Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-01-09

tive exclusion of all domain or sovereign
ty; and thus it conf ms the natural con
s;ruction and understood import of tn
treaty as to all the rest of the region t
which the stipulation applied. -
1t, however, became apparent, at al
early day after entering upon the dis
charge Of my present functions, tina
Great Britain sill continued in the ex
ercise or assertion of large authority il
all that part of Central America, com
monty called the Mosquito coast, snC
covering the entire length of the STATE
of Nicaragua. and a part of Costa RIGA
that she regarded the Balize and her alb.
solute domain, and was gradually extcn
ding its limits at the expense ct the Stat,
of Honduras and that she had formal.
" colonized a considerable ~insular group
known as the Bay Islands, and belong
ing, Of right, to that State. :,
All these acts of ~pretentions of Grea
Briiian, being contrary to the rights o
the States of Central America, and Il
the manifest tenor Of her stipulation,
with the United States, as understood by
this government, have BEN made the
subject Of negotiation through the Amer
lean Minister in London. / transmit
herewith the instructions to him on the
subject, and the correspondence between
him and the British Secretary of Foreign
Affairs, BY which you will perceive that
the two governments differ widely and
irreconciieably as to the construction oil
the convention, and its effect ON their
respective relations TO Central America.
Great Britain SO construes the conven-
lion as to maintain unchanged all her
previous pretentions over The Mosquito
coast, and in different parts of Central
America. These p~retentions, as. to the
Mosquito coast, are founded on the as
sumption Of political relation between
Great Britain and the remnant ola tribe
of Indians on that coast, entered into at
a time when the whole country was a
col .nial possession of Spain. II cannot
be successfully c%ontroverted that, by the
public law of Europe and America, no
possible act Of such Indians or there pre-
deces>or could confer on Great Britain
any political rights.
Great Briiian does n o allege the as
sent of Spain as the or gin Of her claims
the Mosquito coast. She has, on the
contrary, by repeated and successive
treaties, renowned and relinquished all
pretentions of her own, and recognized
The full ami sovereign rights of Spain
in the most unequiyocal terms. Yet
these preientions. SO without solid found
begiuEing. and thus repealed
ly ablured, were, az a recent period, re-
vived by Great Britain against the Cen
.ral American States, the legitimate sue
,essors 10 all the ancient jurisdiction of
Spain in that region. They were first
only TO a defined part of the
coast Of Nicaragua. afterwards 10 the
whole of IFS Atlantic coast, and lastly to
. part of Costa Rica; and they are now
-easserted 10 this extent, Notwithstanding
to the United Stales.
On the eastern coast of Nicaragua
md Coast RIGA, the inter 'erence of Great
Britain. though e1erted at one time in the
orm of military occupation Of the port of
San Juan del Norte, then in the peace
III possession Of the appropriate auihori-
les of the Central American States, i,
low presented by her as the rightful e1.
rcise of a pro'ectorship over the Mos
Iuito tribe of Indians.
But the establishment at the Balize,
ow reaching far beyond the treaty linn
S INTO the State of Honduras, and that
E the Bay Islands, appertsining of right
D TIE same State, are distinctly colonial
governments as those OF Jamaica or Can
da, and therefore contrary to the very
as well as the spirit of the conven-
with the United States, as it was at
he time of the ratification, and now is,
Understood by this government.
The Interpretation which the British
overnment, thus in assertion and act.
in ascri4ing to the convention,
changes its character. While it
olds us to all our obligations, it in a
reat measure releases Great Britain
-om those which constituted the consid-
alton of this government for entering
Ito the convention. 1t is impos' ible, in
" judgment. for the United States to
cquiesce in such a construction of the
.spective relations of the two govern
of Central America.
To a renewed call by this government
pom Great Britain, to abide by, and car
Z into effect, the st~ipulations Of the con-
cntion according to it obvious import, I,
= Withdrawing from the possession or
of portions of the Genital {
meiican States of Honduras, Nicara-
ia. and Coast Rica, the Britist govern |
ent has al length replied, affirming /.
at the operation of the treaty is pros
4ctive only. and did not require Great
10 abandon or contract any pos I
held by her in Central America j
the date of its conclusion. ]
This reply substitutes a partial issue {
the place of the general one presented {
the United States. The British gov. !
nment passes owe the question of the G
5htS oil Oreat Britain, real or supposed, [
Central America, and assumes that )
had such rights at the date of the t
eatY, and that those rights comprehend {
the Protectorship of the Mosquito In i
ans, the extended jurisdiction and linn a
Of the Balize, and the colony Of the
AZ Islands, and thereupon proceeds by j
IpficaIion to infer that, it the slipula- s
ms of the treaty be merely future in .
iect. Great Britain may sill continue e
hold the contested portions of Central 4
The United States cannot \
rmit either the inference or the prem 4
s. We steadily deny that, at the date g
the treaty. Great Britain had any poss
tn re, other than the limited and a
culiar establishment at the Balize, and S
aintain that. if she had any. they were Fl
by the convention. a
This government, recognizing the OBJ b
of the treaty. has, Of course, e
sired 10 see ii executed in pood faith :;