The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-01-13
OUR FOREIGN RELATIONS DISCLOSURES, PER
PLEXITIEs AND CONTRADICTIONS.

week to discussions affecting our Foreign Rela
tions.
Our Congressional record contains brie
notice of serious misunderstanding respecting
the treaty with Great Britain. of 1850, in
regard to affairs in Central America. We pro
pose to say something more on this subject.
By that treaty, neither party was to "occu
Ply, or fortify, or colonize, or assume any domn
ion over, Nicaragua Costa Rica the Mosquito
Coast, or any part of Central America" II
was the general opinion in this country that by
this arrangement the whole of Central Ameri
ca was exempted from British colonization OF
domination but recent communication from
the President in reply to a call for information
by the Senate, puts different face upon the
matter. 1t embraces the following Documents
which shows that secret construction was
agreed to by the negotiators which evidently
changed the meaning of the treaty az conveyed
legitimately by its terms:
DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
/ WASHINGTON, July A, 1850.
SIR | have received the declaration you
| were lu5tTuCucu ny your OOFernultut 10
to me- respecting Honduras and it's dependen-
cies, a copy of which is hereto subjOined.
The language of the first article of the con
vention, concluded on the 18th day of April
last, between the United States and Great Brit
ain, describing the country not to be occupied
&c, by either of the parties, was, as you know,
twice approved by your Government and it
was neither understood by them, nor by either
of us (the negotiators) to include the British
settlement in Honduras, commonly called Brit
lsh Honduras, as distinct from the State of Hon.
| duras) nor the small islands in the neghbor-
| hood of that settlement which may be known
as its dependencies To this settlement and
these islands the treaty we negotiated was not
| intended by either OF us to apply. The title to
them it is now, and has been, my intention
throughout the whole negotiation to leave as
the treaty leaves it, without denying affirming
or in any way meddling with the same, Just as
it stood previously. The Chairman of the Com
mittee on Foreign Relations of the Senate the
Hon. VIM K. King informs me that the Sen
ate perfectly understood that the treaty did not
include British Honduras" 1t was understood
to apply to, and does include, all the Central
American States of Guatemala, Honduras, San
Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa RIGA, with
their just limits and proper dependencies The
difficulty that now arises seems to spring from
the use in our convention, of the term Cen
trail America" which we adopted because Wis
count Palmerston had assented to it. and used
1T as the proper term-we naturally supposing
that on this account, it would be satisfactory
to your Government but if your Government
now intend to delay the exchange of ratifca-
tons until we shall have fixed the precise lin
its of Central America, we must defer further
action until We have further information on
both sides, to which at present we have no
means of resort, and which it is certain we
could not obtain before the term fixed for ex-
changing the notifications would expire. 1t is
not to be imagined that such is tho object of
your Government; for not only would this
course delay, but absolutely defeat, the conven-
ton.
OF course, no alteration could be made in
the convention, as it now stands without refer
ring the same to the Senate; and do not un-
derstand you as having authority to propose
any alteration. But, on some future occasion,
conventional article clearly stating what are
the limits of Central America, might become
advisable.
There is another matter still more important
which the stipuatiOns of the convention direct
that we shall settle, but which you have no in
to invite the attention of your Government to
it" the distance from the two ends of the
CANAL within which vessels Of the United
States or Great Britain, traversing the said
| canal shall in case OF war between the con-
tracing parties, be exempted from blockade,
detention, or capture, by either of the beliger-
ents" The subject is one of deep interest and
| shall be happy to receive the views of your
| Government in regard to it, as soon as it may
be convenient for them to decide upon it,
! renew to you, sir the assurances of the dis
tinguished consideration with which have the
honor to be your obedient servant
JOHN NJ CLAYTON:
To the Right Honorable SIR Henry
L. Bul,cer, &c, Sc.
Declaration.
In proceeding to the exchange of the ratif-
cations of the convention, signed at Washing
ton, on the 9th of April, 1850, between her
Britannia Majesty and the United States of
America, relative to the establishment of q
communication by ship canal between the At
lantic and Pacific oceans the undersigned, her
Britannia Majesty's plenipotentary has receiv-
ed her Majesty's instructions to declare that
her Majesty does not understand the engage
ments of that convention to apply to her Ma
jesty's settlement at Honduras or to it's de-
Tendencies Her Majesty's ratification of the
said convention is exchanged under the explicit
| declaration above mentioned.
| Done at Washington, the 29th day of June,
1850. n. l.. BULwER.
Memorandum.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
WASHINGTON, July 5, 1850
The within declaration of Sir X. l.. Bulwer
was received by me on the goth day of June.
1850 10 reply, wrote him my note of the
4th of July, acknowledging that understood
British Honduras was not embraced in the
treaty of the 9th day of April last but, at the
same time, carefully declining to affirm OF deny
the British title in their settlement or its alleg-
cd dependencies. After signing my note, last
night delivered il to Sir Henry, and we i'm
mediately proceeded, without any further or
other action, to exchange the ratfcations Of
said treaty The consent of the Senate to the
declaration was not required, and the treaty
was ratified as it stood when it was made
JOHN M. CLAYTON.
n b. The rights of no Central American
State have been compromised by the treaty or
by any part Of the negotiation
Mr. Clayton, in behalf of the American Elk.
ecutve, and quoting Mr., King as authority for
the concurrent views Of the Senate, declares
that it was perfectly understood by all parties
that the treaty did not include British Hondu-
ras With declaration to the same effect,
the British Government consents to its ratifca-
ton.
This disclosure created much sensation in
the Senate; and last Thursday Mr.. Cass took
occasion to say, that had he been apprized OF
such an understanding he never would have
voted for the treaty. Similar declarations were
made by Messrs. Chase and Downs. Mr. Chase
remarked
"The covenants of the treaty are indeed ey.