiago, and a young Chilian, called Francisco, whose surnames he 

 does not know, who acted continuously as interpreters after Mr. Lang 

 had done so. 



Question. Whether the Americans who signed the document were 

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

 He replied that with respect to Mr. Lang, he could answer that he was 

 well acquainted with their value and force ; that, with respect to Mr. 

 Gibbs, he believed that he perfectly understood them, for when the 



