420 AVES ISLAND. 



The government of Venezuela, nevertlieless, firm in its purpose to 

 maintain its dignity, did not abandon its unquestionable right. Al- 

 though engaged at the time with the sessions of Congress, and occupied 

 by important public business, it lost no time in collecting the mass of 

 facts that were necessary to answer directly to the cabinet of "Wash- 

 ington, as was done in its reasonable note of October 31st ultimo, and 

 to fix the solution of the question at this capital, sending to that effect 

 the undersigned envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. 



M. DE BRICENO. 



Washington City, March 1, 1858. 



Mr. Sanford to Mr. Cass. 



Brevoort House, New York, 



Apo'il 13, 1858. 



Sir: In letters to the department in July and August last, and 

 repeatedly previously, I urged upon it the importance of having pre- 

 sented in extenso to the Venezuelan government a statement of the 

 injuries and damages sustained by the claimants in the Aves case^ 

 verified by authenticated copies of all the proofs, depositions, and doc- 

 uments presented by them^ a part of which have been unaccountably 

 withheld by our minister at Caraccas, and of making a direct demand, 

 a letter of request, upon Venezuela. 



The unworthy and dishonorable quibbling and delays of that gov- 

 ernment, since that time, must have convinced you of the utter useless- 

 ness of future correspondence with such people, question of dignity 

 apart. 



The Monagas government has finally had justice done to it ; its 

 profligacy, crimes, and robberies belong to history. While I confi- 

 dently hope from the respectability of the members of the new gov- 

 ernment that an €ra of honesty and justice commences there, I think 

 it highly important that it should not be given any warrant for making 

 the excuse of laboring under a misapprehension as to the definitive 

 views and decision of our government on the subject of the Aves 

 outrage. 



I have read the pamphlet, recently issued, to the public (in viola- 

 tion of all diplomatic usage) by Dr. Briceno, special envoy to this 

 country of the Monagas govern'ment. It is of a piece with the lofty 

 annunciations in the Charleston newspapers, caused to be put in by 

 himself on arriving in this country, of his rank, and of the objects of 

 his mission, and teeming with gross misrepresentations of the facts of 

 the case, and also of similar pronunciamentos of himself and the Mo- 

 nagas government on this claim, furnished to reporters, and upon 

 which Mr. Shelton has already addressed the department, and to 

 whose letter I refer you. With respect to the various issues as to 

 veracity and honorable conduct made by the Monagas government 

 directly with Mr. Eames, certainly the claimants have little to do, 

 except in so far as they may affect their just rights and interests. 



