AVES ISLAND. 437 



Your dispatch* of the 10th May last is the latest received. 

 I have the honor to be, with the highest respect and consideration, 

 your obedient servant, 



■CHAKLES EAMES. 

 Hon. Lewis Cass, 



Secretary of State. 



Legation of the United States, 



Garaccas, June 21, 1858. 



Sir : The undersigned, minister resident of the United States, has 

 had the honor, on the 14th instant, to place in the hands of the hon- 

 orable minister of foreign relations of Venezuela, an open letter under 

 date of the 10th ultimo, with specified inclosures, addressed through 

 this legation, by the Department of State of the United States to the 

 Department of Foreign Eelations of this republic. This important 

 paper, communicating to the Venezuelan government the failure of its 

 late envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, Seiior de Bri- 

 ceno, to accomplish any adjustment of the ^'Aves" Island reclamation, 

 which was the special object of his mission, and setting forth^ in a 

 renewed and most formal manner, the definitive views adopted by the 

 government of the United States, after due examination, and by sub- 

 sequent mature corisideration fully confirmed, as to the undoubted 

 liability of Venezuela to make reparation for the losses and injuries 

 sustained in that case by citizens of the United States, expresses in 

 earnest terms the confident hope and expectation of his excellency, the 

 President of the United States, that the case being thus referred back 

 to the Venezuelan government, and the undersigned being fully in- 

 structed to communicate with it on the subject, the present enlightened 

 and patriotic administration of Venezuela will not fail to cooperate in 

 the speedy and harmonious termination of the question which has too 

 long embarrassed the relations of the two republics, and that, the lia- 

 bility of Venezuela in the case being admitted, there will be no serious 

 difficulty in arranging the details of a satisfactory adjustment. 



These views and expectations of the government of the United States, 

 the undersigned, under his recent instructions, has already had the 

 honor to affirm and urge upon the attention of the government of this 

 republic, in personal interviews with its minister of foreign relations, 

 from whom he has been gratified to understand in reply that the Ven- 

 ezuelan government, recognizing the high and controlling motives of 

 public policy, which require at this time the prompt and equitable ad- 

 justment of this case, proposes now, in that view, to give to it immediate 

 and continuous consideration. 



In this connection, and in compliance with recent instructions from 

 his government, the undersigned has now the honor to present here- 



* Erroneously numbered 58, I have numbered it, as it should be, 60, and request that the 

 same correction be made on the records of the department to avoid confusion in referring- 

 .to it. 



