The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-09-05
THE CENTRAL AMERICAN QUESTION.

IFrom the Boston Post (admnisaton oryso,) Aug -
THE CENTRAL AMERICAN QUESTION.
II Ia understood that tue waoie Central American
question ia under discussion between our Minister
at London, Mr.. Bucbsoan. an tne bnasn score
fary, Lord Clarendon. We some What elto ,rately
discussed this question not long ago. We traced
the process BY which Great Britain sat up claims Ia
this ouarter-1, To the territeIy about Blsizs, Ia
Yucatani 2, To the Mosquito Soore territory, In
GLIDING San Juan; 3. To the colony q the Bay
islands The three are some shst distinct As Il
details, bat arc alike rs To assumption aud inpu
dence. All have their lain of events illustrative
British annexation; and we dem ,nstrsted then
from British admissions, drasn from orgiaa
authorities. that weaker pretensi0ns never wer
set up.
The sum OF the matter Is that under various pre-
tenoes-just as occasion served Great Britain sci
New Granada. Much OF this claim is OF recent
growth. l. As TO Yucstan, all the British claimed,
down at least to l762, was the privilege OF cutusg
l0gwood In this province and taking " away, ana
this was claimed only y district t~o Thousand
miles SQUARE BY treaty OF 1856 this privilege was
enlarged 70 about five thousand square miles, bus
In London atlas of lS40 IL is laid oowa o. fourteen
thousand square miles, and IN Msnlns , Dr. as
Colonies II "a described sixty two thous and square
miIes or surface larger tnan all fucatan. And
by this time 1t had grJwn from claim to cut wood
TO be one Of complete sovereignty. z. The claim
TO the Mosquito coast Is one OF the most disgracefu
40 the annals of history. Nothing can be more
dsoreditable than the connection Of Great Britain
with the Mosquito savages. II was actually begun
by British bucc aneers; IL was kept up by British
smueglers: and when Great Britain resolved to
faks possession Of the country. It hunted up line
of miserable ignorant drunk beings, who Bril-
tsh bishops anointed vefitable legitimate kings,
and bid them claim the country; and the British
government then alleged that 1t was obliged to pro
feot them 10 their clam. This Ia the British Mos
quito prote ctorate-the title to San Juan. We
knc not where TO look for such chapter OF an
nexation.
5. The "Colonyof the Bay Islands" claim is more
prep0sterous STILL These islands, six In number,
laying along the coast Of Honduras, were claimed
rs !" dept ndenciesn Of British cClories" In the
first place all the British rights Great itain claim
ed down to 17s6, to B.lze, we're to cut wood aud
gather fruit In limits prescribed by treaty. and In
the l786 treaty it agreed to evacuate the whole
country and islands, and agreed to establish no
colony So much for Balize az q colony. 2. The
Mosquito dignities are of more recent origin. We
need not DO more than state that their territory,
down to 1914, was reg ded as appertaining to
Spain; and the latter power was treated with by
conqueing her independence the sovereignty Of the
coast and the ISLANDS went, with the rest OF the
country, TO the republic of Central America The
fact Ia that Great Britain wanted these islands, and
in 1880 her agents from BsliZe seized them. On the
remonstance Of the Central American States they
were then restored, but in lS4l they were again
seized; In l848 Great Britain conquered them, and
Hhe has held them ever since.
It was while Great Britain, under such titles,
claimed the whole coast and islands from Balize
to Now Granada, and occupied large share Of
them, that the Clayton Bulwer treaty Of 1850 was
made. In this treaty she agreed TO withdraw her
claims OF sovereignty over this coast, with perhaps
the understanding that she should retain her old
logw0od privilege in Balize aud she agreed not
to OCCUPY, or fortify, or colonize, or assume OF
exercise any dominion over Nicaragua, Costa Rica
the Mosquito coast, or any part Of Central Anne
RIGA" Such Is the laugusoe Of this treaty. How
the American negotiator-Mr. Clayton-underst0od
1t, may bo gathered from sentence in an 0f6cia
letter of 1850: " She can neither occupy, fortify
ApVSt utn
part Of the Mosquito coast or Central America
To attempt to do either Of thess things after the
exchange Of notifications, would Inevitably produce
q rupture with the United States. By the terms
of the treaty neither party can protect TO occupy
nor occupy to protect" This language, both Of
the treaty AID the negotiator of 1t, would seem to
be strong enough.
The following British document forms curious
official comment on this treaty
PROCLAMATION.
OFFICE THE COLONIAL SECRETARY,
BAIIzy, July II, 1852.
This isto give notice that her most Gracious Majesty
Queen has been pleased t, constitute aud make the
islands Of Ruatan, Bonacca, Uta, Bsraarat, Helene
and Morsh TO be colony TO re known AMI designated
lhe Colony Of the Bay Islands," By command q He'
AUdU rus FRED. GORE, Colonial Secretary.
God save the Queen.
Az It is after such proceedings, AMI on sucl
claims as these, that Great Britain assumes to ia
terere in the Greytown matter, ths whole question
possessed and hence facts in relation to events in
this quarter are of more than ordinary interest. In
what spirit our minister at the Court of St
James will deal with this question, may BE- ga
fnered from Q short sentence from his instruc-
tions, when he was Secretary Of State In
1913, addressed to the American Charge d'AHairs
TO Central America: The independence as well as
the interests of the nations on this continent require
that they should maintain a system of policy en-
trely distinct from that which prevails in Europe.
To suffer any interference on the part of European
governments with the domestic concerns Of the
American people, or to permit them to establish
ne colonies upon this continent, would be to jeo.
pard their Independence and ruin their interests.
Here is the Monroe doctrine and Its necessity put
In truly American fashion. How this matter will
he handled by an administration based on the prin-
ciples Of the Inaugural may he safely inferred from
what It did in The case of Koszta. II stands pledged
before the country to maintain this doctrine, length
and breadth; and the Cabinet is composed Of states
men who understand tneir whole duty, and kno Y
how to perform 1t.
from the New Hampshire Patriot, (iThe Presidents
own,'1 August 3ol
CENTRAL AMERICAN QUESTIONS.
II was the suppostion OF the American Senate
that they were thereby inauguratlng by treaty the
great continental doctrine, announced more than Q
quarter Of century ago by Mr. Monroe ina the
American continents were no longer open 10 Euro
pean colonization.
We do not propose now to express any opinion as
to tho wisdom or statesmanship which presi led
over the negotiation of this treaty. It is enough fol
MS to regret that the genius, spirit and courage OF
democracy did not hover over its councils. The
whig party inherits from its federal ancestry IN
bounded awe for the majesty Of monarchy, and con.
finual fear Of the prowess Of England. 1t contem
pilates the displeasure Of European powers as
thing to be avoided even OF the hazard Of national
honor. Ii the intelligent masses Of the republic
Rad been consulted about the terms OF this conven
Sion, this government, in our opinion, never would
have been allowed to pledge itself under any cur
Sumstsnces, not TO occupy, or fortify or colonizt
kDy portion Of the Cen1Dl American territory.
Ii will be seen at glance that the article OF the
lleaty given above, required England to withdraw
1nm all her then existing possessions in Contra
america, including the Mosquito coast aud the city
ri Greytown. This she has not done. To this day
though repeatedly demonstrated with by our govern
ment for her noncompliance with the terms OF the
treaty, abe occupies every foot of territory In Cen
1rs America that she did at the time Of its negotia
&ion. The recent dispatches OF the Eoglish Ss;re-
aary Of Foreign Affairs to our government, have an
air Of firm determination spread over them viii h