Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1854-11-10
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

communication upon this subject
Messrs. Editors My attention has been
c allied to paragraph which appeared in
Friday lasts issue of estimable paper under
this head: "Costa Pleas designs on the Mica
raguan Isthmus.' In that article you express
an opinion adverse to the right Costa RIGA has
always claimed to the sovereignty of the 18th
mus in an equal extent with Nicaragua.
Probably you are only acquainted with one
side OF the case: However, it is not my in.
tentlon now to discuss its merits. The matter
las been several times submitted to the exam
inatlon of the United States Government, who
could not fail to recognize the titles preferred
by Costa Rica
What now beg to remark is, that in ex.
pressing your views on the subject, you should
assemble the recent action of Costa RIGA to a
deslre OF taking American travel and freight
Tor passing over the Isthmus and to hostile
ieeling against Americans and their interests.
Inese representations, Messrs. Editors, allow
me to say, are In contradiction with facts. You
know very we'll that the holders of the charter
granted by Costa RIGA, are American citizens.
You know very we'll that the grantees are
only bound to pay very small consideration;
nominal we should call it, when taking into
account the importance of the affair which
circumstance will enable them to lower the
rates Of passage and frel ght; while it proves
Costa Rica Is not anxious to tax American
commerce. You know very we'll that if q new
line owned and managed by Americans, such
as the Costa Rica Transit Company is intended
to be, should be established on the Isthmus,
he necessary result would be to create com.
petition with the old Nicaragua line-the
cheapning OF passage and freight, the improve
ment OF accommodation, and thousand other
advantages for the general benefit of the
American travelling public. You know very
we'll that the privileges of the Nicaragua Com
pany have only eight years more to run, at The
expiration of which term the right of way will
cease; but the Costa Rican Company has OBJ
tain ed twenty years, which is another advan-
tage for the public.
1 trust Messrs. Editors, you will have the
goodness to give place to this letter in the
columns of your Journal for the sake of i'm.
Partially and truth, the param cunt duties of
your position. You will exceedingly oblige
your most obedlent, AN OBSERVER.
Washington, November 4th 1854.
Note on the above Communication. With
all due respect for the highly respectable gen.
tleman who has favored US with the above
communica ton, we beg leave to say that he
has not told the whole story. Costa Rica,
without the consent of Nicaragua, annexed to
herself the southernmost portion of the terri
tory of the latter, the northern boundary of
which is the San Juan river, to point fifteen
leagues below Lake Nicaragua. From 1914
up to the date of the acts above referred
to, Cif our historical recollection is not at
fault,) there was no question as to the identi-
ty OF the section of country in question with
Nicaragua. So far as that portion of it Dor
dering the San Juan river is concerned, how.
ever, the acts Of dismemberment and annexa.
ton were never consummated; Costa RIGA
never acquiring practical control of it; as
from time immemOrial, to this hour, it re.
mains an integral part of Nicaragua, except
wherein Great Britain, by force of arms and
without the slightest shadow of right, dispos.
'essed the latter of jurisdiction of the mouth
If the river, under the pretence that that is |
portion of the dominions of the bogus Mos
quito King. Costa RIGA has resorted to every
possible e1pedient to induce Nicaragua to &C |
knowledge her coequality of jurisdiction over
he San Juan by virtue of her unauthorized
and illegal act of annexing to herself the |
southern province of Nicaragua, to which we
refer above. She COSTA Rica) has gone SO
far in this work as justly to involve herself in
the suspicion of responsibility, in part, for
England's act of dispossessing Nicaragua of
the port of San Juan in favor of the Mosquito
King. She denies the fact, though the diplo-
matte world have not generally credited her
denial. However, she has never for day
held practical jurisdiction over the river, the
light to navigate which she has assumed as our
correspondent explains in his communication,
20 cede away for "a Gerry small consideration j."
Indeed, SO far al. Iher legal right to do any
'uch thing under such circumstances is con.
;erned, she has just as much right to cede to
company the navigation of the Thames, the
Seine, or the Potomac. As for cheapening
he rates OF freight and passage over the
all folde-rol; for they are
now VIGOROUSLY down to absolute cost; this
policy having been found necessary on the
part of those controlling that transit in their
competition with the other existing lines of
ranslt between our Atlantic and Pacific ports.
The American parties who are in the Costa
--oS ON PioUooAy, Ql0T b0ll- l
ng to "green 'uns' their charter, entertain.
ng no design, We presume of burning their |
myers by spending their money in the vain |
'fort to avail themselves of privileges which |
he grantor had no valid right to cede away |
Whenever Costa RIGA can get possession of |
he San Juan, it will be time enough for her |
o grant charter to navigate that stream.
Until then, all she may do in that way will |
continue to look as though only designed to
the navigation of the river by those |
Americans who have already expended mil.
ions IN perfecting the transit to California by
hat route. AS this cannot be done without
rieVous injury to the existing commerce of the
United States, we take it for granted that the
government of our country will not stand idly
y and witness the contamination of any plans
o that end, should parties be found so foolhardy
8 to undertake them, which, by the by, we
% not believe.
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