The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-18 00:00:00

COSTA RICA AND NICARAGUA.

Persevering efforts have been made for the adjustment
of the claims of American citizens against the Government
of Costa Rica, and I am happy to inform you that these
have finally prevailed. A convention was signed at the
city of San Jo,e, on the 2d of July last, between the Mini-
ster resident of the United States in Costa Rica and the
Plenipotentiaries of that Republic, referring these claims to
a board of Commissioners, and providing for the payment
of their awards. This convention will be submitted imme-
diately to the Senate for their constitutional action.
The claims of our citizens upon the republic of Nica-
ragua have not yet been provided for by treaty, although
diligent efforts for this purpose have been made by our
Minister resident to that Republic. These are still con•
Untied, with a fair prospect of success.
MEXICO.

Our relations with Mexico remain in a most unsatis-
factory condition. In my last two annual messasges, I
discussed extensively the subject of these relations, and do
not now propose to repeat at length the facts and argu-
ments then presented. They proved conclusively that our
citizens residing in Mexico, and our merchants trading
thereto, had suffered a series of wrongs and outrages such
as we have never patiently borne from any other nation.
For these our successive Ministers, invoking the faith of
treaties, had, in the name of their country, persistently
demanded redress and indemnification, but without the
slightest effect. Indeed, so confident had the Mexican
authorities become of our patient endurance, that they
universally believed they might commit these outrages
upon American citizens with absolute impunity. Thus
wrote our Minister in 1856, and expressed the opinion that
" nothing but a manifestation of the power of the Govern-
ment, and of its purpose to punish these wrongs, will
avail."

Afterwards, in 1857, came the adoption of a new con-
stitution for Mexico, the election of a President and Con-
gress under its provisions, and the inauguration of the
President. Within one short month, however, this Presi-
dent was expelled from the :capital by a rebellion in the
army, and the supreme pGwer of the republic was assigned
to General :Zuloaga. This usurper was in his turn soon
compelled to retire and give place to General Miramon.
Under the constitution which had thus been adopted,
Senor Juarez, as chief justice of the Supreme Court, became
the lawful President of the Republic ; and it was for the
maintenance of the constitution and his authority derived
from it that the civil war commenced, and still continues
to be prosecuted.
Throughout the year 1858 the constitutional party grew
stronger and stronger. In the previous history of Mexico
a successful military revolution at the capital had almost
universally been the signal for submission throughout the
republic. Not so on the present occasion.
A majority of the citizens persistently sustained the con-
stitutional government. When this was recognised in
April, 1859, by the Government of the United States, its
authority extended over a large majority of the Mexican
States and people, including Vera Cruz, and all the other
important seaports of the republic. From that period our
commerce with Mexico began to revive, and the constitu-
tional government has afforded it all the_protection in their

power.
Meanwhile the government of Miramon still held sway
at the capital and over the surrounding country, and con •
tinued its outrages against the few American citizens who
still had the courage to remain within its power. To cap
the climax : after the battle of Tacubaya, in April, 1869,
General Marquez ordered three citizens of the United States,
two of them physicians, to be seized in the hospital at that
,place taken out and shot, without crime and without trial.
This was done, notwithstanding our unfortunate coun-
trymen were at the moment engaged in the holy cause of
affording relief to the soldiers of both parties who had been
wounded in the battle, without making any distinction be-
tween them.

The time had arrived, in my opinion, when this Govern-
ment was bound to exert its power to avenge and redress
the wrongs of our citizens, and to afford them protection in
Mexico. The interposing obstacle was that the portion of
the country under the sway ef Miramon could not be reached
without passing over territory under the jurisdiction of the
constitutional Government.

Under these circumstances, I deemed it my duty to,-re-
commend to Congress, in my last annual message, the em-
ployment of a sufficient military force to penetrate into the
interior, where the Government of Miramon was to be
found, with, or, if need be, without the consent of the
Juarez Government, though it was not doubted that this
consent could be obtained. Never have I had a clearer
conviction on any subject than of the justice as well as wis-
dom of such a policy.
No other alternative was left, except the entire abandon-
ment of our fellow-citizenswho had gone to Mexico, under
the faith of treaties, to the systematic injustice, cruelty, and
oppression of Miraulon's Government. Besides, it is almost
certain that the simple authority to employ this force, would
of itself have accomplished all our objects without striking
a single blow. The constitutional Government would they,
ere this have been established at the City of Mexico. and
would have been ready and willing, to the exter..l of its
ability, to do justice.
In addition—and I deem this a most important consi-
deration—European Governments would have been de-
prived of all pretext to interfere in the territorial and
domestic concerns of Mexico. We should thus have
been relieved from the obligation of resisting, even by
force, should this become necessary, any attempt by these
governments to deprive our neighbouring republic of por-
tions of her territory; a duty frOrn which we could not
shrink without abandoning the territorial and established
policy of the American people. I am happy to observe
that, firmly relying upon the justice and good taith of these
governments, there is no present danger that such a c ,n-
-tingency will happen.
Having discovered that my recommendations would not
be sustained by Congress, the next alternative was to ac-
complish, in some degree, if possible, the same objects by
treaty stipulations with the constitutional government.
Such treaties were accordingly concluded by our late able
and excellent Minister to Mexico, and on the 4th January
last were submitted to the Senate for ratification. As these
have not yet received the final action of that body, it would
be improper for me to present a detailed statement of their
provisions.
Still I may be permitted to express the opinion in ad-
vanoe that they are calculated to promote the agricultural,
manufacturing, and commercial interests of the country,
and to secure our just influence with an adjoining republic
as to whose tortunes and fate we can never feel indifferent ;
whilst at the same time they provide for the payment of a
considerable amount towards the satisfaction of the claims
of our injured fellow-citizens.
KANSAS AND UTAH.

At the period of my inauguration I was confronted in
Kansas by a revolutionary government, existing under
what is called the Topeka consfitution. Its' avowed object
was to subdue the territorial government by force, and to
inaugurate what was called the Topeka government in its
stead, To accomplish this object an extensive military
organisation was formed, and its command entrusted to the
most violent revolutionary leaders.
Under these circumstances, it became my imperative
duty to exert the whole constitutional Dower of the Execu-
tive to prevent the flames of civil war from again ragingsn
Kansas, which, in the excited state of the public mind,
both North and South, might have extended into the
neighbouring States.
The hostile parties in Kansas had been inflamed against
each other by emissaries both from the North and the
South, to a degree of malignity without parallel in our
history, To prevent actual collision, and to assist thelcivil
magistrates in enforcing the laws, a strong detachment of
the army was stationed in the territory, ready to aid the
marshals and his deputies, when lawfully called upon, as a
posse comitatus in the execution of civil and criminal pro-
cess.
Still, the troubles in Kansas could not have been perma-
nently settled without an election by the people. The ballot
box icso
nt
ictiorne setvaerrbyi tperroopfedisputeswaams on freemen. g
employed
tUnder
o induce
a,tanthdeafetel%iarandsofthdee
electionlegates toto
aitvsuostthieoolluld be a slave or a free State.
refused to vote at either, lest this
decidemightftrhaTemhh e tsbwihtnei helsecueSotruhtPgasatirrneat
insurgent
grope
danantsrosttirecognition on their part of OP tern-1