The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-23 00:00:00

BIRTHS IN THE WEEK.

Males
Females.—

Total o •••••••• 1:887

! The " Central American Question " comprises three
points only entitled to serious consideration :.
' • 1. British pretensions -on the Mosquito shore. ,
2. British assumption,-of sovereignty in Belize; and
' 3 The occupation and 'coloneration'of the Bay Islands.
Now, as regard, the -gosquito shorn; without going
into the question of the alleged protentorate, weal) know
that the-only real motive which Great Britain had in
reviving and giving force to her pretensiens`there, was
to oht:tin possession or control of the port:of San Juan
del Norte., which it had been erroneously supposed was
the key to theline of communication between the seas.
But when Palmeret ei failed-to. obtain Possession of the
corresponding position on the other side of the continent,
and when the influx of Americans had converted San
Jun into i de facto American town, then British in-
terest in the Mosquito King began rapidly to decline—
to such an extent, indeed, that we know Mr. Cramptou
had agreed to the terms of a convention with Nicaragua,
by which the authority of that State was to be again ex-
tended over the coast, and the eo-called King was to re-
tire on a pension. If this arraegement Was not carried
out, it was
.because of the occurrence of w,eIJ-known
events which need not he recapitulated. Hence it fol-
lows that no real difficulties lie in Ore way of the adjust-
ment of the Moequit . issue, in 'the, Central American
complic dion. Let Nicaragua give " George William
Clarence" 10 dollar. a month, itne'liakz San Juan a free
port, and that q iestien will bepereleanectly,disposed of
to the satisfaction ef-eeervbeity.... 'i' t,
Next, as raga? ds Belize: ,T, ere-is 'a deubt,apartarem
all-mere ttchnicat questpineqf -fli - - that'. the- British
.feetriblisliment there hat been a beneAt to the world. It
• has introduced induAry and a relelie civilisation on a
coast which, if left to Spanish influeieces alone, would
still hive remained in a state of savage nature—the con-
genial retreat of tapirs and alligators. No one on this
side of the Atlantic Would seek to disturb, much less to
reverse, this state of things, so favourable to commerce,
and generally so beneficed to Central America itself. It
is true, wile and unwarranted pretensions to adjacent
1 territory have been set un by the Governors of Belize.
Were these to be relinquished, as they should be, no ob-
jection eoeld r;otiori4:lv be 'off-red to the permanent occu•
paeion of Belize by the people of Great Britain. '
We come now to he real, substeetial issue in the
whole controversy,—viz., the occupation and colonisa-
tion of the Bay Islands. In the first place, it is demon-
strable, and it has been clearly demonstrated, that Great
Britain has no shadow of a right there. The act of colo-
nisation took place two years aft- r she bad solemnly
pledged herself not " to occupy nor to colonise any por-
tion of Central America." Furthermore, as the nation
which posse- ses a vitae i, terest in having the I,thrnus high-
way b-tween her Atlantic and Pacific possessions free
from the domination of any great maritime power, the
United States has a right to insist that Great Britain
shall not matt: use of false pretensions, or even of doubt-
ful rights, to o -fain commanding positions on the line or
on the flanks of that highway. The interest which the
United S ates takes in thi, matter of the Bay Islands
results from the paramount i ,tincts of national safety.
See has, too, an werest resulting from the terms of the
convention which she made with Great Britain, ii,
which the United States renounced all purposes of
acquisition herself, in order to kekp the k!entral Ameri
can Isthmus open to the world.

But still this issue is pr;marily and legitimately be-
tween Great Britain and Honduras ; the latter claiming
the right, and the former exercising the fact, of sove-
reignty over these islands. Now, there can be but

little doubt that it Great Britain were to generously re-
store these islands to Honduras, that Republic would
readily recognise all rights of property and of interest
which have grown up under English occupancy, and,
furthermore, concede to the actual inhabitants mg.))
municipal rights and powers as should practically
constitute them an independent community. In this
manner England would receive the credit of f ,irness,
and obtain consequent influence with the State to whom
the atonement would be made; while the most important
ions to the whole Cahtral American controversy would
be flatly withdrawn. We have reason to believe that
influences, not 7iriginating with either the Government
of the United States nor with that of Great Britain, are
at work to effect this result, which is one of deep impor
tance, not less in view of the disposal of a cause of die.
pute thun in depriving captious Premiers and noisy de-
magogues, on both sides of the Atlantic, of the means
of d,sturbing the repose and embitt,ring the relations of
thrir respecti,e countries. The common sense and plain
intelligence of the publ'c will see at once that there is
no reason for prolonging this dispute, and that its settle-
ment c n be effected, on the }Asia above indicated, with
no sacrifice of right or of honour on either side. Let
the people, therefore, look to the matter for themselves,
and see that the settlement be male.