The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-01-12

iral America The region about the isthmus which
divides North and South America is but thnly settled
ny Europeans and their descendants, and therefore,
yet very imperfectly known in Europe and in the Uni
ted States and there is recurring confusion of
9aames, as apt 10 happen in such cases. The name
Centra America, employed ia the convention. has dou
BILE sense, geographical sense and political one, and
these are widely different America is divided geogIaph
raiiy into North America. South America. and Central
Of this great continent which lies between and
North America and South America together. The name
s applied In this in the description quoted by the
senator from Ohio. and geographical Central America
does include not only Honduras and the British coast
with the five Central American Siaies but also the de-
par,mens OF Darien and Panama, and Paraguay, in New
ranada and the whole or parts OF six OF The States OF
Other geographers apply the name still more broadly
and embrace all the regions extending from latitude
deg north 10 latitude 20 deg north
Mr.. CHASE. II the senator will allow me, will
state that read from work Of authority. That English
work describes Central America lying between Two
between those two parallels belonged TO Central America,
but named spseisAy s6cse districts teroriss which
constituted the country so designated And said that
we had right 10 believe. when the treaty before
that the term Central America" used as il is used, in
cuded all over which either Of the contracting parties
claimed. or might claim, any jurisdiction. Of course
did not assert TO assert, that Great Britain in
tended simply to exclude herself from that portion Of
cosntry which she had jurisdiction and am
the senator rom New York does not to repre-
Mr.. SEWARD will read from the printed speech
of the honorable senator from Ohio show the opinion
OF the authority which he quoted The Senate will then
Judge whether be has corrected himself. That
senator said
Now, for the purpose of showing what the British
limits of Central America. wish read from
work which have before me. II is Johnson's Gazetteer
ty. Its description of Central America is in these words
CENTRAL AMERICA is the long and comparatively mar,
Longitude IS deg. and 81 deg west connecting The CONT
nents Of North and South America. and comprising be-
Sides the Central American confederation, Yucaan
OF Mexico and New Granada, Poyas hs Mosquits coast
thorty furnishes Of Central America. That is the
description which we had right 10 believe intended
This is geographical Central America But il is laid
down other maps and described by other geogaphers
extending from the 7ih 10 the 26h parallel OF north
latitude That would embrace not only the lsthmus of
Tehnaniepec, but the capital OF Mexico, the States of
Coahuia and Tamaupas, and even part OF Texas. in
our republic.
On The oiher hand the name of Central America has
political sense, and five States the sthmus y
ing between New Granada on the south and Mexico
the north. which, under the names Of Costa Rca Nicar
aqua, Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras confedea,ed
themselves when they became independent OF Spain, and
established republic called the federal republic OF Gen.
tral America. In the convulsions of that region that
union has been dissolved but the acquired by il
still hangs around those States and they and they alone
the States described, politically in books biographies,
and otherwise, as the States OF Central America.
Now, did the convention use the name OF Central
America in its geographical sense, did they in
its political sense Certainly in It's political sense.
For. LIST II they used i in lis geos aphlcal sense then
il may well be insisted that the convention embraces
all between deg and 2e deg OF north latitude. that II
embraces all between deg and % deg of north latitude
and this would be to make 1t embrace part OF the
United States, which would be absurd.
Cd The geographical Central America whether broad
embraces the regions which contain the three
celebrated passes from to ocean. viz Panama,
Nicaragua. and Tehuanepec and if that be the
which the name Central America is used in the con.
venton, then The supulaons are already made between
the two nations for the construction and maintenance OF
canals or railway passages across all these routes But
the convention, on the contrary, expressly confines its
TO the Nicaragua route, and posipones TO future
day the making OF supula,ons in regard TO the two other
routes OF Panama aud fehuantepec.
Sd. The use OF the term !" Central American States"
in the SIKH Article, is equivalent TO and illustrates the
meaning OF The term Central nerica IN the first article
4h rhe convention, IN describing the territory which
is to be made neutral names two oil the Central Ameri
can States in the vicinity OF the canal, Nicaragua and
Costa Rica and then adds, OF any part oil Central Amer
ca, thus clearly implying that political Central
America that was intended
II was then, not geographical, but political Central
hm"oa that was included IN the convention and so the
honorable senators mus, have understood II when they
approved H. unless We suppose them TO have been so in
differently informed that their opinions were OF no value
which is not 10 be supposed for moment
4tb. shall endeavor 10 convince those honorable
ators that their memories are still further al fault, and
that when they approved the convention they did
dersand 4 TO include British Honduras or the Belize as
its dependencies, which are the same.
Like Central America" the name Honduras also
has geographical and political sense Gtograpi-
cal Honduras s all Honduras from the borders of Saliva
dor 10 the Caribbean and includes Spanish Hondu-
ras and British Honduras-iust as the name Virginia
long stood for the whole Atlantic border from Carolina
Canada but political Honduras is the ancient prov
nce nieudency OF Spanish Honduras, IL when
II separated IRON Spain, and became the State of Hondu
and entered that federal republic OF Central America
and of that federal republic on its dlssoiu-
ton, and II renamed hitherto, and is now the
ale OF Hondurss anJ that State, in every book or geog
aphy, and on every map IN every atlas, Is divided and
separated from British Honduras Just plainly and as
broadly Kentucky is divided from Virginia. or Ala.
bama from Georgia while Brush Honduras is in every
such book and atlas marked and designated with the
islands before mentioned as British coony-sometimes
by The OF British Honduras and sometimes by the
name OF The Belize
know. indeed, that Spain 10 the last insisted that
Grea, Britain had only partial and United right of oc
cupancy, but know also that Spain still claims all
Central America and all Mexico. and all South Ameri
ca, and even Texas. | know that the State OF Hon
duras set up the preensions OF Spain, and sill IN
sists upon them. do not say that they are not just
sbsll be glad II they prove so but | know also that
absolute right and that although she has two or three
times been occasionally dspossesssd IN the varying for
tunes OF war, abe has claimed II since 1867, and has
held undisturbed since 1888, the period OF
knowIedged national independence. The Belize is
British town of two thousand five hundred people, and
with is adjacent territory has been colony two
hundred years governed by British authority and occu
pied by British garrison is enthusiastically connect
ed with the British diocese Of jamaica and from iS47 TO
1850 the United States maintained consul there, who,
with their received his srs9uar from the ConH
OF 81 James In short, practically, the Belize is az much
British town and Brush HoRduras much BRUSH
colony 10 The knowledge OF the whole world. as Quebec
and Canada
Now, who supposes tha Great Britain intended TO
nounce Una, town post and colony under the and