The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-25

impsrsans 0svs0snss - Central America
ssluuonNeg the y nss4aaeu Qass4soa. n
i 1here probably no rszt sasshe whsls go % sAs
Antilles. 70 which public attcntiss hse bssu ofns,
directed Than that Of Gan joan d Nicas.eus, rta
Sppsssdinpsrtaaee, as probably the snly Atls,tis
terminus for . ship osAsl between the two oceans
Its sssure by ths English, under pressnce Of ruo.
porting the Territorial rights OF the supposito.,
King Of the Mssauitos"-and Sc subseguent
ansnsious position nndeS the Clayton and Bulser
had f0s one q, ;.s avewed objects the
-.s... ~art-all
're.y W.. To r.
final settlement Of the
these sre amongst the causes which have W
tributed to invest IL With interest. Few, never
thsleas, are swars Of lis actual political relations,
or h.vs the sightss. idea Of what they may here
after become. Upon these points We arc able TO |
give 20 ne information.
Can Juan was settled BY Spain, carly 10 the ~.
tenth century is was fortified by hex D. 1855
md By 10, u ceSu,e wss crested the po. Of entry
for the p.ovinse Of Nicaragua, in l7s6 Uoon ia
bs troops Of Nicarssua, and s'.bseqasndy ossupisd
by the new republic ne isa principal Atlantic port,
without dispGte, until 1913 Early in that yea, 1t
was seized by an EsgIisb naval 5erce, under tho
pressnco that it psftained to the Sominsns Of tho
fantas,ic Mosquito King, who. had bee,me the
stalking horse Of Eoglish designs on Central
America. From that per .Aed until 1850 il re-
NAMED in English hands .shss is to say, 1t was
under the sole aushorit' Of . parsonage styled
the EOglish Cons A in kesquito,n who
comprised in his own Or sop oil legislative and cxe-
cutive power--wko sold lands and promulgated
tariffs under the G. Jneula. seal also made genera,
and oea regula'i' ns-wss chief Of police, and, in
short, general Ad AZ soluts Dictator, from whose
DEGREES there wa no sppeal Ho was supported BY
. BODY OF Negro, police frsm jamaica, and, mosi
generally, ~ hr,sish vessei of war in the harbor
30 thiDgsr Gaaa~ed MP 60 1850, when the tide o.
emigration Scgas to 'i,ow through Nicaragua to
Gal lorna TIA senons concerned in the transit,
and the pa acnss reaching there found themselves
annoyed 'Sy oy pressive customs regulations, and
they beg An to inquire by what authority they were
im' osed. 1t was found that they had been pro
nulgattd by pereon styling himself Captain o!
the Po<t, who, in turn, IL further ascer aimed
DERIVED hm authority from the "Br :ish Consul .
Pass sns;er refused 60 pay this Kind Of piraicA i'm
post, and troubles ensued, which led the English
Cover invent, by an order froEi Downing street, to
revoke the anem aous tariff which was tho object Of
complaint To have continued it, would have pro
sesea too close an inquiry into the extent and ma
ture OF EDs'ish relations en- the Mosquito shore.
Meantime. Juan had received large increase
Of foreign population, chiefly American. Tbs new
residents began to look inso the origin and nature of
their government, and talked Of superseding i. by
one having soander and more Legitimate basis
This movement vas at first discouraged by the whole
forco Of the English influence But it soon took
more decided form, and the polite Consul s,ugh to
direct and control, what he could no longer oppose
In consequence. call for public meeting was is-
tutd, signed BY James Green, Her Britannia Msjss.
ty'o acting sgent and Consul General, for the pur
pose Of organizing town government. c,nri-
tusioD, 70 called, was drawn ND, providing for the
electien of a council e be composed Of Eve alder
ncD, Of which the agent Of ais Mosquito n ,jesty,"
who, DO it always remembered, is der Britannia
Mojesy's Consnl Gonersl-was to be, er e6scto, the
presiding officer This council was invested With
certain legislative and judicial functions, aud in
the latter capacity was called the Kings Court.
That is TO say, this constitution was framed With
Mosquito King and of the British super juris ction
in the person OF the British Consul General Il was
dated April 10, lS5i-more than nine months after
the p,Omusaton Of the Clayton and Baser treaty,
whereby the United States and Great Britain agreed
to neither "oscupy, foriiy, or colonise or assume
or oxersise any dominion over Nicaragua, tho M,s-
quito shore, or any part Of Central Amersa'
Soon after tho Organization Of this new local
~ thc p,,S;
Consul acting through it, instituted series of port
charges, although the port was actually In a state
Of nature, and had been in No wise artiGeislly i'm
proved. An American passenger steamer refused to
fubmit 10 this imposition, and was fred on BY a
Bri,ish yensl Of ear-theinterpssition of which had
been solicited, and by whom Her Britannie Ma
jssty's Consul General The act, when brought 10.
fore the British government Was disayowed, and
there the matter ended,
Subsequently, the Impression becam. general
amongst the people Of San Juan tina. all this jugsls
of constitution was intended to obtain from
them recognition Of the fictitious Mosquito su.
thority, though which England sought to obtain
permanent footing ia the country. Recognizing
the Nicaragua title to the port as the only valid
one, they, in consequences, callei public meeting
on the 2S,h Of February last Us52), when the fol-.
lowing resolutions were adopted
Resolved That whereas tao citizens Of San Juan
de csogua being deercus TO for ourseivoe the
hbery ana proec persons our interests 70
which We sIe tntiIled and desiring gove-nms Mt in
which We thali be represented and by wbich rsons
and property will BIZ prorected feeling that acion
On cur par Is called for to obtain those privileges when
we do not nov do therefore 10 appoint
and delegate tpch ci2ens have confidence in 20
precd 10 the ce al Of the State Of Nicaragua trsat
and negotiate with the government OF said State
ehorer Of u ctrporation gvIg and grantng us such
sha privileges m may enable Us to establish gov
ernmt mt and elect such tcers may rightSuly and
properly aoministor such laws ordinances a. INV ~
us be enacted
Resolved That the chairman appoint ffcen delegates
% proceed 70 the cspal Of kcsragus the purp $50
OF obtaining from that goyernment charter empo senC
the czers OF San Juan TO establish a fee port and
territ<r.Ai and local government
Now, these facts being promised, We can under.
stand the action Of the Nicuragua government, an
unced in the etter Of our San Juan correspondent