The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-01-12
CONGRESSIONAL.
DEFERR ED DEBATE.
MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 1853.


0hN n
BRITISH HONDURAS
Mr. PEARCE having addressed The Senate. pub.
n'Si Mp SEWAkD said Mr.. President. on the 10Th Of
A,nl $780, what is called the Nicaragua canal conven.
non was sxncd al Washington by John NJ Clayton then
Secretary c State for the United States and Sir Henry
Ly,ton Bulwer, then minister here for Great Britain.
by the Senate and signed by the negoalors.
and transmitted Great Britain, it contained among
Others the following provisions, viz:
"ARr The government the United States and Grea,
Britain hereby declare THAI neither the the other
viii ever obain or itself any exclusive control
said shpcana agreeing that neither will
maintain any iorihcatons commanding the same,
or in the vierity thereof occupy fo. colonize
or assume. or any dominion over, Nicnra
COSTA Rca. tho Mosquito coast, or any part Of CentIa
either affords may sd any alliance which ei,he
has, may have. with any State people for The
! NIX
Rica ths Mosquito coast, Central America
win the Uni.ed States or Gieat Britain take advantage OF
any intimacy amy alliance, connexlon, influence
through whoss territory the said canal may pass tho
purpose Of acquiring holding. directly Or indirectly for
in regard to comm.rce or navigation through
which shs be offered on the same terms 10 the cit
xens subjects Of the other"
'sARr. vi The contracting parties in this convention
engage Invite every State with which either or both have
friendly intercourse, into st pulaons with them
similar those which they have enter into win each
oher 70 the end that al oher States may share & N os o
such general and Importance as the canal heren
CONTEMPLATED And the contracting puTues hhc"so dkIec
snas each shall enter no treaty spuaons with such of
The Cswtrsl American States they deem advisable.
design Of this namely Of constructing and
main.nag the said canal a shp p al os
terms TO all, and OF protecting The same. anne, 60,
Great Britain having only DESIRED In entering this
convention 10 accomplish particular object but also to
establish general w.ne, hsy hereby agree h 70 enena
cable eosSscafio~ whether by canal or railway, across
the which connects North and South America, and
should
prove be pracrcabe whether by canal railway.
T.huanspec Or PAiams'-s Star. II. S. a, Large ss5
On The goth of June, 1850, Sir Henry L. Bulwer gave
notice 10 Mi Clayton that be instructed 10 insist in
ratifyng the convention explanatory declaration
that the neutral territory did not apply
to her Maesiys settlement Honduras and it's depend.
encies On the 4ih OF July, 1850, John M. Clayton
Piled the United States also understood ,ha, those
Sagements did apply to British Honduras and lis de-
tendencies, and with these mutual explanations the
convention ratified. and the rathcailoGs ex
changed
cies consist OF the of Belize the coast OF the
Caribbean sea, with tract Of almost barren and unn
habed country, stretching inward. containing about fifty
thousand square miles. and IS alleged, OF certain
islands lying by in ha, named Rua'an Bonac
ca, Uula, Babsrat, Helena. and Morat, which territory
and islands marked in all British maps colonies Of
Great Britain. f
90 the l7tn of July, 1851, the British authorities a,
The Belize issued Proclamation announcing that the
Queen had constituted those islands distinct colony by
% the 9th Of January, 1889 the President OF the Uni
ted States sent 10 the Senate answer TO previous call
for nlormaon and that answer contained the notes be
tween the late Secretary of State and the late British min
lister, declaring the constr ucton OF the convention which
have mentioned
The honorable senator from Michigan thereupon said
that paper disclosed very extraordinary FACT TO w.t. that
while its face and understood by the Senate
the convention included British Honduras and its depend
encies il without the knowledge consent Of the
Senate explained by the negoators al The ratification
exclude them and that thus deogaon OF the rights OF
the Senate the construction OF The treaty changed IN
vital point that in this transaction the executive de
partmen, OF General Tay or's administration had commit
ted great error. unprecedented in diplomacy. And he
protested that neither The Senate nor himself III approving
understood the convention thus shown TO have
been understood by the negoiatoTs raifyng H. and that
ii had been understood by the Senate, would not
have received single vote and IN this protest ne In
cluded the honorable from Alabama, Mr. kISol
who nj the time chairman OF the Committee on
Foreign Relations and he alleged that that gentleman
had Told him ha, he had supposed until that day tna the
project OF accepting the Queen OF Englands qualification
Of the construction of the treaty had been abandoned,
and that the convention stood without such qualification
on It's original provisions.
The honorable senator from louisiana Mr. Dowssl
said tha, he thought the whole object OF the con-
ysn,ion was to get the British out OF Central America,
and that il only assurances given by Mr. Clayton
himself that this was the effect Of The convention that be
and Others 40 fas az he knew, voted for II. .
The honorable senator from Ono Mr. CHAsrl quoted
from raphical work the following description OF
Central America, and a rmed that he and the Senate
derstood thai all the region thus described included
in the convention, VIZ:
sCentraI America the long and comparatively mar
row region between latitude deg and % deg north,
and longitude rs deg and 81 deg yesi connecting the
continents North and South America. and pr.ing,
besides the Csnoi 1rtcar confederation, iucsan parts
OF Mexico ard New Granada Poysis the Mosquito
and British Honduras"
The honorable senator from California Mr.. WrtLrR1
declared that he asonishei hear the from
Louisiana say that be surprised at anything how
stupid that might be done by the late Secretary Of
State, Mr. Clayton, and that be Mr. WrLLKRl had never
public affair in which he did show himself
svely stupid, to say the least
Mr.. PreAident, shall endeavor 10 show that these
groundless. and Internationally unjust
First Granting, but only for the sake OF argument,
that the facts stated true, shall show tha, The trans
action is not unprecedented in diplomacy The 9th
article Of the treaty Of Guadalupe Hdago, signed by
the negota,ors, was struck out By the Senate, and an
other was substituted IN its stead. The Congress OF
Mexico refused 10 raufy H. because IL had thus been
changed as they said. in vital part The Secretary of
State. Mr Buchanan, by direction of the President Mr.
Polk, without he consent or know edge Of The Senate,
signed and delivered protocol declaring that the sup
precision and substitution was understood by me
United States TO diminish what had been s,irula,ed
before, and thereupon the treaty ratified and The
rauRca,ops exchanged. do say here tha, tha,
Transaction wrong that, whether wrong ght
il justified Nr. Clayton. All do say is that II Mr.
Cayton's misconduct has been such s alleged, il IT,
nevertheless, not Unprecedented in diplomacy.
Secondly shall attempt to show that the memories
of the complaining senators nj fault and that neither
the whole the chief obec, Of the convention was not
they suppose they then understood, TO get the
British Of Central America. The preamble declares
its object be set forth and FIX the views and n'en
lions OF the two nations with reference 10 any means OF
communication by shp-canal which may be constructed
hyiw the Atlantic and Pacific by OF