The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-03

. The San Suaa 49,
MINISTER BoRLAND TO ssCRunnY NARcY.
WAsaiN0Tsu, Nay 80, 1854.
sIR-Bsying arrived 10 this city from nv mission In
Central America beg leave to submit the folio winy
sts,emee, Of occurrences which regard important
Enclosed herewith and marked A, Ia q printed slip
cut by me from New York ~spaper which purports
ofc,rs Of Northern Light, ana which aud
to be correct Ia all material particulars present Il In
lieu OF any separate statement of my own and adopt It
Enclosed, also, marked B, hand you a copy Of the
agreement made BY me with the persons employed to
rem ain ct Punta Arenas a guard over the persons
and prot efty Of our citizens.
In addition deem proper to remark that although
was personally cognizant Of the conduct of Captain
Smith, for which he was charged with murder, and
sought to be arrested BY the called authorities OF
Juan or Grt ytown, and was Gas AMI clearly aud
decide dy Of opinion that he was jusdsbe all he did
the question Of his guilt old not enter into
the considerations for which interposed to protect him
lie q citizen of The United States and the persons
him not recognised by the Unitet states o. GO
vernment possessed of the right invested With the
power TO exercie jurisdiction any portion Of
trail Amercs, to determine any question In voIving
the persons property Of our citizens
assume az wen by the OF on 70 pro
tect citizens at the place. against the same
persons, heretofore directed and sanctioned BY
government as by the special instructions under which
my mission ertaken- Besides even supposiug
the called authorities OF San Juan or to
governnan invested with the rights and ,wers have
caLied the territory embraced within their town
limits they certait had Jurisdiction that por
tion Of the territory upon which the obnoxio act Of
Captain NTH had been done; that was although
the north bank yet twelve miles above the
mouth Of the san Juan river Of the place his
arrest attempted Punta Arenas the south bank
of the Juan river and the opposite side OF tho bay
from san Juan Greytown. The act then, OF Capt
NTH whether criminal or not wa done within tn. ter
Cup alone IL TO any authority. Aud the place of his
attempted arrest PuIta Arenas, is territory In disp tie
between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, so hst legal pro-
cess, civil or criminal coul rightfully be executed
there unless by authority Of the other Of those
powers.
1t will he observed that at one moment resorted to
threat Of violence to repe the armed Of San Juan
from the steamer. wish 1t to be distinctly understood
that did this from impulse Of passion, with the
expectation that my threat would have to be executed
though If unheeded 1t would have BEEN
My course adopted from q conviction Of Its
sity the only mode then at my choice to prevent
collision which could hardly have ended without the dos
true ion III many lives.
1t is that the Mayor (signed came to me AMI dis
avowed the acts OF those who arrested and assaulted me-
But it lie equally true that he presided at tho meeting in
the station house ron HALL in which it proposed
(by Martin the Mayor and resolved arrest me;
that the authorities took steps prevent it, that
the arm cd men who arrested me were composed mainly
OF the police guard OF tho town. and armed with
the muskes of the corporation Their leader declared
that he came BY order Of the Mayor to arrest me.
From tho best information could obtain the popula
ton OF San Juan, Greytown, numbers about three
hundred of all Sorts and consists Of few Englshmen
trencnmen, Germane and men the United states;
but mainly Of negroes from jamaica and natives Of
the Mosquito shore There also some two three
natives from the interior of Nicaragua When reached
that place last September, the number OF negroes was
much smaller than Mt present. This number has been
increased, "a am informed, by arrivals from ia
maca, unt they constitute the majority and
else the greater influence At the last election and
porats Organization no American Except one mulatto
man from New 0rlaans) was iaciuded
On these people, am informed that seventy five
to zone hundred BIO mustered for military service and
they have In their possession three brass ls
mustcts With the exception of few persons these pco
P. own no property and havo ostensble of live
MOOD IN their anomalous coalition without govern
ment which any civilized nation recognses-ndeed,
cupyng by usurpaton territory which government
recognises as belonging to- Nicaraguabeing pcrsous
almost without exception Of VIGOROUSLY bad character
sone of them discharged psnitentiary convicts and
refugees from Extraordinarily manifesng evil dispo-
stions towards our citizens and nddging those DISPOSE
tous to the injury Of persons and property whenever
they are not restrained by force unable to regard
them in any other light than as pirates aud outlaws
upon whom punishment, to the extent Of extermuation
may be righuuly inflicted by any hand that has the
power and in opinion the interests of good govern
ment and humanity Impose the duty upon any offended
party OF phictng such puuiahment in a at
summary and effective. Heretofore when these persons
have committed their lawcss acts upon citizens the
armed hand of government has been nterposed
to punish for the past offence but only to prevent s
Threatened repetition Asa consequence az soon as the
restraining force was withdrawn, the offence was re-
peaed until now they have to believe that restraint
for the tine, and not punishment the worst they will
have to suffer for their worst acts When warned them
OF the consequences Of their bad conduct they boldly
told me they intended TO do they pleased and
reckless Of consequences
Under theec circumstances and informed by COM
mercaf agent Mr. Fabcns also by Mr. Scott the agent
Of the Accessory Transit Company, who has under his
care many thousand dollars worth Of property that in
view Of the evil dispositions OF those persons mani
tested fer tine past In state Of high excitement
our citizens would be safe sftr the steamers had ie
unless protect ted by adequate force, ceemcd 1t my
duty 70 employ the services Of the men set forth In
the printed clip and the agreement enclosed in order to
afford that protection. AS these circumstance ara,
far as am informed, without precedent presume,
+ the course ofconduct pursued under them What
did found TO be necessary and believed be right
therefore assumed ,be responsibility not doubling that
twond DC approved by my government
ray IL lsrgcthat is it would be considered under
binary circumstances bat under the circumstances Of
the time and place. added to the fact that the
poyed citizens who had been long from home,
aud were anxious to return Of Them being half
the voyage, co not think the amount can DO deemed
unreasonable. The refundng passage money provided
for in tho agreement superseded subsequently, by
the stipulation in the postscript TO pay fty dollars in
addition TO the one hundred frst agreed upon. Too
son for adding the City dollars the difficulty found
in getting the requisite number OF men, after few had
enlisted for the hundred without this addition
couli not have made up the number The free passage
home still provided for By the agreement of the Tran
gil Compsn! 10 receive the tickets for the remainder Of
the trip.
An additional item of expense the amount of which
could not be ascerained a the tine and which do not
men. These purchases I authorized The agent Of the
Transit Company to make The subsistence OF the men
VIII he furnished account by the agent Of the compa
ny. II the service shall continue longer than month
the ratio Of compensation for the additional time viii be
500 a month.
exprcssed the confident opinion to the men employed
that they would not be detained longer than month
and promised that they should be paid through our
commercial agent when their services expired at Punta
Arenas For this opinion and promise, confidently
lied upon the approval and cooperation of my govern
ment.
have the honor to be- most respectfully your obedi
ent servant. SoL0S B0RLsND.
Hon. ". j. M,Rcr, Secretary of state.
SrABBISG AFFRAY.-Yesterday afternoon,
TRAGEDY was enacted on board the canal boat Allan
tic, which well nigh resulted in the death Of an
lrishman named Patrick Mcbride, by Capt. David
Brown. plumber Of greatly varying reports have
been in circulation this morning In the city, and
the columns Of the papers, but ~ near rs we can
learn the following IL che true statement Of the af
fair:-TwO lfishrnen came on board the boat Atlln-