The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-01-03
The British i'm Central America.
From the Nesc York Express

j
Great Britain sbould not OCCUPY or fortify, or
COLOMBO, or assume, or exercise any dominion -
over any part Of Central America, or make use of
any alliance or protection which may have been
previously exercised for these purposes This ar
ticle no doubt was intended-for it was co under
stood by the contracting parties-to compel Eng
land to reinqulsh the power which she had forci-
Oily maintained in Nicaragua, in the name and
under the preence of protectorate over the black
amoor king of the Mosquito Ind ans, and to pre-
vent further British colonization in any part of
central America General Cass, supposing that, in
the Island OF Ruatan such further Colonization has
Deen attempted, no doubt, has introduced his reso-
lutlon in order to set forth that there has been
vio ola OF the treaty of Washington.
renoas, AosmnsIration we may in the fret place
remark, has done all that it could to remove
even any semblance of British government in Nj
SSaIagua, none of which, it is not pretended. we
peheVe, now exists unless ii be in GREY Town.
loah Juan DE Nicaragua) This Grey Town, bow
ever, we may say here s, for the time being. nm
der self constituted mixed government Of amer
leans and Englishmen, sort of town counc;I reo.
ple-chosen, in which the American element larseIv
noelates, so that II cannot in justice be said
the British government, any where in Nicaraena
exercise any authority dominion Whatsoever
Nevertheless, Great Britain had possession there.
her flag waved there; at one time she collected
port duties there; and there has been no formal
abandonment OF power, though port charges as
from British authority, has ceased, and apology
was respectfully, nay regretfulIy made, for firing
on the Prometheus steamer there.
10 obtain formal abandonment of all British
authority In Nicaragua in April last the basis of a
convention was proposed by the United States and
Great Britain, Mr.. Webster negotiating ) TO Nj
caragua and Costa RIGA; but before this conyen-
uon was acted upon, or even reached Nicaragua
the substance OF 1t got into the newspapers here
ana advantage was taken of the early publication
so to prejudice the mind of Nicaragua that. with
out much consideration, and rather from nassion
sne jected It, Costa RIGA acceded but the reiec-
ton by Nicaragua left all things in stotu quo. lust
exactly as they now are, This convention il we re-
member Alright, provided for the cession of Grew
1own 10 Nicaragua, with some stipulations to the
King OF the Mosquitoes by of remuneration
and the surrender of the province of Guanacaste
which Nicaragua claims, to Costa Rica province
on the Pacific, south of the Lake of Nicaragua
ana ana apparently having no connexion with chat
state. The indirect recognition of the MOSQUITO
King, and the surrender of the Guanacaste claim
nicaragua would not submit to; and upon the
advice OF her Minister here, (Mr. Marcoleta.) who
demonstrated throughout, the convention was re-
jected at home
The United States suffers rom this rejection. and
nicaragua gains nothing-nay, rather loses-as
we think 1t Is easy to demonstrate; because Ncara.
qua loses what it might have, (the possession of
GreytoWn,) and gains nothing, because it has not
Guanacaste, which belongs by present possession
to Costa RIGA. The United States suffers in this.
that Nicaragua resisting, she cannot strictly en-
Iorce the treaty OF Washington Mr. Buchanan,
as secretary OF State, acting for his Government
asked Great Britain for erequatur for an Ameri.
can Consul, and thus formerly recognized the do
mlnlon Great Britain once had; which dominion
however, Great Britain renounced in behalf of Nj
caragua, but which remuneration Nicaragua as vet
declines to accept. So new negotiations must he
opened; and, until Nicaragua consents to some
tnlng satisfactory to the United States Great Brit
ain, and Costa RIGA, or to the two last named now
ers, Greytown must remain under the self-consti-
tuted municipality of American and British resi-
dents there.
General Cass, however, does not seem to be so
much interested in Nicaragua and Costa RIGS as
in some islands in the Bay of Honduras. over
winch, as we are informed, the British have long
been exercising jurisdiction; as long, almost as
they have had possession of the Belize In this
Belize possession, there is but little doubt we think
that the British trading companies there have been
pushing their dominion. far beyond what the
Spanish permission to trade intended or Grants
w nat that grant was, we cannot now say exactly;
but we are sure they have been pushing into the
interior more and more, and an eye upon their
movements there will do no harm. The Belize has
Deen Tor many years the principal entrepot of
Enghsn goods for Central America, and the capital
employed in the trade was at one time as hieh-as
$4,000 600 (two millions sterling) Upon certain
islands in the Bay of Honduras and long before the
treaty of Washington, the British have had like
possession, of which this treaty did not dispossess
them These islands, distant from the Belize
have been within year or two formed into sepa-
rate colony; and if the treaty of Washington did
not dispossess them, there is no doubt that being
pre-. existing British possessions, they bad right
to the benefits of the British government
We are very glad, however, that General Csss
has moved in the matter. Give US light-give US
!nioTmation-but we do not think he will get much
IN washington. We do not imagine that our
government has had any negotiation with the
British government this subject; for, if we
rIghtfully understand the subject there was no.
thing to negotiate about. The true sources of
light are in London, or TO come from our officials
In Central America, particularly from Guata-
lnala and such officials as we have in Honduras
or the Belize, if We have any there; neyerthe-
less, give us all the light there is All we know
at present Is, that on or about the 18th of JuIy
last proclamation emanated from the superin.
tendency of Belize, constituting the island OF Rua-
tan and its dependencies British colony under
the designation of the COLONY of the Bay Islands,
The allegation is that these islands had been wress
ca from the republic OF Honduras, their rightful
owner, and had been British dependencies in spits
OF the Clayton and Bulwer treaty 1t is well to
understand all this; but it will be found we be-
ileve, that Great Britain has been exercising no
new authority or dominion; only doing there what
Tor years and years che has been doing in the Be-
lie, and on the like authority from Spain or her
colonies.