The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-02-14

City Hail. Brooklyn, up to the time of his funeral.
Mr.. Brewer served in the Mexican war with great
credit, being at the time attached to the First Regi
ment of New York Volunteers. Sergeant Henry
Stanton, also gallant member of the New York
Volunteers buried at Greenwood yesterday, with
military honors.
Important Report OF the Committee
Foreign Relations OF the Senate-The Der
nier Issue.
The telegraphc synopsis Of the report of the
Committee on Foreign Relations ~ the Senate,
on the subject of British eHsr oachments in
Central America, published il the HERALD tf
Saturday although meagre, has not failed to
arrest public attention. TIE report itself we
understand, is very full and conclusive. 1t re-
lates to two points =
LIST. The seizure of The islands Of Ruatan,
Bonacca. Utila, Barbacat, Helena, eSd Morat
and their organization as a colony of Great
Britain under the denomination Of the BAY
IslanasD
I'd. The occupation in soyereifs ~, and the
organization as aSolony, of that y TT of Guate-
mala known as Belize, or. vulgar'y and impro-
perly, British honduras
The question of the value which is to be at
cached to the er-post facto understanding be-
tween Messrs. Clayton and Bulwer, in respect to
the treaty Of 1885, is also alluded to in this re-
port but only as an incident, and as subordinate
to the more important issues which the aggres-
sions of Great Britain have raised. This under
standing in the opinion Of the committee,
amounts to nothing more than an admission
that whatever legal rights England possesses
in Belize are unaffected by the treaty. What
these rights are is well known they consist on
! ly of a precarious license to cut dyewood, and
nothing more. If England transcends those
rights, she violates, not only the treaty, but
also the supplementary understanding between
Messrs. Clayton and Bulwer. A reservation of
legal and just rights cannot warrant illegal
and unjust assumptions, such as the organiza-
ton of Belize as colony involves.
In respect to the main questions to which the
attention of the committee has been called, the
report is more explicit and uses the most direct
language. 1t says that the islands of Ruatan,
&c. lying in the bay of Honduras, in the opin-
ion of the committee constitute part of the ter
ritory of the republic of Honduras. and there
fore form part of Central America; in conse-
quence, their occupation and colonization by
Great Britain is violation of the treaty of
April 49, $780, which provides that Great Bri
tain !" shall neither occupy fortify. or colonize,
any part of Central America" Such being the
opinion Of the committee. after mature deliberar
tion. it is not difficult to predict what will be
the policy of the incoming administration.
Great Britain must withdraw uncond
! tionally from the islands in question or
maintain her piratical hold on them at
the expense Of a rupture with the United
States The rights of the feeble and friendly
republic Of Honduras are thus formally receg-
nized, and her wavering confidence in the good
faith of the United States treasured. Thus is
the first step, and an important one, taken to
regain the infuence4ost through the ignorance
folly, and subserviency Of the present admins
tration.
The recognition of the territorial and sove-
reign rights of Guatemala over Belize are hard
ly less explicit In fact they have more than
once been admitted by Great Britain herself,
notwithstanding her present arrogant and often
sive pretensions. Upon this point we cannot
do better than copy the cautious but significant
language Of the report -
The committee, from the information before them,
entertain decided opinion that the British settle
ents at Belize, defined by the treaties with Spain
lie within the territory of the republic Of Guatemala,
and SO equally constitute part Of Central America.
Should such be the fact, while the committee are
not prepared to say that the engagements of the
treaty OF 1850 would require that those settlements
shall be abandoned and discontinued on the part Of
Great Britain, yet this government would have Just
%
Of these settlements beyond those prescribed by
Spain, or as further allowed by the republics when
they may be founded, and that in any manner to en-
large change the character of these settlements by
any mode OF jurisdiction, would be in violation of said
treaty.
In other words, any conversion of the license
to cut logwood into territorial sovereignty. I'M
der the name of a colony or otherwise, would
be violation Of the treaty of 1850, notwith-
standing and granting full weight to the under
standing Of Messrs. Clayton and Bulwer If
then, the information should prove true, that
Great Britain has organized Belize as COLONY.
we have another distinct issue presented, in
which England has the alternative of receding
from her unfounded pretensions or risk a rup-
ture with the United States.
Guatemala has hitherto been very much I'M
der English influence and has been induced to
do many things in conflict with her true inter-
ests under English instigation. The agents of
Great Britain have sedulously inculcated there
a distrust of the United States. and endeavored
to create the impression that it was her policy
to overwhelm and absorb rather than protect
and foster the smaller republics Of the CONT
nent. The government and people of Guate-
mala will now discover their error. The hypo-
critic that warned them against the United
States, and affected the language of friendship,
has been the first to abuse their confidence. and
endeayor to rob them Of their territories On
the other hand, the highest legislative body of
the United States, through its most Important
and influential committee has asser ted and