The New York herald., 1851-10-18

his Instructions issued for the purpose Of screening
an over-zealous officer; for it seems incredible thai
Great Britain cherished the cold blooded design Of
robbiDg Honduras of these portions of her territory
in the face Of her own treaties of 1856 and 1914,
and her own dsavowa of the seizure of the islands
in 1880. The assumption Of the responsibility of
Maodonald's misdeeds did not necessarily imply
that Great Britain pretended to territorial rights in
the islands. But, kept in awe by Chat6elds threats
and by blockades and other violent measures, on
frivolous pretexts, Honduras hestated to re- assert
her authority, and confined herself to the only re-
sort of weak power, remonstrance and protest
In the meantime, a number Of negroes liberated
slaves from the the Cay man islands, established
themselves here. Upon their reports, others fol-
lowed, and in the course Of few years the popula-
tion, by increase and emigration, amounted to up
wards of thousand. For some time they appear
to have been without any form of government, liv-
ing in very primitive style; but with the increase
Of inhabitants, they organized kind of council,
and elected its members from amongst themselves.
This condition of things did not escape the watchu
eye of the Belize superintendent, who, the Cay
man islanders were British subjects, failed not to
discover here some kind of pretex for assuming the
control and sovereignty of the islands. He seems
to have informed the inhabitants, at various times,
that, as English subjects, he should be glad if they
desired it, to nominate magistrates in the island to
keep the peace between them; that hs did not
claim the authority to interfere in their local
affairs, but that he willing to do so, on their
application to that effect 1t would appear, how
ever that the islanders preferred to elect their own
magistrates, the principal of whom was Mr..
Fitzgibbon, citizen of the United States. 1t was
not until the com IN enceu ant of last vaar hat
having been properly instructed in their role, they
"applied'' to Col. Fancourt "to establish a regu-
lar form of government in the islandp' How far
this "application' was brought about by the Eng.
lish agents it is not necessary to inquire; it was
certainly very adroit and plausible way of con-
summatiDg the violence of Macdonald In conse-
quence Of this "application," Capt. Jolly, of the
British navy, was sent to Ruatan by Sir Charles
Grey, Colonial Secretary, to ascertain of the iuha
bitants Qhe $500 or 1000 negroes aforesaid),
whether, if the government appointed paid ma
gistrate in the island they would consent to pay
land tax of shilling acre to the British crown.
To this proposition, commended by the guns of
vessel of war, and a variety of other arguments
equally potent, it is not at all surprising that the
negroes gave their consen.. Thereupon Col. Wood
house, the present superintendent, who qualified
rington, in Ceylon, seems to have gone in person
to Ruatan, where, on the 10th of August last, a
convenient general meeting daily registered his
decrees, and the islands of Rua:an, Bopaca Utila'
Sc, were declared annexed to the Saperin,endency
Of Belize, under the name Of the "Bay Islands
The force of Macdonald was consummated By the
fraud Of Woodhouse, and England fathers the in-
fanny Of both.
g.. 4Los~
"To sum up our acquisitions in Central America
says a recent British author, "we have, at the
present time, exclusive Of such smaller items as
Ruatan and Tigre islands, total of $500 square
miles, or IS 7S1 eco acres, over which we exercise
full control, beng nearly third Of Ceurai America'
and tqual to tieo.Hirds Of The area Of Great Bri
taini" Thus says Mr.. Grove, in his recens
work on Central Ameri,a, p 220) Here is the
confession that England has siezed, in Central
America alone, extent Of territory nearly double
that Of Cuba-seized it by naked force, or on pre-
texts 80 bald and faacious that they serve only to
render conspicuous the crimes which they were de-
signed to conceal
And it is a nation thus guilty, thus "regardless
Of the rights of weaker nations" and addicted to
setting aside the most unques tionabe rules Of ter
ritorial right and political equity" which has the
auda:ty to lecture the United States upon the
common rules of public morality" and to invoke
against i. general combination of civilized
States" constant viola.er Of international law,
and general disturber Of the peace ofthe world!
We had thought that the cry Of stop thief" was
so old and stale expedient that felons had long
ago ceased to resort to it, as more likely to attract
than avert attention. But it seems that We were
mistaken.
IN conclusion, we would respectfully inquire Of
those whose duty it is to the obligations Of other
nations to the United States well those Of the
United States to other nations, faithfully fulfilled,
If the seizure Of these islands be not direct and
ralpable violation Of the famous Clayton and Bull
treaty, which, in It's very first article, provides
that Great Britain shall not occupy, or frtJy, or
col6nise, or assume, erecise any dominion oDer
Nicaragua, Costa Riea, the Mosquilo Coast, or any
gayt of Central An1gico." If the "Bsy Islands are
10. part Of Central America then there is such
country as Central Ameri,a.
The STRANGE IIEREsY TRnL-ANoTIIER HToHER
LAw.-We havs already referred to the trial AMI
conviction Of the Rev. John Little pastor Of the
Befo rmed Presbyterian Church, in this city, the
charge Of her,sy II appears that the reverend gen.
tleman, in a sermon which he resently delivered.
sad, among ether things, that the proyldental ex-
istence OF government entitled it to n :onscien-.
tious obedience; and this was contrary to the