362 AVES ISLAND. 



deponent wanted bread, lie had nothing else to do than to point to the 

 number of the article in the manuscript, which has been mentioned, 

 in which it was stated that whenever the deponent should need any 

 provisions they would furnish them, until some government vessel 

 should arrive. 



Question. "Whether the act of signing the document was entirely 

 voluntary on their part, or was the effect of compulsion in any respect ? 

 He replied that it was voluntary ; that he did not see among them the 

 slightest appearance of doubt^ apprehension, or mistrust ; and that 

 there was no kind of threats or coersion in that act. 



Question. How many individuals composed the Yenezuelan guard, 

 and what munitions of war had they ; and how many Americans were 

 there, and what were their means of resistance? He replied that 

 during the act of signing the writing that was made, there was not a 

 single soldier on shore ; that afterwards ten men were landed to form 

 the guard; that they had ten guns, ten cartridges, and a four-pounder 

 cannon, with its ammunition ; that with respect to the number of 

 Americans, he has stated it ; and that their means of resistance was 

 the arms which have been mentioned, and the powder to be used with 

 the fire-arms. 



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 with regard to provisions he was entirely ignorant of what 

 they had ; that they had hand-barrows and some shovels and picks ; 

 that they had no machine ; that they had some pieces of board on 

 which they ran the wheelbarrows ; that they had no rope ; that they 

 had from eleven to thirteen wooden shanties, the best one of which 

 was sold to the deponent for a pound, and belonged to Lang ; that an- 

 other, in which Gibbs lived, was granted to deponent for the guard, 

 at the time of deponent's going ashore ; that the rest, almost entirely, 

 were unroofed and completely demolished by them ; that these houses 

 were so fragile, that those to the eastward were heavily stowed with 

 coral stone to protect them from the force of the wind ; that, moreover, 

 they had some launches by which they conveyed the guano on board, 

 one of which they sold to the captain of frigate Joaquin Vale, at from 

 a doubloon to twenty-one dollars ; they left two worthless ones ashore, 

 because they could make no use of them : another worthless one they 

 set on fire, and the rest they took with them ; that there remained, 

 therefore, on the island, the leavings of the demolished houses, the 

 house which they sold to the deponent, the one which they gave for 

 the guard, and in the water some floating timbers of a wharf, which 

 they destroyed contrary to their will, and which was composed of some 

 pine logs, some useless pine flooring, and pieces of board already worn 

 out by the frequent use which had been made of it ; that after they 

 had made known that they had finished loading, and that there was 

 nothing more which they wished to carry away, they sold him twenty- 

 five barrels of water that were on shore for twenty-five dollars in coin. 



Question. What preparatory labors had been performed for removing 

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



