Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-01-13


these censures are groundless ard unptenlional1v
unjust.
First Granting but only for the sake of a,on
inent that the facts stated tfue shall show
that the transaction IS not unprecedented IN iiDJo
macy. The ninth article OF the treaty of GuGda
| iupe f1idalgo, as signed by the negotiators WIS
struck out by the Senate and another was substi
tuted in its stead. The Congress of Mexico re-
fused to ratIy 1t because it had thus been changed
as they said, in a vital part. The Secretary of
State, Mr. Buchanan, by direction Of the Presi
dent, Mr. Polk, without the consent or knoyyleJga
OF the Senate, signed AID delivered protocol.
declaring that the suppression aud substitution
w1s not understood by the United States to d;
ininish what had been stipulated before, and
tlsrsupon the treaty was ratified and the rati6.
cations were exchanged; L do not say here that
| tiiat transaction was wrong, or that whether
wrong or right it justified Mr. Clayton All do
say is, that even if Mr.. Cayton's misconduct had
been such as is alleged, it is, nevertheless, not
unprecedented in ipiomacy
Secondly shall attempt to show that the
memories OF the complaining Senators are at
FAULT and that neither the whole nor the chief
object OF the convention was not as thew now
suppose they than understood, to get the British
out OF Central America The preamble declares
lis object to be to ..set forh and fix the yiewa
and Intentions Of the two sections with reference
10 any means OF communication by ship canal
between
ana Pacihc oceans, by way of the river San Juan
de Nicaragua annd either or both of the lakes of
Nicaragua" This preamble together with
the quotations from the convention before made.
show that the United States had very different
object from that described by the Sena ors unless
we are to suppose that the United States had
really In view partial, narrow and selfish object.
while they held out to the other contracting marty
and to the world that they had in view different.
broad comprehensive, and benificent one: which
OF COURSE is not to be admitted
Ihlroiy think the memories of the honor
pie Senators are at fault again, and that thew
did not when approving the convention, under-
STAND 1t to include all Central America as they have
now described Central America The region
about the isthmus which divides North and South
AHNaca Is but thinly settled by Europeans and
their descendants and therefore as yet, very
lnperfectly known to Europe and in the United
states; and there Is an ever recurring confusion
OF names, as is apt to happen in such cases. -
The name Central America employed in the con-
Venton bias double sense---a geographical sense .
aha political one-and they are widely differ
ent.
America is divided. geographically, into North
America South America, and Central America.
Central America, geographically. is that part of
thls great continent which lies between and CON-
meets North and South America together The
name is applied in this view in the description
quoted by the Senator from Ohio and so geo
graphical Central America does include not onlF
Honduras and the British coast, with the five
Gentrhi American States, but also the depart
ments OF Darien and Panama. and Vereuua in
New Granada, and the whole or parts of six of
tue States OF the United States of Mexico
Other geographers apply the name still more
broadly, and embrace all the regions extending
from latitude 7 north to latitudes96 north; and so
embrace, not only the isthmus of Tehuanteuec.
of ,1,,,,Ja m
ilpas, and even Il part of Texas in our own Re-
public.
On the other hand, the name of Central Ameri- s
ca mas political sense, and means five States on
the Isthmus, lying between New Grenada on the
south, and Mexico the north which. under
the names of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Salvador.
Guatemala, and Honduras, confederated them E,
selves when they became Independent of Spain. +
aud established a republic, called the Federal
Republic OF Central America. la the commissions
OF that region that union has been disoIaced: but
the name acquired by it still hangs around those
States, and they, and they alone, are the States
described politically in books, Biographies, and
otherwise as tho States of Central America
Now, did the convention use the name of Cen
tral America in its geographical sense, or did
they use it in its political sense! Certany in its
political sense. For, if they used it in its geo. r
graphical sense, then it may as we'll be insisted
that The convention embraces all between seven s
and twenty-six degrees OF north latitude.
as that 1t embraces all between seven and
twenty-five negroes of .north latitude; and
this would be to make it embrace mart of the
United States, which would be absurd. The
geographical Central America, whether broad or
narrow, embraces the regions which contain the
three celebrated passages from ocean to ocean,
VIZ Panama, Nicaragua, and Tehuantepec: and
If that be the view in which the name Central
America IS used in the convention, then the stpu-
latons are already made between the two nations
Tor the construction and maintenance of canals
or railway passages all those routes. But
the convention on the contrary confines it's care
TO the Nicaragua route, and postpones to future
Gay the making OF stipulations in regard to the
two other routes of Panama and 1ehuantepec,
The use of the term "Centra American
States" in the 9th article, is equivalent to and
illustrates the meaning of the term Central Anne.
rlca IN the first article The conventions in de-,
scribng the territory which is to be made neutral,
names twoi States of the Central American
States In the vicinity of the canal-Nicara-,
qua aud Costa Kica-and then adds or ana
part OF Central America; thus clearly implyinr
that &c was political Central America that was
Intended. 1t was, then, not geographical, but
political Central america, that was included in
the convention, and so the Senators must have
understood it when they approved it, unless We
suppose them to have been SO indifferently III
formed that their opinions were of no yalue
which Is not to be supposed tor a moment
shall endeavor to convince those honourable
Senators that their memories are still further at
fault and that when they approved the conyen-
ton they did not understand it to include British
Honduras, orthe Belize aud its dependencies,
which are the same.
Like Central America the name Honduras
has geographical sense and political sense
Biographical Honduras is all Honduras from the
borders OF Salvador to the Caribbean sea. and in
eludes Spanish Honduras and British Honduras.