294 FALKLAND ISLANDS. 



Argentine republic should abandon all title 

 under Spain, and claim an absolute vested 

 sovereignty, original in itself. 



If it be shown affirmatively, that Spain had 

 such rights, then it must be as clearly shown 

 that the Argentine republic succeeded to them ; 

 and if that can be shown, then it must also be 

 shown that the Argentine republic had author- 

 ity to capture and detain American vessels and 

 American citizens engaged in the fisheries at 

 those places, without notifying the American 

 government, or its representative here, offi- 

 cially of such assumptions and such claims. 



It must be premised, that the United States 

 of America claim no sovereign jurisdiction or 

 exclusive privileges over the water or the soil 

 of these realms. They only claim such pri- 

 vileges as they have been accustomed to exer- 

 cise in common with other maritime nations. 



Civilized nations have claimed title to coun- 

 tries uninhabited, or inhabited only by savage 

 aboriginals, in three modes : 



1. By prior discovery. 



2. By taking formal possession of such coun- 

 tries. 



