Star.
London, England, 1824-10-26 00:00:00

4. REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA.

" Secretary of State's Office for Foreign Affairs,
Bogota, June 19, 1824.
,s To his Excellency Vice-Admiral Sir Lawrence Halsted, R.C.B.
Commander-in-Chief of his Britannic Majesty's skips and vessels
in the West Indies, &c.
SIR—OOI. Hamilton, his Pritannic Majesty's prin-
cipal Commissioner to the Colombian Government, has
' had the kindness to deliver to me your Excellency's com-
munication of the 30th of April last, relative to the
trade now carrying on between the island of Jamaica
and the coasts of the Mosquitos of Darien and Goagira,
accompanied by a copy of the proceedings of a meet.
ing of the merchants and underwriters, held in the city
of Kingston, relative to the same subject; and having
submitted, your said communication to the considera-
tion of the Executive, I ant directed to make you the
following reply :
" As far back as the year 1819, the provinces com-
posing the Old Captaincy-Gencral of Venezuela, and
.the Kingdom of Grenada, were united into one single
body under the name of 4 Republic of Colombia.' Un-
der oar primitive fundamental law, as well as under that
which Was subsequently promulgated in a more .t.oleinn
Imanner on the 18th of July, 1821, it.w.ss decreed that
the boundaries of the Republics should be the same as
'those of Venezuela and of New Grenada, viten those
countries were subject to the king of Siva n.
44 Long before this important r.ct of the -Uttion had
passed, the limits of New Grenada were perfectly de-
fined, and laid down. They reached front the coasts in
the neighbourhood of Jamaica, as far as Cage GI acios
a Dios, including the island of St. Andres, and others
adjacent to it. The part of the coast from Cape Gra.:
cios a Dios to the river Chagres appertained fog. some
time to the Captaincy-General of Guatimala ; but all
this territory was finalli incorporated with New Gre-

. '

. .
nada, on tilt 30th November, 1803.. Ever since that
period, the Spanish Authorities exercised over ti l's
part of the country, as well as over the other provinces
under their jurisdiction, all those acts attendant on the
power and .tominion which Spain maintained over e
lands (as well cultivated as uncultivated) of New Gre-
nada, the possession of which is now completely vested
in the Republic of Colomb:a.
" The merchants and underwriters of Jamaica know
perfectly well, that althoui;ll the British Authorities
countenanced their trade with the neighbouring coasts
'relonging to the cautery, their persons, vessels, and
cai goes, were nevertheless constantly exposed to the vi-
gilance of the Sinni.l guarda costal, and to the risk
of being captured by them %%believer they might be de-
tected trading on the said coasts. While the Spanish
Goveriment -existed hem, its orders on this head sere
attended to and carried into execution in the most vi-
is,oi (ins manner ; and I can assure your Excellency, that
until thse year 1819, vessels from Jamaica were ton-
demned at Carthagena, oitboot their ever having been
reclaimed by the British Government, this traffic being
considered illegal, according to the law of all civilized
nations ; and in truth it is very evident, that one of the
m:ssr ess •ntial rights inherent in power and dominior,
is that which every country ought to possess of regu-
latinir, i s internal and external comnivrce in the manner
that may appear most just and convenient t• its own
interests.

" During this long war, the Coloml,iau Government
abstained nevertheless from making use of its right,
until it had completed the possession of her ten 4°17 ; the
.attain ment of which object gave rise to the present contest.
".,Having now fully established this possession, by
means of rite victories that have been obtained by the
Colombian artvis over the. Spaniards, the empire of the
Republic remained, in fact, and by right, established
over the territory of ancient New Grenada and Vene-
zuela; and it was under these circumstances that the
Government issued the order. of theikh of March, the
4uspenion of which you require, until it may be made
known to his Britannic Majesty's Government, and
until "satisfactory arrangements can be made on behalf
of all parties concerned.

cc Permit me, however, to observe to your Excellenc y
that the Colombian Government does not see any neces-
, sky ,for this suspension. The beforementioned order
does not lay down anything contrary to the provisions
of the ancient law—far from it: the relations of the
merchants of Jamaica with the uncultivated coasts of
Colombia are now placed upon a much more advan-
tageous footing than that upon which they were under
the ancient dominion of Spain. These relations may, in
time, be rendered still betters, and some restrictions mar
even be abolished ;but this must be the result of a special
agreement with his Britannic Majesty's Government,
as soon as the Republic of Colombia shall have beep
finally acknowledged.

g, What I have now stated appears to me safficient
to expose the futility of the grounds upon which the
merchants and underwriters ut Jamaica have founded
the documents which they addressed to yoe. Alchougls
the Republic has not any establishment on these coasts,
this is no reason why she should not exercise over them
the dominion and power which she has lawfully ac-
quire.f. Such a principle would be pernicious to the
peace and tranquillity of the civilized world, and would
give rise to endless discords and disgusts.
64 Give me leave to add another reason, which is intl.
mately connected with the repose of Colombia, in the
actual state of warfare in which she is unfortunately
engaged. The Spaniards have on several occasions
availed thernse:ves of the savages, in order to increase
the horrors and calamities of the struggle. It is very
probable, now that they do not possess one single spot
of land in this country, that they may renew their in.
trigues with those wandering tribes, who have no home
whatever, and whom it is but too easy to empley wheis
they are permitted to carry death, pillage, and desola-
tion among their neighbours. Humanity requires, then,
that every legal means should be resorted to that may
tend to prevent such a horrid state of things; and I
trust, your Excellency, that no measuie is or can be so
efficacious as the prohibition of every kind of foreign
trade with them direst.

" The direct trade—that is, the trade carried on from
our ports in national and foreign vessels, with Goagira,
Darien, and the part of the Mosquito coast belonging
to Colombia—is permitted by my Government in the
most liberal form. Such vessels as may be desirous of
communicating with these coasts, and of trading with
the savages, have no other obligation to fulfil than that
of coming to the nearest port open to foreign trade, and
of entering at the Custom-house their respective cargoes,
from which must be excluded all articles generally
known by the name of " contraband of war, paying
no other duty than twelve reals per ton. Attet ccinply.
ing with this formality, the vessel may proceed to the
part of the savage coast to which she is bound, without
being exposed to the slightest trouble or vexation ford
the guarda costas of the Republic.
-

This practise, as rational as it is just, is already in
force and vigour in several parts, especially in Gcsagira,
and all have submitted to it without any kind of repug.
:lance. Ai1:1 it is to be. presumed that the me:chants
and underg rite: s gill prefer a secure and legal trade,
like the one offered to them by these gleans, to another,
like the former one, which was constantly subject to
accidents of a prejudicial nature to their interests.
"In the meantime, the Colombian Government
trusts that your Excellency will feel sati,fieAl that the
trade direct from Jamaica to the tincultivated ccasts of
C.dombia is illegal ; and that as such it cannot receive
the protection which .the merchants and underwriters
have :epested.

.-4' With sentiments of the greatest respect and comi,
deratiiin, I have the honour to be your Excellency's
most obedient humble servant,

(Si3ncd)

,4 PEDRO DUAL."

When the SPNRROWHAWK left Rio Janeiro, all was
.
trallqUillity that plAce. Lord LOCHRAIII had gone
with a force to reduce the refractory authotities at Per.
nambucu. The Emperor of Brum had conferred the
rank of hear-Adruikal on Captain JOHIt TATUM) of
the Netheroy, for his ezvices at Bahia,

40.-*
441!.-

.4);.lima.

*

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