The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-02-07
THE NATIONAL ERA: WASHINGTON D. C, FEBRUARY 1856

lation, civilization, and government, ever since
the period of Spanish discovery, have clustered
| on the high grounds inland and on the Pacific
slope, leaving the coast of the Caribbean Sea,
which, though exceedingly fertile, was pestilen-
| tial, chiefly unoccupied Such the contrast
between the regions, that the early visit6ss de-
| scribe the colony as situated between heaven and
| hell That coast, including the Mosquito shore,
| still remains "a haunt of savages, whom three
| hundred years of contact with European ciyilza-
| ton has not only failed to improve but actually
| degraded and debased." Among them are the
| Mosquitoes the most degraded and debased OF
| all. They mixed breed of Indians ARD me-
| groes, in number about 5000. They e1dbsist
| chiefly by fishing and hunting, and live IN the
| banks of the lagoons the verge of the coast
| occupying no other part of the extensive ristrict
covered in their name by the Protectorate.S Their
| blood is tainted, and they diminishing il num-
| bers, like the natives of the Sandwich Islands.
The British have built a town, named Blew
| field, at the mouth of the Blewfeld River, which
| contains 600 inhabitants, of whom 500 are In
| dams and Negroes, and 100 are English. Near
| " all the dwellings are mere huts but t-ere is
one house which is built of boards and IN this
| the British agent lives, together with native,
| who has been selected by the British Govern
ment to personate King. The British flag
| waves over the edifce, although it is recorded
that national banner for the Mosquitoes was
once prepared at London, and sent to Blewfeld
| They claim for this King, that their choice was
| ratified by number of the chiefs or head men
| of the Mosquitoes, and show certificate to that
effect, bearing their marks. They claim, also, that
| the present King, or some one of his late prede
| cessors, visited Jamaica, and there was invested
with the robes of royalty by British subjects.
The Mosquitoes are heathens. They have neither
churches nor schools, Ministry, Parliament,
| or Council. They have no army or navy, no
| treasury, no customs, no taxes, no revenues, no
police, no industry, no trade no intercourse,
| diplomatic or otherwise, with any other people.
There indeed, at Blewfeld, civil, Judicial,
diplomatic, military and naval authorities; but
all these are British they execute only British
orders, and derive all their powers and salaries
! from the British Government. These doubtless
are the reasons why Lord Pamerston, in speak
ing of the Mosquito King said, abe is as much
a King as you or ~ and why, as Mr.. Bancroft
| reports, the British House of Commons laughed
when Che being present in l849) they voted the
appropriations TO support the Charge d Afaires
| at the Court of that imaginary monarch.
If any substance remained in the fctions of
Mosquito Nation and Protectorate it was finally
dissolved by the frank and manly statements of
Lord John Russell, written the 10th of Janu
airy, 1853, with view to its being submitted to
the Congress of the United States {" 1t is evident
(he writes) that since Great Britain first assum-
| ed the protection and defence of the Mosquito
Indians, the position of all parties has changed
First Spain, instead of exercising absolute sover
eighty over Central America and prohibiting all
commerce on the coast under her sway, has en-
| tirely lost her domain over the Continent, from
Cape Horn to Florida. Secondly the Mosquito
Indians, instead of governing their oesn tribe,
| according to their customs, furnish
| and title to Europeans and americans, who carry
on trade at Greytown, and along the coast of
Mosquito, according to the usages of civilized
nations. Thirdly, Great Britain, instead of hay
sxtn- xha Iafo AAf@h Ma. .,,ftn
Indians, for the sake of rcscuing part Of the ter
ritory of Central America from Spanish control,
and obtaining outlet for her, has no other in
terest in Mosquito than that which is derived
from an honorable regard for her old connection
with the Indian nation at Mosquito"
Under no circumstances could the fiction of a
Mosquito King, Kingdom, or Protectorate, be toll
Grated, to deprive the United States of continental
rights guaranteed to them by treaties with the
Central American States. But it would be con-
senting to the practice of fraud against them
and ourselves to tolerate such efforts after the
treaties of 1888, 1856, and 1850.
Lord Clarendon claims that the late Mr.. Web
ster when Secretary of State, sanctioned the
British construction of the treaty of 1880 This
sanction is understood to be merely inferred from
Mr.. Websters having advised Mr. Marcoleta, the
Nicaraguan Minister, to accept treaty proposed
to the States of Nicaragua and Costa RIGA by the
British Government upon the basis Of that con-
struction Mr.. Webster seems only to have pro-
posed this from amiable desire to effect a COM
promise, which failed. But however solemn may
have been his approval of the British construction,
it has never been adopted by the United States,
and they have constantly insisted on their own,
as now maintained.
Mr.. Websters supposed admission against the
ter adInission of Lord John RUSSELL in the letter
frou, which l have quoted so largely already
:. The popularity of this is, that certain
neighboring States deny altogether the independ-
; ence of Mosquito and the Mosquito nation are
liable any day to new incursions upon their terri
tory We can make complete provision against
this danger. Our policy is to do all taat honor
and humanity require in behalf OF the>Aosqulto
J nation. but we intend to adhere steao*ly to the
} treaty Of Washington of the 10th of ASril, 1850
and not to assume any sovereignty eltfNer direct
: or indirect, in Central America"
SO much light has now been thrown upon the
whole field Of debate that | can dig lose very
eeed to speak Of the fBSSse Simultane,uslv With With
the ratification of the treaty of 1852 explana.
TONS passed between the negotiators, (Which ex.
cepted from its operation "the British Settlement
in Honduras, Commonly called British Hopdu.
) ras, as distinct from the State of Honduras and
the small islands in the neighborhoca of that
settlement, which may be known as ts depend
encies;" and it was declared that the title to
that settlement and those islands was left by the
treaty, without denying affirming or meddlng
in any way with the same
Great Britain insists on the Sarstoon
River (Which is far south of the Sibun,) as the
border OF the British settlement of the Balize
WHILE by the treaty of 1886, the Sibun is ex-
pressly defined as its proper boundary and she
insists, moreover, on exclusive sovereig nty over
that district, while, by that treaty, her posses
sion is merely subordinate one, without any
attribute of dominion whatever. BY this extend
ed and absolute occupation, Great Britain covers
n proposed passage across the Isthmus, through
the State of Honduras, and also has great power
to obstruct even the Nicaragua route. The Uni
ted States, in view Of the exception Of the Balze
district from the treaty of 1850 do not insist now
on her abandoning the Balize but they insist that
she shall withdraw from the district she has
usurped, lying between the Sibun and the Sars-
toOn, and confine herself within the stipulated
boundaries of the Balize, while they ara content
to leave for further discussion the examination of
her pretensions to absolute sovereignty within
| that district. E.
Lord Clarendon sustans the British claim by
| drawing in the fact that the United States in
| l84l, sent a Consul to reside at the Baze who
received his exequatur from the British Govern
| ment. But Balize is situated north of the Sibun
and within the proper limits of British Honduras
The act of sending Consul to reside there is
no acknowledgment Of the lawfulness of the ex-
tension OF the settlement beyond those boundaries.
Secondly, the appointment of Consulfs only
commercial, not political transaction.
Lord Clarendon further sustains thesa usurpa-
tons, by alleging that the treaty of 781 was alb
| rogated in 1914 by war between Grett Britain
and Spain, at which time the Balze settlement
had been already extended to the Sarstown. But
| ifain d,,r;p hat, oil