Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-02-05

declaration which, willie it frankly admitted the
undeniable truth that British Honduras was not in
cluded in the treaty. yet positively asserted that the
treaty did include all the Central American States
and their dependencies, and restricted the term de-
Tendencies" as used by Sir Henry L. Bulwer in
his declaration, to the g small islands kuown as the
dependencies Of British Honduras" These small
islands are mentioned in the treaty of 1886 The
principal one is Cayo Casino, or St. Georges Key,
and the others included IN the triangle describ
ed in the treaty. The limits of the Belize settle
ment are described in the treaty of 1856.
Another important fact ought here to be advert
ed to. We cannot say it by authority of MIR. Clay
TON 1t may be that he may think it improper as
diplomatist to disclose the fact, il be true; but
it was certainly rumored outside of the State De-
partment, while the negotiations were depending,
that Lord PALmERsToN had reluctantly yielded to
the treaty, which carried in the British Cabinet
by the influence Of Lords RUSSELL and GREY. 1t
was believed that Lord PALMEzsroN desired to see
the treaty broken Oft, and that she attempt to en-
barrass or prevent the exchange Of ratifcasions by
demanding the recognition of tie British title in
Honduras, and failing in that, to insist on the de-
claration made by Mr.. BULwER, proceeded from his
instructions, which, ID has been said, arrived here
on the Goth of june. 1850 Under such circum-
stances it is clear that Mr.. CLAYTON would have
been highly censurabe IL he had suffered the treaty
to be broken off by the mere declaration of the fact
which no man could deny, that the Bgtish settle
ment in Honduras and its,dependencies were notin-
Guided in the treaty, especially when it was in his
power to counteract any possible inference that could
be made against the meaning of the treaty by The
| couAter declaration that these dependencies were
the @smal islands known to- be the dependencies Of
the British settlement" accompanied by the asser
ton, in which Sir HENRY L. BULwER acqaiesced,
by exchanging the ratfcations upon it without
attempting to controvert it, that the treaty did
include all The territory Of the oe Central An'eri
was believed at the time that had Mr. Bulwer lite
rally followed the instructions of Lord Palmerston,
received here on the 29th of June the treaty would
have been totally defeated; for Mr.. Clayton would
never have assented to the terms proposed by him.
And although both the Ministers, when exchanging
the ratcaons perfectly understood that the treaty
could not be altered without the consent of the Sc
nate, yet Mr. Clayton would not suffer the British
declaration to be made without his counter deeara
ton, to which Sir Henry was compelled to submit
without word of reply before the Publications
exchanged.
1t is plain, therefore, that the effect of ths treaty
was not changed, nor attempted to be changed, in
any particular, by these declarations. Whatever
Central America is, or was is included in the
treaty and whatever British Honduras is, or ever
was this treaty does not pretend to meddle with it.
Mr.. Clayton could have had no excuse or apology
for excluding the British from their little settle
ment at the Belize, comprising territory not larger
than the State of Rhode Island. Mr.. Folks recog.
milton of the existence of British colony there
shut out all hope of successful negotiation such
subject The avowed reason for excluding Bril-
fish colony from Central America was the danger
that it would control the Nicaragua canal in the
event of war. They were therefore excluded by
the treaty from the territory of Central America,
which is about one thousand miles in length. But
MIR. Clayton had no more apology or reason for at
tempting to exclude the English from British Hon
duras thar from Jamaica. Indeed, it would have
been quite easy to negotiate them out Of the one
as the other The protection given to the proposed
canal by the operation of the treaty was all that
could be desired by American capitalists and
the liberation of Central America from British do
minion ought to reflect the highest honor on the
negotiation.
In regard to that part of the article of the Union
which quotes passage from the message of Gen.
TAYLOR, transmitting the treaty to the Senate, that
it protected any communication by canal or rail-
road across the Isthmus, commencing in the south
ern part of Mexico, and terminating in the territory
of New Grenada" it is plain that the object Of the
quotation is to use it, it has been used by Others
for the purpose of showing that Gen. Taylor adj
mitted that these the limits Of the territory
from which Great Britain was excluded by the
treaty The absurdity Of such a construction of
Gen. Taylor's language will appear at once to any
man who will read the eighth article Of the treaty.
! by which the high contracting parties "agree to
extend their protection by treaty spulations to any
other practicable communications, besides that by
Nicaragua whether by canal or railway, across the
Isthmus which connects North and South America,
and especially to the inter-oceanc communications,
should the same prove to be practicable, whether
by canal or railway, which are now proposed to be
established by the way of Tehuantepec or Panama"
How disingenuous, then, is the attempt to impose
upon the public mind the idea that these were the
limits Of the country described by Gen. TAYLOR as
tba NATURAL tarr,torv Those Limits contained