THE LAW OF SPECIAL REPRISALS.
[n.p. 1858]. 30, 4 pp. Disbound. Title page toned at the margins; mild occasional foxing. Clipped ink inscription at head of title page. Good+.
This learned lawyer's brief was prompted by a dispute over the ownership of so-called Aves Island, "a speck of sand in the central Caribbean, 1,230 feet by 160 feet, that supports a few scrubby bushes"; "a mere clump of stone barely extending above the high-tide line" ["When Is an Island Not An Island? Caribbean Maritime Disputes," Submitted by Martin W. Lewis, March 21, 2011, accessed at website of GeoCurrents.]
It was submitted to the State Department on behalf of Philo S. Shelton and his associates, seeking redress for an "unparalleled outrage" perpetrated by Venezuela. Claiming ownership of the island-- unjustifiably, according to the claimants-- which had enormous quantities of valuable guano, Venezuela had expelled Shelton et al from Aves and prohibited their extraction of the guano. They seek redress under established principles of international law. A Treaty between the United States and Venezuela, executed in 1859 and ratified in 1861, concluded the dispute by Venezuela's payment of moneys to Shelton and his firm.
Sabin 80153 [not collating the 4pp Appendix at the end]. OCLC 29809316 [5] as of June 2017. Item #33851
Price: $150.00