Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-04-02
In SENATE, MAncH Is, 1853.

Of ILLINOIS, UAldscGslon of The Central american Treaty
concluded aoah Great Britain on The l9M Apra, 1850.
In SENATE, MARCH Is, 1853.
Mr.. DOUGLAS and Mr. MASON having both replied to the
speech of Mr. CLAYTON Of the 9Th of March, las heretofore
putlished)-
blr. CLAYTON to-day to answer them, and said :
Mr.. President, have heard both the Senator from
Illinois (Mr. DouaLAs) and the Senator from Virginia,
Mr. MASON and shall reply to both. And first, let me
notice the remarks of the honorable chairman of the Com
nttee Foreign Relations Mr.. MMoN) in defence Of
his report. The Senator from Illinois, who is member
OF that commttee says for himself by way Of excuse,
suppose that he not present when read in
mttee and accordingly he does not attempt to defend
The late Senator from Kentucky, (r UNDERWOOD, an
other member of the committee announced his dissent
from it when the report was made The honorable chair
man, (hIr MASON for whom have great respect de-
fends it STILL after all have said to refute it. But it
cannot escape observation that he has been able to
produce any authority to sustain it besides that which
the report itself forth What that Why, moth
ing according to his present showing than the
assertion by Guatemala in some mans purely {. perLe
maps, each entitled to no more credit than plat oi
farm made by claiming who has never been in pos
session of it and sought to obtain it, But do not
agree with him that the maps he has produced do prove
that Guatemala makes any claim to the Belize territory
within the limits of the treaty of 1856 The map made
by order of the Chief Of the State of Guatemala, d.
Mariana Galvcz appears like every other map made by
Guatemala which have seen, to be constructed without
scientific arrangement, and its face unreliable;
and if understand it, the chairman is entirely mistaken
in his inference from it that includes Belize within the
limits of the State of Guatemala The lines appear be
dotted which designate her boundaries and dotted
lines marked around Belize, if to exhibit it
separate territory The honorable chairman and draw
different nfcrences from the paper and the paper
itself is no authority for either of US.
As to his remarks the passages from Humboldt and
Alcedo quoted by me- only desire others look at
them and decide between Humboldt does not in the
passage cited by the honorable Senator dscredt cedo
in reference to this question: but differs from him in re-
tn Thn In
trey silent in regard to all the other authorities quoted
except the map of Guatemala published by Arrowsmit,
the royal photographer in January, 1926 which he ad
mts proves all stated if it is to be credited but which
he thinks ought to be dscredted because it made by
Englishman. produced it for the very purpose of
showing how Engshmen understood the subject, when
they sought from Mexico and not from Guatemala the
rmation of their claims British Honduras under the
treaty 1885, and obtained the ratification of them by
the treaty with Mexico in December, 1926 The map
does concusvely prove this, it made from the
original survey in the archives of herself But
ask again. why is it that all English authorities to
be wholly disregarded and all the pretension of
Guatemala to be viewed with perfect condence He
says bound to receive her assertions because she
claims it, Ideny that she claims it and if she did, does
not Great Britain also claim it under grant from Mexi-
coz And has she not been in the undsputed possession
of it since Guatemala had existence State The
honorable Senator may well express doubts Of the concu
sion arrived at in his report since he has had time to look
into the many other authorities 70 which referred him.
and to which he has made not the slightest exception.
1t is true the Senator states that Mr. Webster did,
in letter to Mr. Murphy Of the 9th of August, lS4l,
speak of the Irishman John Gando, as q Colonel Calm
do distinguished officer in the Central American army
and of his mission to England being accredited by
the Government Of Central America" But it is also
true that Mr.. Murphy, writing from Guatemala the
10th January 1872 Informed Mr. Webster of the impo-
sition which caused his mistake. The rishman John
Gando now called in the report Don Galindo" the
Minister, was, said mpostor; and the letter of
Mr. Murphy proves that there smsreprescnta-
ton Of his official character in the letter of Alive
rez himself Who could rely such testimony, even if
it had stated that Belize in Guatemala? Sir, sub
nit t that there shadow Of evidence left to sustain
the position that Belize is in the State of
Guatemala and knowing that have fully refuted the
port, leave il.
As to my letter to Mr. Bulwer, which is counterde-
caraton 10 prevent msconstrncon of his letter Of the
4th Of July 1885, the chairman perfectly right in his
report that it did to any alteration of the
treaty to the possible inference that the eminent
domain in Great Britain the Belize The letter al
expressly states that the dependencies Of Belize are
" the small islands kRoWR to be dependencies Of British
Honduras; it declares also, without contradiction that
the treaty does embrace all the Central American Re-
pubcs, with all their just limits proper dependen-
ces With these facts before him. any man may decide
the honorable charmans appeal from the Senate the
Secretary Of State.
The Senator from Virginia undertook to state the facts
in regard TO the declaration Of Sir Henry L. Buwer
my Of the 4th Of July 1850 In do
ing this he has omitted Of the facts He omitted
observe TO state that Congress officially informed by
me, almost lmeuatey hiterthe exchange OF rahcatons,
that British Honduras not included in the treaty
1850 He has omitted to state that the public were also
apprzed of the fact at the very moment OF the first pub
cation Of the treaty, and that complaint was ever
made Of the exclusion Of British Honduras the treaty
by any till the 9th Of January last more than two
years after every knew it, had reason to know it.
Above all, he omitted to state-what publicly known
here and esewherehat at the very moment of the ex-
change of ratifcatons officially informed by Mr.
King the chairman Of your Committee on Foreign Rela-
tons that the Senate at the time voting the treaty
perfectly understood that British Honduras was in
cuded in the treaty. Ii they did-and they dare not
deny the statement OF their own official organ the chair
Of that commiteewhy is IL that so elaborate and
perseverng effort is made to ncucae the absurd no
ton that British Honduras included in the treaty
have here before the letter Of your own chairman
your organ to inform Of your views-the letter
Of Mr. King himself IL is conclusive of the fact that the
Senator and all others who against the treaty
perfectly understood at the time that the territory Of
British Honduras not included in the treaty All I'm
derstood it then but few have said they did not under
stand it and few others try prove il is not where
their official organ declared to me they perfectly
dersoodit to be when the treaty was ratified by them
They try to convict their own organ appointed by them
to communicate with me, of msstatement or Co con
yict themselves Of ignorance The late Senator fonI
North Carolina, Mr.. MAYGUM,) who with Mr.. Webster
was on the Committee Foreign Relations at the time
stated that every member of that committee understood
the treaty precisely their chairman understood IT,
MY object In offering the second resolution was to give
the new Administration fair opportunity Of examining and
deciding Tor itself the question without any previous
committa of this body whether the little islands Of
Koatan, Bonaca, Utla, Barbarat Helena and Morat,
are or are not within the limits of the State Of Hondu
ras IL they are and the reports of English occupation
OF them De true, then the treaty has been violated So
too If the newspaper reports Of the occupaton Of Trux
lilo and Lmas, in Central Americ, be t,ne that would