Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-10-16

quito King ard his chiefs placed themselves under inc
protection Of England, and hatthe Governor of lanai
ca The name OF hs sovereign accepted this profer
and promised them the royal protection
IL is further stated that in l749 fort was erected by
British force from Jamaica and the royal n no
"thus making formal publication 10 the world and
the crown of Spain that the Independent cLuntiy OF the
coast was under the direct sovereignty and pfotecton
of Great Britain" This assumption Is p.acei upou the
ground that the Mosluito nation never suhuga.d
by Spain: that il had always retained its
character. that since the downfall OF Monrzpmn lhr
tribes under the Mesquite Kings have had rec. gnsed
territory pertaining % themselves, md governed by
laws administered h! llieir own hereditary rulers.
Now this Mosquito country Is included within the
limits of the State 81 Nicaragua, which has ne YER re-
cognsed any such Kingdom as that Of Mosquito. II
the wild savaaes .uhaht!ne the Mosquito Coast have
been allowed al i through that region has
been some what after the fashion Of the Sem,uoles in
Floiida-,ie country not being attractive enough IL
draw II TO any o;hrr occupants. The Government o
Nicaragua regards the British Intervention and claim
in some such HIGHT a. We would regard a treaty be
tween Victoria and BLOW BOW.lcgs, by which Billy
should undertake Ia put himself and his people unde
the royal protection q: England.
The occasion winch has brought this matter 10 tht
notice OF our Government is simply this: The State q
Nicaragua has granted 10 an American Company IN,
privilege of or5b'ne communication between lie Al
lanc and the Pacific by the route nf the San Juan ri
yer and the Lake Nicaragua This facl having becon,
known, the British Consul al New York gave notice
TO the Nicaragua Company thar Great Britain had GER
tain rights Of sovereignty over the territory through
which their projected route lay; that the Mosquito
country der British pIoleclioB and that lie
instructed TO inform the Company that the "boundary
line Of The Mosquito Kingdom touches the - Johns
river nj the Mechura rapid about thirty miie-bclow the
Lake Nicaragua and that from thence In the mouth o
the ST Johns the navigation Of that river belongs IL
MusquitO."
Company that il- port Of S. Johns, now called Grey
Town, AZ which they have agreed with the Nicaragua
Government 10 build store, also belongs 10 Mesquite
that her Majasty's government Is bound TO protect the
tha xtYt,1
which he POSSESSES over Grey Town and The lower
part of The 81 Johns and that the government OF
Nicaragua as entered into an agreement in regard 10
places where II has M competence "
We have learned hos Ii happened that the Of
fetal announcement nf these claims the part Of The
British Government came from Consul and not from
the diplomatic representative OF that Government
The claims themselves extraordinary in their own ma
turs Involve question Of sovereignty which II does
not belong 10 consular functions discuss. II IL said
however, that the subject has brought CORES
pondencr between the Slate Department al washing
ton and the British Government.
To give color 20 TIE prstensinns Of Great Britain in
this affair, II seems that few years ago, probably In
lsal the ceremony OF crowning a King Of Mosquito
was performed ~ IL, British settlement al Baiize.
poor farce II was-hat Il is likely To become 4 srrons
business enough if he claims advanced by the British
Consul 10 he seriously pressed by his Government
The ohec; Is sufficiently PLAIN. IL Is TO- exclude he.
ricans from The posses,io of the Nicaragua route and
TO hold i. IL British hands.
The Third ant las, route agaed is The Tehu.
anlepcc foul-. fosl Nonherly and nearest 10
US. New O!ie as recently been aroused 10 a
high pitch OF excitement and enthusiasm in be.
hall OF this route. An immense meeting, the
Governor in ,'e Chair, has passed resolutions
calling on o. :oyernmeul TO obtain The right oil
way and urgiLs IS construction, for the ranspor.
taton Of United States mails and troops and our
vast commerce. The merits of The route are
well sci forth in r1wertul speeches made al the
meeting by Messf,. Benjamin and Larue, who
far preferable 10 ary other for connecting the Al
Iantic with The Pacific. The subject is deeply in
leresirg anil We make no apology Tor extracting
copious!y from the summary Of their speeches in
the New Orleans Cres eni:
Such road a IVES contemplated (said Mr..
Beniamin) would shorten The distance from New
Oneans 10 San Francisco by some 200 or $40
miles ard from New IGis 10 the same port by
al least 400 mile. This statement was in IL
sell sufficient 10 reader the construction Of The
road highly desirable, and il no Instrumental bic
cbdacle presented isrli, the road should he built
aud the connection OF the two oceaus which may
~, De cOmlit'cI.
The gentleman proceeded 10 STATE that the first
survey Of he Islhmus-at least the frs OF any
accuracy made 10 1925 by Two Commis-
siuners, appointed one by the Stae Vi Vera
Cruz, and the oll-l by The Federal Government
of Mexico Cer,ain instruments were, however,
wanting To this commission, and accordingly The
survey was FOL sufficiently accurate Tor any cal.
culations 10 be based thereon. Mr.. Benz amin
said lha, he derived his best information and that
ON which he mostly relied from Two sources, q:
rem lhe observations oil Mr-Trasiour, an eug.
neer OF science and experience, who passed Two
wears on lha lsihmus and was active In his OBJ.
servalons all The time, and from The survey Vt
Gaelano Moro, made under the directions OF Don
Jose de Garay, the graulee oil the Mexican Go
verumenl for the right OF way across fehuane-
pee. Moros survey was made by full and
skitul corps CT engineers, and len months we're
employed in The important undertaking. As TO
MIR. Trasiour's facts, they agreed IN all essential
points with those OF Garays commission, though
tnerc were differences, due 10 III fact mat Mr.
Traslouf was alone in his observations, and could
not possibly make a sl,vey so extensive and ac-
curaIe as tnal ol Moro and his com mission.
In The FIRST place, then, Moro found the dis.
lance from ocean 10 ocean 10 BE- $50 miles, and
The country between might, 10! the purposes oil
description, be divided into two sections, one
extending from the Gulf oil Mexico to the high
est point between The two seas, the table land
oil Tarlfa, and !ts other stretching from Tarlla
TO The Pacific Ocean. II behooved US to in
duire first what sort Of harbor there was on
Inc Gulf side Of the ls'hmus; and we might
learn from a geographer as old as Baloi that
The harbor 1t The mouth Of The Coatzacoalc' $
was inferior 10 none on the whole Gulf Of
hot ~ ba Mics
As to the depth II IT, channel al the mouth oi
The Coa,zacoaIcos, & ographers had differed
some asserting that .ere we're only IL or Ia
feet water o. he bar, while others said they
had found as a.ucn as 20 feet. Mr. Moro's al.
teu,ion was Carefully directed TO this point, and
he found that be !. The soundings were proba-
bly, correct; for be noticed that there were two
principal channels, one of which was from IL
to Is feet deep, according TO the sla'e OF The
tides while the CHER had as much as ~ feet
clear. The entrance, then 10 the Coazacoal>
cos was favorable and admitted the passage OF
ships drawing 90 feet water at all seasons Of
the year.
Aler entering inc Coa'zacoalcos the river has
an average deph OF 70 feel, wnh IN ordinary
width ot $50 yards for 80 miles from lis mou h.
From the latter point 10 us Junction with The Jal>
tepec, 60 miles rom its mouth. IL. river is navl-
gable for vessels drawing Is 'ect. From The Gull
10 the junction ci The Coa!zacualcos and Jaliepec,
there is an ascent ui ID lecl, and there remains
OILY Goo ice: Cf elevation L. be overcome before
we reach The Isoe land Of Tariia. whence We be-
gin 10 descent towards the Pacific. The great
poinl TO Consider on The Wes.ern Slope was whe
.ber cool ha!b,r could be obtained on thai
side. This Mr.. Benjamin said, was point he
studied with considerable labor and soliciuie,
and he could say mat he was perfectly convinced
OF The leasibinl, OF making good harbor on Inc
Pacific, II one wa, no, already in existence. Nj.
Traslour H. .a.d, tal doubted the fac; but Mr..
Trssoufs obseIya ,oGs were all made by him
self alone, while Moro had, al his disposal, a
number ol Persons wao could do as much in ten
months as single mar, no matter how scientific
and experienced could do in len years Mr. Ben,
jamin remarked ;asa, Thai IN approaching The
Pacific from TaIi;s, .dc traveller tnis Two lakes,
an upper aat a 80; lake, into which flow no.
merous sma !! noun aln srrams Thss streams
carry down ith them de!rilus and bouldcrs lrom
the G rdiiisras, ana mas where The waters Of IN
Likes com, il cs.:sct wnh the waters OF the
ocean a bat is t.s.aed. The enaaace from The
Pacific inlo The lower lake is called Bocca Bans:
and This is a simple work, as here are no allu-
sAsNs ! h,, ~ u,h ich