Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1856-01-16

ahd the correspondence between him
and the British Secretary for Foreign
Affairs, by which you will perceive
that the two governments differ wide
~ and irreconcileably as to the con-
struction of the convention, and its
effect on their respective relations to
Central America >f.< -
Great Britain SO constructs the
convention, as to maintain unchanged
all her previous PROHIBITIONS over the
Mosquito coast, and i'm different parts
Of Central America. These preten-
lions, as TO the Mosquito coast, are
founded on the assumption of politi-
cal relation between Great Britain
and the remnant of a tribe Of Indians
ION that coast, entered into at time
when the whole country was a colo
NAL possession Of Spain. 1t cannot
be successfully controyerted, that by
the public law Of Europe and Ameri-
lea, no, possible actIof such Indians
or their predecessors could confer on
Great Britain any political rights.
Great Britain does not allege the
assent Of Spain as the origin Of her
claims on the Musquito coast. She
has, on the contrary, by repeated and
successive treaties, renowned and re.
linquished allprctentions Of her own,
and recognized the full and sovereign
rights ofSpain in the most uncqniyo-
cal terms. Yet these pretentious, SO
without solid foundation nthe begin
ming, and thus repeatedly abjured,
were, at recent period, revived by
Great Britain against the Central
American States, the Legitimate sue
-cessors p all the ancient jurisdiction
of Spain in that region. They were
first applied only to. d defined part OF
the coast of1Nicaragua, afterwards to
the wholezof its Atlantic coast, and
lastly to a part Of the coast of Costa
Rica;an they are now reasserted to
this extent, Notwithstanding engage
Elnents to. the United states.1 j.
On the eastern coast of Nicaragua
and Costa RIGA, the interference OF
Great Britain, though exerted- at one
time in the form Of military occupa.
ton of the port of San Juan Del
Norte, then itfthe peaceful possession Of
the appropriate authorities of the
Central American States. is now pre-
scented by her as the rightful exercise
of a protectorship ov or the Musquitq
tribe Of Indians. w. r. . .. Il 's....
But the establishment at the Balize;
now reaching, far beyond its treaty
limits into the. State of r Honduras.
and that of the Ray Islands. apper-
ttdinine of rightto the same State, are
as distinctly colonial governments rs
those Of Jamaica or Canada, and there,
fore, contrary, to the very letter as
welf,as the spirit of the convention
with the United States, as it was at
the time Of ratification and now is un.
Itlerstood4bg this Government. -.
The Interpretation which the Brit
ish government, thus in assertion and
act, persists in ascrib bling to- the. con,
yention, entirely changes its Gcharac-
| ter. While it holds us to all our>ob,
legations, it in a greatmeasure releas-
es Great Britain from those which
constituted the consideration of this
government from entering into. the
convention. tits impossible, in my
Judgment, for the United States to &C.
quiesce in such a construction of the
respective relations of the two gov.
ernments to Central America, ~
IA TO q renewed call by this govern.
ment upon Great Britain to abide by
and carry into effect the stipulations
of the convention according to its
obvious import, by withdrawing,from
the possession or colonization ofpor-
Etious of the Central American States
Of Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa
Rica. the British government has at
length replied, affirming that the OPP
Grafton of the treaty is prospective on
|ly, and did not require Great Britain
TO abandon or contract any possessions
held by her in Central America at the
date Of its conclusion. -Ess , ~
/ Thereby substitutes apartial issue,
in the place of a general one present
ed by the United States. The British
government passes oyerthe question
of the rights OF Great Britain, realor
supposed. in. Central America, and
assumes thatshe had such rights at
the date ofthe treaty, and that those
rights comprehended the protector
ship Of the Mosquito Indians, the ex-
tended Jurisdiction and limits of the
Balize, and the colony Of the Bay Is
lands, and tlereupen proceeds by inn
Iplicatinn to infer that il the stipula1
.tiDns0fithe treaty be merely future in
effect, Great Britain may still con
finue to hold the contested portions
of Central America. The United
States cannot admit either the infer
ence or the premises. We steadily
DENY that, at thesdate Of the treaty,
Great Britain had any possessions
there other than the limited and pecu-
liar establishment at the Balize, and
maintain that iflahe had any they
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