Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1852-08-31
THE LOBOS ISLANDS QUESTION

IN duty had inflicted lasting injury u,oa tie slrrc and
~ VII 'e county. WIN great respec', remain lour "ni
IL HENRY BRADLEY
as THE LOBOS ISLANDS QUESTION
IS communication made the Senate on Monday
y the President of the United subject of the Ii
bos Islands, embracing correspondence between The Sc,
ID eary OF State and the Minister The Republic of Peru
10 the sovereignty OF thorc Islands, &C. We aro en-: bed
gSca once the letter Of Mr. Webster which appears
the whole question and all hs in controvers,
u DEPARTMENT OF STATE, !
NAsHISG-oS, August 81 l-52.
! Inc undersgned Secretary Ui Stale Unei States
mas me honor TO acknowledge The receipt of scvera
comnunca'ions Of Mr. Osrna Charge d. Atfrcs Of Perm
the 10Th June Sd July and the 9Th The first mention
ca Of these communications, however, did 10 hi
knowledge until the 9th of July after he had lt, Washnr
Ion ior short a6Ssnce. He very much that ccun
stances have prevented earlier these seyca
bur- they all relate to The same subject
all viii now receive common reply.
In The first place the undersigned will remark 10 Mr. sns
tat i'e Government Of HE United has not now moi
ever has had any intention facilitate III" particular pur
noses Of any persons such Mr.. Osma calls s?ecu.tors
urf' han those purposes C3tUfnatIc public law
as well as to The laws of tho uniIed This Govern
ent Knows o no companies, associations, and no in
d'isls IN whose behalf it undertakes any special prorc.
i !on ne question is general enc, In which all ci-
zens OF tie United States engaged in commerce. have an IN
rres and that Interest is equally respected by the United
States, regardless OF individuals.
In Tho next place the undersigned expresses the hope that
II was not Mr. Osnas purpose, by any expression in his
note ot the 9h instr 10 convey any irtjmaun pro.
been influenced in the slightest degree by any conviction
the reave strength weakness of the parties Such
Intna"n Intended 10 be made would require reua-
tlon, since all The world knows the in which the
Republics OF South America, formed Of the pos
sessions OF Spain have been treated by this Government
from their earliest origin 70 the present day.
The undersigned will further remark 10 prevent
mistake and misunderstanding upon VI r. O.mas nosevan
upun conversation between i: and The undersigned in
Tie Department n State, the "a n July and that 49, that
the supposed discovery Of Capt Morrc rntioncd in
conversation was rot relied npnn ny the undersigned
founding exclusive right the Lnbus Islands part
OF The United States 1t was only mentioned fact Il,
b. considered in with other acs and
The truth appears be that Capt. Mo'ry voyage
OF discovery and did in fact discover supposed
have discovered, gnano on these lsltnds.
II is certain that book generally known and c-cua ted
in this country mentioned fact Of the existence Of gnan
IN these islands until Capt. orrclls narrative published
N 1912
Alter these preliminary remarks the undersigned now mo-
ceeds 10 the consideration Dt main subject m his sc.e-
raj communications M Osna asserts the right of Peru all
the Lobas Islands, the ground that she has always
c'c authority them that they belong Peru as they
formerly belonged 10 SpnG; and tat from time lnenOa
the Peruvian Indians have been IN. habit vi visiting
Iir "aYf ltt Thing seals killing bids
| ru uas never been doubted disputed
IGc question these unqualified declarations at Mr.
Osna strictly accuiatel The Lo5os, ar Seal Islands aS
their imports lie in the open Pacific Ocean tie netrest
q" them twenty thirty miles from the cOas OF PERU
They Mr. O.ma admits barren rocks in The sra,
unlrhabed and unnhaoitabc Fisheries, and The pursuit Of
abou animals especially The sehIhhve long been carried
thr shores and those shores themselves,
since is well known that scus usually taken and killed
upon the land In these pursuits and in this Of the
islands citizens of The United States engaged for hnli
cenigy before any actual interruption took place by the
Peruvian Government amy body eIse their visits 10 them
commenced at least early 1893. All this well
snDwn 10 tir commercial word Now il Is quite certain
that il Peru held and possessed full sovereignty these
snds this fishing the Shore and this pursuit and Kill
Of anhblous animals upon he lands was as mucn an
invasion oil that sovereignty is the taking OF guann from
them now. nor the unimpGrant as that Peru
nie III, have regarded this OF The islands by CITIZENS OF
the United States indu.e ncrcy, snppc sing her
he
ton Of seals which have n last Terminated in their almost
entire disappearance must have been matter OF n'nch IN
or'ance 10 her Government. Nevertheless, no COMPLIANT
mntc of this course u tnaSs, any interruption al
tempted threarencd, until September, 1888 in which
month"; il would appear decree was issued ny the
Peruvian Government prohibiting foreigners from fishing for
seals and amphihOus animals on lie shores and Islands OF
Peru declaring that the captains Of foreign vessels wh"
tvadc the order should be considered as smncelcrs II is
important 10 that this decree issued after the
publication Of Captain MOrrell's narrative.
This sudden and unexpected and therefore the
Charge d Ataires Of The United States Lima under
the necessity of acting upon without orders from s own
Government He Immediately addressed mute "s, the sub
,rC the Minister OF Foreign Relations oi Peru in which
without formally denying The original gn oi Peru, he re-
queicd reconsideration 81 the dccec, or That it might be
sd r nodiii" 10 permit 10 the cZsns OF the United
STATS the pursuit 0f occupation which they nd been al
llowt quietly follow for number OF years and adding
that decree could bu: he regarded uncndy 10 the
II Comment OF the United So FAR is known 10
the uersinncd, reply made To This
ri cmotaEcc and ii is certain that the citizens n the Uni
I'D Stes continued 10 pursue their G4i avncatioS with
inter- lion had been made By the Prrlsiln Authorities i
wouia have brought the question OF the svcresnty
l' Peover the LobOs Islands 10 the attention OF this Gov
u happened few years before in the case oi the
tight che Government ii The Argentine Confederation 10
claim 'eregny the Falkland Islands 1t is true thai
he dec of 1888 makes particular mention Of the LoboS
Islan.n it directed generally against fishing on the
ID coasts Il, islands Of Peru Nevertheless this cannot be
D cgardes affecting The general right oi CITIZENS OF the I
~ States ,nded on long and nndisDucd usage"
l. Heretn, is formal remonstrancc the part oil the
United ties against The asserted sovereignty OF Peru over
the LobIsans which answer, So Tar as u appears
le was alv,nor any inunaon madc that h't"hstahu.n2
he This wuu &c enforced II quite
OF evident H. although the decree ia general in lis crm1 il
n,ed be evced especially against citizens OF the
United acs the subjects o! other countries did not par
III take 10y considerable extent in c fisheries which were
n ,rohib Can Mr.. Osma's aver,neu therefore, be- main
re ained which he the universal and absolute sove
cianty Peru 10 heve been dered OF Questioned ny
n any Comment? And il Peru has suffered these barren
rocks visited an used by citizens oi the United States
ocourse nf time and for all the purposes Tor which
Sc they known 10 be valuable IS the altered when
they arund capable OF new nsel Is not the natural m
as lerenceher that Peru c1med t1cis'r riehl
ne over hlands tnat II such claim had been made by
he any FOR official the Government such clnm mad
brcn aaoncd at least 50 iHr as cztns OF the Chlcu
OF States " conccrned2
Mr. C1 refers to decision of the English Government
1r. and obsts that both the mercantile and agricultural
TO classes British empire have strong interest adverse
nj the oi Peru the British Government has decided
in favorthal claim that decision he asc.lheh TO con-
ee 10 outweigh ,esnd Tor he interest OF
IN British hers and ship owners But Tho two cases may
h justly b,nsidered essentially different WhGa the de-
at appeared Mr. Wilson, tho British Consul Gene
lie ra AT q, in a communication his Government said =
he Fo years British vesseis have been engaged IN
its this file but ga; abuses have been committed by Amer
lean Wis., and the year afterwards writing upon me SUD-
ii cct Of seizure OF The British schooner Campeadoo for
10 kinA the Lobos Islands, he admitted the night OF
les Peru tose islands AT the same time ne adds Lord
cal axnsend, the commander Of his MaJcstys naval
for orcesthe Pacific takes different view Of the question:
The and h7se told that he considered that his Maeslys
be suoecpd positive right of fishery all these isllnds
yer uniessy should be actually occupied bv some Peruvian
iauIh the
tn- ruviaIu OF warn off vessels
he II borne in mind h! when The case OF the Cam
o! peadorcurred the and PERHAPS the vau* oi
auano in1nnre unknown in England. Before that
ul wecied however. the Briti. Government Hy DC
said toe been rrevocaby committed 10 acknowledge
li right Of Peru the Lobcs Islands BY their ac
qIescen The opinion expressed hy M!. Wilson, her
ind !iponAgen and the tina: communication
the from !taeen Office for in that under date 81
he ugus'Bl Lord Palrcrston said ut wonld therefore
appear hhe Peruvian Government have right 10 pr"ho-
coli ioreisel from fishing the coast Immediately ao-
has joining lose islands we'll upon The coasts OF efu
,dn Itself! taeng evidence in the papers which you nave
ma transmpf any right Of fishing acquired b. long and IN
nn. intorrupsase'