The southern press., 1851-09-17
From The London Times, Aug. %.
The Nicaragua ROute.

In FEBRUARY, lS4s, the Times directed public
atten ion to the desirabeness of transit route
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, by way of Lake
Nicaragua. At the time we exeacised an inof-
fensive con.r,l over the Mosquito territory,
which commanded the entrance to the passage,
our West India colonies gave US an interest, as
they still do in every thing connected with the
region we possessed already lines Of steamers
both on the Atlantic and the Pacific side our
traffic from ocean to ocean. in the shape of
specie and passengers, was so considerable as
TO call for our fullest activity with regard to
everything that might facilitate it; and, above
all, the privileges necessary for the construction
of the route in which Nicaragua, Costa Rica
and I'll, Mosquito territory were interested,
were instantly obtainable on such moderate
rms as would have been consequent on the
absence of compeiion. Nothing was done how.
ever A scheme based upon commercial con-
sideratons, and which 10 be appreciated required
comprehensive faith in the inevitable march OF
western civilization, had few attractions after
period of excitement when fortunes were to be
made by anything rather than the exercise of
judgment and knowledge Of the laws of ne,
groes
The enterprise, moreover, according to some
was not sufficiently exclusive, and would merely
result in the loss of our capital for the benefit
of the Americans, who were too shrewd to ua
dertake il themselves" A few months after.
wards the announcement came that the Ameri-
cans, aroused 10 the value of the route had lost
no time in opening negotiations in N caragua
and had actually succeeded in concluding q con-
tract. The cry was then raised that they were
seeking 10 grasp Central America; that they
would construct the canal and exclude our yes
sells from entering IL upon eqnal terms, and that
we must forthwith prevent their Proceedings by
contesting, In the name of the King Of Musquito
the right of Nicaragua 10 concede the route
The answer 10 this was the arrival Of two COM
ni1sioners from the company to offer TO English
capitalists, upon little more than nominal terms,
clear half of all the privileges which they had
acquired by their promptitude, and which W, re
now teld under joint guarantee Of protection
from the government Of the United States and
Great Britain.
The de-ire for participation, however, was
again cooled as soon rs II was found that il could
be gratfed. The prud nee Of Engl-hmen in
1850 was enocgh TO compensate for the entire
history Of 1916, and where ES00,0O0 900 had
once been considered a moderate outlay to be
hcnrred during two or three Yeas for local
traffic, the possible ex endture by England and
the United States combined of fa00 600 per
traffic Of the globe was something almost g. o
much even for congress of capitalists to con.
template. A direct purchase, therefore, wns out
OF the question, and il was apparently only from
sense Of patriotism and Of the shame that
would be incurred If tie power of accepting the
offer should be wholly lost to us, that at the
eleventh hour an agreement was entered into
with the view Of securing its renewal at fair
price if the company should ultimately succeed
in amonstrating the feasibility of their under
takirg In Octobt last this agreement was an
nounced in the Times. and Messrs. Vanderbilt
and White, the commissioners Of the compiny.
returned to New York with the int, lIirence To
their colleagues that they must proceed in their
work without any co operation from this side
until tho results Of co operation would be 70
longer doubtful
From that date there have been almost
monthly assertions Of impending failure Wi h.
out British capital" their attempts, il was said.
would erd in hopeless Insolvency. Costa Rica.
moreover, would contest the territory through
which they would pass Mosquito, also, might
still be made n cause Of quarrel. Other CON-
peting schemes, too, would extinguish them.
Their two boats first sent out Gone Of which il
ut present or the Lakc) were "totally wrecked"
The assertion that they were forming road
uNeI Iic t"CiNc uilieS Ol lanu IfOtn We Lave W
the Pacific was alleged on the authority Of two
travellers 10 be n deusion, ard, finally, within the
last fortnight we have bad the statement that
their privile- es, which had been guaranteed by
England and America, had been suddenly re-
voked by the state Of Nicaragua. more re.
markab!e history Of Encouragement was per-
haps never recorded, and was eertainly never ter
minated in more concise or interesting wsy
than by one Of the simple paragraphs in the Am.
erican News Of Monday morning -" The pas.
sengers by the Pacific steamer arrived at San
Juan del Sur (Nicaragua) with the California
mails on the 10th Of July, crossed the Isthmus