The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1849-10-31
THE MUSQUITO QUESTION,

puoilC Journals nave iGdaiHPH III CpNloNS COHl
ncnis on il, hut few ofthcm have extended
their inquiries into the real merits ri I'll" qm's
ton. The Nashville Banner aud Wing has
examined with murh fuln'Ss TIL. ,rra'ics which
ifn; foundation "f The relative rights ei the par
lies, a, least assist in rrnnving some etlhc OBJ
scurity with which The dispute is cl"'lrd. lis
our purhnsc to cnnhpnSp the results "f the !nvcs.
siua;ion, 50 as to afford III inte!.iSla.c view Of
the subject.
II was considerable time ulicr the conquest
of the Island nf jamaica by the forces o! t!.vrf
Cromwell. in 1886, that a transient co2nrFr
was carried un by British subjects from Ja'nai
ca with Ike natives of the Musqnio cHa>t.--
Spain, who ciaimr,l that country hy i"!h '' dis
coverY, interrupted this trad, hy ral,Arn't The
British ships engaged in il. This I'D 20 war
between Spain and GreR, Briiniu in 1899,
which continued ill prarr was m,!rj lTiS.
The Covprnmc', n' Ia'na'ra piior 10 this had
placed certain civil Enctonarirs, as justices 81
thr peace and nrhiters in disputes on c"m;ner
cial questions .arSirg on: of contracts an;! drhts
on parts OF The MuSpuilo shore, AMI dnrinG The
reign Of Charles the 2d, it is affirmed by The
British writers, that the Ma>lni:o King. with
. thr concurrence oi his chiriS and people, offer
ed 10 place himself under he protection eth"
British Government. which o!,.r WAS ac''. pied
bv the Governor of jamaica. III the nam. u
bis sovereign.
At this prrind there was II" gr"gra?h'"'i or
political discrimination between the different
portions of The MuSGuito coun'!y lmc''id'nT til"
province Of Honduras, that of Nicaragua C">ta
Rica and E"ragua, comprising. under the do
miuinn ofo,d Srain, the taiu-lrn"rai>G!p
ofGuatemaa, and in oar times The Republic at
Central America. During the war which! ;c'
suited from the attempts IF the British t" hold
commercial intercourse with the Mn>q''i'n coast,
Lar, of il was taken military possession at and
station established al Black river. in III" pro-
vince Of Honduras. whore Il fort was erected,
cannon mounted. the royal flag hoist"d and 7ar.
rison established, thus making ii I" appear as ii
the Musguto country hal passed under The SOY
reisniy and protection Of Great Britain.
In l7G3 a formal treaty was conclude! he.
tween Spain and Grea, Britain. in which it WAS
expressly stipulated that the laItrrpuwrr should
demolish all the for,iiicalions which ha;! been
erected in the Bay of Honduras and other i':"ccs
in the territory Of Spain, in that pat OF the
world, within fur months after the ratification
OF iae treaty. That the British government
understood the treaty as divrsiny it so"errign.
Is and jurisdiction over any part ot Mnsq'ii'",
is obvious, from the fact that the fort was al
forwards demolished; the treaty giving pcrinis
sion to the workmen who had been employed
in cutting loswood, TO continue their occupa
tion.
In 1893 another treaty was formed between
thepar,es, limiting and defining the p.rsssstu'r
to cut iogwood, in couseGurnce-1517t the extension
OF British seltIst-rr-tr, growing out of that per-
mission; in which treaty, as in the treaty Of IT.
63, there was express reservation q! Spanish
sovereignty over the entire Mosquito coast aad
territory, not excepting tha, portion which the
the British logwood cutters had been permitted
10 occupy.
In l7e6. Spain made a new covenant with
Grcat Britain, in which it is stipulated that the
permission TO GU, ocw"ot! is never to he used
as a preleN for establishing any plantation Of
sugar or coffee, or any fabric or manufacture.
reaffrming, in the strongest terms, the rights
of sovereignty over The country.
Here then, is evidence that whatever. were
the British pre,rnsnns prinr 10 1856, hy which
the right of proiector.hip was assumed over the
Musquiio Indians, they were forfeited and an.
nulled on three several occasions. lfihe right
10 protect is traced back to the reign of Charles
the Cd. being long in ahcyanc" and only reriv
ed in our day, the answer i-rra;lv, that 'he pro.
,prie.orsbip was voluntary renounced as late as
l7s6. Now, in what has the relations of Great
Britain towards the Mrisqrito tribes become
changed since that period? Down to 1886.
she admitted the sovereignty was in old Spain.
She aSse n'rd hy treaty to 4 denial Of i, To The
Musqnito Indians. Have these Indians becone
changed in their condition? Have they become
more civilized and enlightened! Have they Ia.
ken rank among nations? if,hey have nalior
al existence, when and by what nations has ttrir
sovereignty been recognized Is i, cump",en,
for any ore nation to bap,ise savases iu.o the ira.
ternity of nations! Is it justified Ivy the spirit or
letter Of public law TO assume, without notice.
without treaty, with no recognised pnl,!ic forrna.
lities, the officer ofpro,ector, wing sovrr.
eighty in the party protected, which has, by the
party protecting, been denied to them by posi-.
tive convention? 1t will not do to say rha,
Spain did not conquer, if she conquered Tic
Musqnio country, never cffrctualIy co!nniz,d
Il. Great Britain divcslrd hcrs"lfof this plea
for protection when she put her hand TO treaties
aher Spain had held the territory for upwards
Of century wi,hou, settling it. lIlhis argu
men, did not avail against old Spain, how can
itayail against Nicaragua when the relations
between the pa,tirs have mol changed!
L., us now admit that tie sovereignty is not
in Nicaragua, she not having conquered The
Musqao tribes, it is moi for Great Britain To
claim any berefit from this failure, for
down 20 1856 she denied the sovereignty to b.
in the MusGuians, and iltherc has been a lapse
Of that sovereignty, il ought to innre to til"
common advantage. All naIi"ns, the uri-hic-
ton not hcng in sasages who roam over but
have no, settled any part of the territory
should participate in the benefits ofil,. rrnlrc-