Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-09-01
r rom iIr EUNV"N !U>',I
r11r nE,N.rp IL AMERIEAN QUESTION

1 L I'm ~ -t.iA 80 80
IL Is understood that the whole central American
question is under discussion between nnr minister at
London, Mr.. buchanan. and the British Secretary,
Lord Clarendon. We somewhat claho!atelv discussed
his question not long ago. Nctra"cd the procesShy
which Great Britain set up claims III this quarter, l.,
10 the territory about Balizc. III lura;an :, 10 the
| Mosquito Shore territory. including san Juan j. i"
| he colony of the Bay Islands. The tire" are some
what distinct as 10 details, but are alike ns 20 assump-
| lion and impudcncr. All have their train ri events
Illustrative IL British annexation and wcdcIn"nsira-
ted then, from Brit>h admissions. drawn from "rig1-
nal authorities, that weaker prc,cnsions never Were
set up.
The sum Of the matter is, that under various pre-
;cnc,s-just rs occasion s~crvrd-tirrat Britain sci up
| 4 claim To nearly the whole coast from HalZc 10 New
| Grcuuda. Much of this claim is ni recent growth. /.
As to Yucatan, all the British claimed down al least
10 1862, was the privilege "f cutting l"gw""d III TINS
province and taking it away, and this was claimed on
~ over II district two thousand miles square. Bv II
| treaty of l1Sti, this privilege was ENLARGED I" about
five thousand square miles. But in a London Atlas
Of 1910 il is laid down at fourteen Thousand square
miles, and in Martins British Colonies It Is Grscri''c'
AZ six;v-two thousand square miles, ora suriace inr-cr
than all Iucatm, And by this time II had grown
| from n claim 10 cut wood 10 be one OF complete sove-
| reirn,v. >. The claim 10 the Mosquito coast Is one "i
the most disgrarctui iii the annals "i history -No'H'h2
can he more discreditablc than the connection oi
Great Britain with the Mosquito savagcs. III was ac-
,uallv begun hv British Buccaneers II was Kept mp
hv British smmgslcrs and when Great Britain re-
solved to take possession Of the country, u hu"''Ti up
q line OF miserable, ignorant, drunken beings. whom
British bishops aunointed Us v%eritable, legitimate
kings. and bid them claim the country and the BRIT
ish government then alleged that il was obligated 10
protect them i'll their claim. This IL the british MUS
quito protrctornte-the title to San Juan. we know
not where to look for such q chapter OF annexation.
3. Tho "colony of the Bay Islands claim Is more
prcposterous still. These islands, six in number, lay
ing along the coast nf Honduras. were claimed rs
.dependencie." al British "c"l"nics.' III the first
place uIl the British rights Great Britain claimed.
down 10 l1S6, rs to Balizr, were I" cut wood and
galher fruit i'll limits prescribed 10y treaty: and IN the
1856 treaty IL agreed la "varuatc III" Whole country
| and Islands. and agreed {" establish ~" colony. 80
mrch for Balize a. n cnlolIv. >. The Mosquito dig
mites are of more recent origin. We need hot de-
more than state that their territory, down to 1871
was regarded ns appcrta,ning I" SPAN; ana me ia'-
ter power was treated with by Great Britain rs I" rs
SOVEREIGNTY. On Honduras conqucring her lnirpcil-
dcncc the sovereignty oi the c"as' and islands went,
with the rest Of the country, L" The republic" al Zen
ual America. The fact IL ina errat britain wanted
these islands, and in 1880 her agents from l'allze
seized them. On the remonstrance III the Central
American States they were then restored, but IN 1871
they were again seized; in ISIS Great Britain con
quercd them, and she has held them ever since.
I, was while Grra, Britain, under such niles, claim
ed the whole coast and islands from BaiI7" 10 New
Grenada. and occupied n large share ct them that The
CLAYTON. Bulwcr treaty III lS'u, was nia''r. In THIS
treaty she agreed 10 withdraw her claims oi s"rer-
eighty over this coast, with perhaps the understand
iug that she should retain her old logwood privilege in
Balize and she agreed "n"t 20 occupy, OF iortity, or
colonizc, or assume, or exercise any dominion over
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Mosquito coast, or any
part Of Central America" Such is the language OF
this treaty. How the American nego;intor. MIR. Clay
ton. understood il. may he gathered from Il ser.teiic"
in an official letter Of 1881. 'She can neither occupy,
fortiiy, or connize, nor exercise dominion or cuntrn!
in any part OF the Mosquito" coast. or Central Amer
ca. TO attempt Ia do either uf these things, sitter the
exchange OF notifications, would inevitably produce n
rupture with the United States. BY the terms Of the
treaty neither party can protect to occupy nor occu-
nv 10 protect" This language both Of the treaty and
, uf the negotiator Of it, would seem TO DC strong
enough. .
The following British document forms q curious Of.
' fcla! comment on this treaty =
= pRocLAMArInS.
Ofcc Of The Co0xio; Sccrc'Gru,}
Balize. July Il, 1872.
This il 10 sivc notice tha, her :nost gracious rralrs.
T. y our queen has been pleased tn constitute and make
the islands nt Ruatan, BuIlacca, l tlla, Barbarat, lie
lrne aud Morsh, Ia hc II colony, to he known and de-
= siEnatrd as "Thc Colony al the Bay Islands,
a BY command Of her majcsty's superintendent,
AUGUSTUS FRED. GORE,
Colonial Secretary.
God save the Queen.
As il is after such proceedings, and on such claims
: "a these, that Great Britain assumes TO interfere in the
: Greytown matter, this whole question has assumed a
practical importance it never before possessed and
hence facts in relation to events in this quarter are
. of more than ordinary interest. III what spirit our
I minister at the court vi St. james Will deal with this
, Question, NAV be gathered from a short sentence from
4 his instructions, when he was Secretary OF STATE III
lSIS, addressed TO the American charge Il analres
e 10 Central America. "lIe independence 70 wen as
=. the interests, OF the nations on tile continent require
that they should maintain n system OF poiicS enuTeIS
' distinct from that which prevails in Europe. losn''
!. fer any interference on the part OF European govern
: uaents with the domestic concerns Of tho American
people, or 10 pcrmu them 10 establish nsr colonies up
on this continent. could be to leopard their indtptn-
u denee, and ruin their interests" Here Is the Monroe
( doctrine, and lite necessity, put in truly American