Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-01-07

the very moment when in consequences Of his decara-
on you threatened break off the whole negotiation.
remember we'll that after his declaration received
there period when you had resolved to abandon the
treaty in consequence of it but when Sir Henry consent
ed to receive your counter deearaon Of the 4h of July
in which you expressly limited the term her Majesty
settlement at Honduras to that country which is known
as British Honduras conradistinguished distinct
from the State Of Honduras and also confined the word
dependencies" in his declaration to those I" small
Islands knoga at The time TO be such; in which also while
admitting Belize British Honduras not to be included
in the treaty you disavowed oil purpose of admitting
British title there in which, too you declared that
the treaty did include a the Central American States
with their just limits and proper dependencies and in
which you expressly stated him that alteration could
made in the treaty without the consent Of the Senate
and that he understood not proposing any
such alteration, you then consented to exchange upon
that counter which, in your Judgment and In
too completely annulled every pretcxt for asserting
that the declarations Of the negotator had altered the
convention fixed Interpretation upon it contrary to
the meaning OF the President and Senate We both con-
sdered then, and jurist now hold it to be per-
fecty clear that the exchange of the rfcatons that
was the part of the British Minis
ter complete waiver of every objection that could be
taken to any statement contained in it.
In point of law the declarations Of the negoators not
submitted to the Senate of validity, and could
not affect the treaty Both understood that This Gov
ernment had decided that question in the Of the
Mexican protocol and the British Government Off
cally informed of their decision The very power to ex
change ra6cations gave them the same information and
is absolutely impossible that the British Minister could
have been deceived on that subject "
remember well that you steadily refused every effort
the part of Sir Henry to induce you recognise the
Mosquito title The treaty left at liberty to recognise
the title Of Nicaragua or any other Central American
State and left the British Government the right to recog
mise the title Of the Mosquito King On these points the
parties agreed to disagree But the right to recognise is
very different affair from the right to compel others to
recognise The British protectorate was, repeat en-
tirely dsarmed by the treaty How is it possible for
Great Britain to protect il she cannot occupy, for
y any dominion whatever in any part Of the
territory She is equally prohibited in my opinion, from
occupying for the purpose of protection protecting for
the purpose Of occupation If she observes the treaty
her protectorate Stands as you well said of in
| a diplomatic note) the shadow of name"
With regard the British colony, said to have been
tablished the 18th Of July 1852 in the islands Of Rua
tan, Bonacca, Uta, Barbarat Helena, and Morat and
designated the Colony Of the Bay of Islands, the ques
ton whether by establishing such colony Great Britain
has violated the treaty of $780, depends entirely upon
facts in regard to which there different opinions The
only islands known to this Government the fourth Of
july $780, to be dependencies of British Honduras
Belize those referred to in the fourth and fifth art
cles of the treaty of London of the 14th of july 1856
The fourth article provides that the English shall be
permitted to occupy the small island known by the
of Cofna ST. Georges Key, or Cayo Cafns and by the
fifth article they "have the liberty of reftting their
merchant ships the southern rang included between
the point of Cayo Cana and the cluster Of small islands
which situated opposite that part of the coast
pied by the cutters ut the distance of eight leagues from
the river Sibun, place which has always been found
well adapted for that purpose For which end the ed
fees and sorehouses absolutely necessary for that
vice shall be allowed to be built" These articles in the
treaty of 1856 give the only knowledge Of any small
islands" which the fourth of july 1850 eide
Tendencies" I" Of British Honduras. l repeat that the
counter declaration acknowledges other dependencies
of British Honduras but those small islands which
ioaon to be such at its date. We knew, indeed, that
Great Britain well Honduras had laid claim to Rua
TAM but we had information to the ground on which
the former rested her claim Your reply to Sir Henry L.
Bulwer avoided any recognition of the British claim to it,
other auson to it, than could be inferred from the
positive assertion that the treaty did include all the Cen
tral American States with their just limits and proper
dependencies" these islands part of any Cen
tral American State at the time of the treaty the subse
quent colonization Of them by Great Britain clear vio
laton of it. IT, the other hand they did not then be-
long any Central American State it would be gross in
justice part pretend that the treaty did include
them. My impressions that Ruatan belongs to the
State of Honduras but my knowledge Of the facts is
limited to enable to express them without ddence
During the administration of President Taylor there
aggression by Great Britain in any part Of
the sthmus which not promptly met and resisted.
He had firmly resolved by oil constitutional in his
power to prevent such aggression il any should be at
tempted; considering he did, that all the passages
through the sthmus should be kept free to enable
retain possessions the Pacific pretend to know
nothing Of what has occurred there since his day. but ne
her he his advisers could be held responsible if the
treaty negotiated by his orders has been any time vo
lated since his death. r..
scarcely suppose it possible that Great Britain
intends seriously to nterpose her protectorae again to
obtain dominion the isthmus l am assured that,
whatever may be contained to the contrary in any des
patches emanating from the British Foreign Office Of
which rumor speaks, the fact is that portion repre
scnted to be oneha of the claim of the Mosquito King
has been lately bought up by American citizens with the
and appreciation of the British Government
and that negotiations foot, with fair prospect Of
success for the purchase by the persons of the resi-
due Of that claim
Before closing this letter would congratulate you and
country the Frightening prospect Of speedy
sructon Of the great work. promote which you have
devoted yourself long and faithfully American and
English gentlemen of high character have, it seems nte
rested themselves in the exploration Of canal route in
dicated by Humboldt the shmus at Darien Their
engineers have reported the route from the Savannah
river epying into the harbor Daren and the Gulf Of
st. Miguel the Pacific, Caledonia Bay, the At
antc being certainly practicable for less than seven
yye millions Of dollars; and that the harbors each
side admirably formed by Nature for the purpose be-
ing sufficient to contain the navies Of the world The
deepest cut this route which extends but for very
small distance is represented to be only about hun
dred and fifty feet and the whole distance from point
the Savannah river miles from the harbor OF
Daren where the depth of is thrysx feet to the
noble Bay of Caledonia is only thirtythree miles. In
consequence Of your negotiation the eighth article Of the
treaty Of the 18th of April 1850, binds both Great Bri
tain and the United States protect this route well
all other canals and every railroad the sthmus,
whether in out of Central America understand that,
pursuing the spirit Of the treaty. engineers under the
sanction Of the Governments Of Great Britain and the
United States actually engaged in surveying and
exploring the Daren canal route and that we may dur
ing the next year expect their official reports American
citizens and British subjects to be equally concerned
in the management of the canal. The British expora
tiop betw the