stefansson-wrangel-09-37-026

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On page 272, Is a letter from Mr. Cass, Secretary of State
to Mr. Eames, dated August 31, 1857, containing on page 274, the
sentence "At the same time you will assure them that a settle-
ment of the Aves claim cannot be further procrastinated without
serious injury to the friendly relations of the two countries."

The attitude of the United States throughout the correspond-
ence regards the Venezuelan claim to the island as utterly un-
founded , and looks upon the Venezualan government as the aggressor
in ejecting the Americans. The American position was that the
island was abandoned.

The government of Venezuela argued that the island was a
part of its national territory, and that in consequence the
ejectment of the Americans was a mere eviction of trespassers,
who were themselves the aggressors. Venezuela based its posi-
tion on the following propositions: 1) the island was the
property of Spain by discovery (p.402); 2) Venezuela succeeded
to the rights of Spain ([p.404); 3) the island was never aband-
oned or derelict, because, if Venezuela had not succeeded to
Spain, then the Island still belonged to Spain; and if it had
been abandoned by Spain, then Holland had a claim (p.407); 4)
Venezuela was the first occupant, on the ground that the occupa-
tion of the United States citizens did not give any right in
the island to the United States; that, therefore, the occupation
by an officer of the Venezuelan government was in reality the
first occupation (p.407); 5) that the government of the United