The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-05-08
THE TEHUANTEPEC TREATY.

THE TEHUANTEPEC TREATY.
Our ., atement of the circumstances attend
ing this treaty, on yesterday, being made from
memory, the papers in the case having been
lost or mislaid, was full Of inaccuracies. We
take this opportunity TO correct it, by an arti-
Gle in the New York Times, which is too long
for insertion here.
In the year lS42, Don Jose Garay, q citizen
of Mexico, foreseeing the great advantages Of
fered by the Tehuantepec route, procured
iran, from the Mexican government, of the
exclusive right Of way across it, and of loca-
ting canal or railway for that purpose. The
grant was made on the LIST Of March of that
year, and was signed by President Santa An
ma, who in clause thereof, solemnly pledged
the faith of the nation TO Garay and his as
signs, whether natives or foreigners" that
they should ENJOY the rights therein conferred
without let or hindrance. A war with the Uni
ted States seemed to be then impending, and
the unsettled condition OF affairs thereupon
consequent, prevented Garay from making any
progress with the work. In the meantime he
was nut in possession of the land, and had al.
ready made preparations for commencing ope-
rations before the term of five years, the period
within which, he was required to begin the inn
provement, should have elapsed, when IN the
early part of the year 1916, Santa Anna was
syer,hrown, and Paroles became President OF
the Republic. Garay applied tothe Mexican
Congress for an extension of time, and the
bill founded upon his petition had already
passed the lower House, and had been ap-
proved BY committee ofthe Senate, when Sa-
las succeeded in overthrowing the govern
ment, and making himself Dictator. Ono OF
his FIRST acts was to confirm by decree, the
action of the Congress: giving to Garay an ex-
tension of2 years for the commencement OF the
enterprise, and this latter Immediately entered
80 far upon the work, as to secure the charter.
As the whole power of the government was in
his hands, the grant which he made was GER
tainiy good, SO far as Garay was concerned,
for he could not be expected to look farther
than to the government de facto, and could not
be affected by the legality or illegally of the
tenure by which it held its power. Having Sc
cured the charter, his first act was to sell it to
Messrs. Manning & Mcintosh, English mer-
chants, residing in Mexico.
That the Mexican government, which sue
ceeded that of Salas regarded the charter as
perfectly valid, is evident from the fact, that
when MIR. Trist, acting under the instructions
ofPresident Polk, offered sl50O0,000 for the
right of way across the Isthmus of Tehuante-
pee, he was met by positive refusal, and the
reason assigned was that, "Mexico could not
treat on this sui ject, because she had, several
years before, made grant to one OF her own
citizens, who had transferred his rights, by au-
thority of the Mexican government, TO ENG
LIsH SUBJECTS, OF WHOSE RIGHTS MEXICO
COULD NOT DISPOSE" These repeated sane
tons Of the Mexican government, but more
especially the last, induced MIR. Hargous, an
eminent merchant from New York, at that time
residing in Mexico, to buy the grant from
Messrs. Manning e. Mcintosh, who were the
"English subjects alluded to. By this pur.
chase he placed himself, according to every
code of laws upon the face of the earth, exactly
in the position which the vendees had occupied
in such position, in other words, that Mex.
leo could not "dispose of his rights" In fact,
no one disputed them, or thought of disputing
them. So secure were they believed to be,
that passports were made out by the Mexican
Ministers, for the American surveying corps,
and orders issued to the Governor Of Tehuan.
tepec and Oaxaca, TO afford them all possible
facilities in the prosecution Of their labors B ut
to prevent any misunderstanding upon the SUBJ
ject, the American government proposed to set
tie all matters by an international treaty, and
Mexico at once conserving. appointed Gomez
PedraZa commissioner, to meet Mr.. Letcher
for that purpose. The treaty was executed in
the city of Mexico, in 1850, and having been
transmitted to Washington, was ratified by the
Senate, and sent back to Mexico for ratiica-
ton there 1t confirmed the rights of Mr. Har-
gous, in every particular, and in the strongest
possible terms. Before il reached Mexico.
however, English agen,s'had succeeded in in
stilling into the Congress Of that nation, views
altogether new, and had induced them to repu-
diate the grant altogether, on the ground that
Salas had no power to make it. At the
same time, other DEGREES of the Dictator
continued in force as the Supreme law of the
land, and the very same Congress declared
law Of the State of Sonora void and of no effect
BECAUSE 1T VIOLATED A DECREE OF SALAs
UPON CoLokIzATros!" The surveying corps,
as our readers may recollect, were ordered of,
every means was resorted TO to influence
the people Of the country through which the
survey was made, against them, and they were
threatened with violence. The excitement
created against the Americans, amounted al
most to phrenzy, and il was under such circum-
stances that the Congress, in terror of their
lives from the violence of the people, unani.
mously rejected the treaty.
Such are the outlines of this iniouitous
transaction, which, there can be no doubt was
brought about by British influence. The treaty.
was rejected entirely from hatred to the Amer;.
cans. festsred and encouraged BY English EN-.
insariea