The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-08-20
"PROCLAMATION.

nation issued from the Office OF the British Colonial
Secretary at the Belize!
"PROCLAMATION.
III 'fOrricE COLONIAL SECRETARY,
Belize, July IL, 1882
This to give notice that her most gracious Majesty the
Queen has been pleased constitute and make the islands
Roatan, Bonaca uta Barbsset Helena and Moat to be
colony to be known and designated The colony of the
Bay of Islands, By command of her Maeys superinend-
ent. AUGUSTUS FREDERICK GORE,
% Acting Colonial Secretary.
'.God save the Queen"
What is the history Of this case? We leave Mr. Squier
in his seahing history of this assumption to
answer this question for readers 1t will be recolected
that Mr. Squer the able negotaor of the treaty
with Nicaragua which neither suited Mr. Clayton Mr..
Buwer He became exceedingly obnoxious to the British
on account among other things, of the keen watch he
maintained over their movements in Central America He
appointed by Mr. Clayton, and believe removed by
him. Having been on the spot in an important diplomatic
position he enabled to the whole ground and this
makes his testimony conclusive The brief
give can be amped and sustained by abundant evil
dence, including high English authorities; but this
must suffice for the present Mr. Squer says:
1T set up in that exSecrearys defence in justification
of absolute negaon of the whole object Of the treaty by
endorsement classifying it, and in justification of the exist
of the Bay colony ls that the Bay Colony islands
dependencies of Honduras" and such exempted
from the treaty by the article and ID that Brit
sh Honduras" Beze-or it is properly called
/" Wallis" from Scotch reviewer who formerly settled
there's the State of Honduras referred to in the endorse
ment to the treaty. We regret space is limited
enter into the full detail of these ses but con-
dense into heads the absolute truths:
ls 1t is not true that the Bay Colony islands de-
Tendencies of British Honduras or Belize
3D. Belize British Honduras is the State of Hon
duras any part it. The State formerly province
of Honduras lies between lat IA deg. l6 min. north and
long 80 deg min west The English settlement of the
Belize (caled British Honduras the Bay of Honduras
the habit of the English first to gives name and found
that claim ofsovereigny lies the peninsula
Yucatan and is separated from Honduras proper by the
State Of Guatemala.
3D. The islands in question lie along the north shore and
within sight of the State OF Honduras and are and have
always been, until violently seized by Great Britain de-
Tendencies on it, both province and republic.
4t The British had any sovereignty claim of
sovereignty in over or behalf Of the State Of Honduras
and 5h The settlement of the Belize has always been
settlement for certain purposes Of cutting ogwood and by
treaty has again and again been declared by Spain and
England not to be occupancy for the purpose possession
cultivation for the exercise of any sovereignty
that by such treaties England has again again re-
nounced such Intentions and that her existence in Belize is
now and has been far FORTH of the original dye-wood
occupancy and its subsequent abnegation by her.
PATTON against which she had been pledged to the power
of SPAIN and of to the States subsequently formed
by right ofindependence from her colonies.
at will be SEEM therefore, that this whole defence of Mr.
Clayton is from beginning end, humbug, and part
of the deception he and all those connected with this
have throughout practised Mr. Clayton could
not and did not make title for England to new
countries unless be meant by his treaty do the very OPP
posite of what he pretended he aimed doing Now,
what title the British had in Central America and where
may be judged at once.
at well known that early in the last in fact as early as
the preceding century, the English made various establish
mens the eastern coast of Central America for the pur
pose under the preext Of cutting dye-woods These
establishments viewed with jealousy by the Spanish
Crown derogatng from its sovereignty these
tries whch led TO frequent disputes, and finally TO war;
which terminated In 1853. By the 18th article of the
treaty of peace Of that year, it provided that his
Britannia Majesty shall 10 be demolished all the for
cations which his subjects have erected in the bay of
Honduras and other places of the territory Of Spain
that part Of the world within four months" &C. Accord
ingy the English demolished their forts but still kept up
somc of their establishments, which again led to a war
BY the treaty of peace of 1885, it stipulated that the
English might cut logwoo1 &c. in the district lying be-
tween the river HondO and Belize provded that these s-
atioas shall be considered drogatng ay,rise from
the rights Of tho sovereignty Of the King Of Spaa 1t also
provided that all the English who dispersed whch-
the Spanish continent in any of the islands what
ever dependent upon it, should evacuate their es-
Establishments and retire within the district above defined
"These provisions not being sufficiently stringent to sat
sy Spain having been evaded by the English another
treaty made in 1885, in terms distinct and explicit
as it in the power of language to make it, and
this treaty revived in 1914 and is still in force we
beg to quote the artcies defining only the limits of
Belize but the nature of the tenure under which it
lawfully be- held by Great Britain In the first place it
provides that:
Art 1. His Britannia Maasis Subjects and the other
colonsts who hitherto enjoyed TIE protection of Eng
land shall cvacuate tho country Of the Mosanitos well
rs the continent in general, ADJACENT
WITHOUT EXCEPTION situated beyond the line hereinafter
described what ought to be the frontier of the extent Of
territory granted by his Catholic Majesty the English for
the specified in the Sd article Of the present
ton"
Article second defines these limits as follows:
The English line, beginning from the sea- shall take the
of the river Sibun Tabon and continue up the
source Of ssd river from thence shall straight
Belixe y and by the centre Of the the said line
shall descend the pont where il shall the line al
ready settled and marked by the commissioners Of the
two Crowns in 1888"