\ 
10 • 
Letter from Attorney General_™,_X uncler Lincoln) to 
William H. Sewarl November 13, 1865 • wmt< . ,, 
1..Notes that what departments ot gov. do must be Regarded 
as done by sanction of the President. 
2. The act does not require the signature or tne Iresident 
since it does not say in what mode the President shall 
manifest his decision. , _ n c 
3. Proclamation by-Trescott under seal or dept nou u.b. 
4. In general states government position legal and auu 
should take A. G. Benson to court for redress. 
» 
Peb. 19, 1868—Letter of A. G. Benson, Pres. USGC to William 
H. Seward, Sec'y of State 
(a) “There have been placed at Baker's, lowland s, anc. 
Jarvis island^, four sets of moorings...all of which have been 
lost, with more than ten ships, four of which were gazetted 
this month. [Asks for government aid in laying moorings 4 
“...yet more than twenty-ship loads of guano have been exported 
from Baker’s and Howland's islands during'the years, besides 
the ships lost in attempting the same..." (price or guano 
at this time $40 a tonj (Asks for cruising of steam vessel of 
was] 
March 14, 1868--Letter of A. G. Benson, Pres. USG^ to William 
H. Seward ' 
Asks for naval protection, building of light-hourses, 
beacons, and buoys, to make careful surveys and charts of 
the coast. 
Nov. 30, 1869—AGG (councel) to Hamilton Fish, Sec’y of State 
(American Guano Company attempts at this late date _to^ 
reinstigate proceedings against the USGC in regard to Howland 
States USGC does not claim personnel on island until 2 or 3 
Dec. 1860. “ At the date last named the schooner W. L.. 
Richardson visited the island, landed, and left on the island’ 
two men with the necessary means of subsistence lor six moncns 
took specimens of the guano, and sailed away” facilities were 
not provided “by or on behalf of the USGu until September lo6l 
“...possession taken by Arthur Benson was in the name of 
" A. G. Benson and his associates “but this is perfectly 
consistent with the claims of the Am, G. Go., which was then 
an unincorporated association,/..” ^ . 
“In the month of March 1859, the Am. G. Co. took peaceat.».e one 
permanent possession of the island, claiming.it .as their own 
a nd * hav e - haId possession of it and'occupied it fan taau day uo 
