Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-02-05
WASHINGTON.
Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and
inseparablc." -j
! SATURDAY FEBRUARY s, 1858.
THE CENTRAL AMERICAN TREATY.

THE CENTRAL AMERICAN TREATY.
We had supposed that if ever public discussion
resulted in unanimous public verdict. the debate
in the Senate touching the exchange of Publications
Of the Clayton and Bulwer Treaty, and Of the con-
temporary explaaations between the negotators had
resulted in producing on the public judgment a
thorough conviction Of the openness, the frankness
and fidelity to his high responsibility which marked
the conduct of the American Secretary in that trans
action As friends of the Secretary and the Ad-
ministration under which he acted, we ourselves
perfectly content to rest hisca with that de-
bate: The Washington Union, however, more in
the spirit of reckless partisanship than scrupu-
lousregard for justice towards political adversary,
revves the subject in its issue of Saturday last and
by the mere force of vituperative epthets and the
reproduction of unfounded imputatons, strives to
fix upon Secretary CLAYTON the offence of assent
ing to secret Interpretation of the treaty after the
Senate had acted" and the Wing press of so "per-
verting history as to encourage British aggression
and to induce that Government to adhere to its un-
founded pretensions," &c. The random assertions
of obscure party journal, even so grave sub
jeet, would be worthy of no attention; but the po-
sition of the Union gives Importance to its allie
cations which will excuse some notice of its fimsy
article of the Goth ultimo. 1t might indeed be suf
fciently answered by the mere repetition Of Mr.
Senator KINGS note to Mr.. CLAYTON; but, as a
6nal recurrence to the subject we have thought it
we'll to enter somewhat at large into the merits
of the controversy, and, by calm appeal to the
history of the case, show that Mr. CLAYTON stands
honorably acquitted of the Inspirations with which
execute this purpose fully and conclusvefy we have
taken some trouble to examine authorities and cor
relative facts, which proceed succinctly we
can to submit.
The following is an extract from the article Of
the Union:
"Gen TAYLOR says expressly in his message transmit
ting the treaty that any communication
the isthmus commencing in the southern part Of e1i
CO and terminating in the territory of New Granada ;
that its ratification will in future the liberation
Of all Central America from any kind of foreign aggres
sion and that of the objects of the treaty was
maintain the independence and sovereignty Of all the Gen.
trail American Republics Now British Honduras lies in
the sthmus between the southern part Mexico and New
Granada 1t is part of Central America and part
Guatemaa-one of the Central American Republics
whose independence and sovereignty it Gen. TAYLoRs
purpose and the purpose Of the Senate maintain by
means Of the Clayton Bulwer treaty."
Now, there never was greater blunder made
than is to be found in the geographical description
contained in this article-an error which was fully
exposed in the Senate by Mr.. UNDERWOOD, and
which has been the cause of all the mistakes that
have been made in regard to the ratification Of the
treaty 1t is not true that the Belize, or British
Honduras, is or ever was part of Central Ameri.
ca, or of any Of the Central American Republics.
1t originally part Of the province ntendan-
cy Of Yucatan, an Merico There is not to be found
after the most diigent search, single book Of any
authority or kind not single map, not child's
atlas, that describes the Belize as part of Central
America. British Honduras lies, according to the
authorities which have undertaken to classify it, in
North America. 1t is called British Honduras,
not because it was part Of the State of Hon
duras but because is bounded by the Bay and the
Gulf of Honduras which separates it from the State
The Government Of Central America was established
in the year 1924 after the fall of Iturbde 1t was
made up of five Of the ancient provinces Of the king
dom Of Guatemala, and indeed embraced the whole
Va "uSiene puaechiha, SAccpe bhc pIofAuCt vi Snia
pas. After the revolution Of the Spanish American
colonies in 1921, Guatemala was incorporated
with the Mexican Republic, and when it separated
from Mexico, in 1924, the five States which have
been known by the name Of Central America
since that period, formed the Government of Gen.
trail America. These States were Guatemala, Hon
duras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa RIGA.
Their most northern boundary is Mexico, on the
Pacific side, and British Honduras, on the Atlantic
side, Of the isthmus Their southern boundary is
New Granada, which is in the middle of the
isthmus, and contains the province of Panama. They
formed constitution of government in imitation of
our own, which lasted many years, and was finally
dissolved we believe in consequence of dispute in re-
gard to theseat Of government But those five States
have ever been known since BY the general designa-
ton Of " Central America = and there never was
at any period any territory known as or called a