The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1856-01-05

~ 1GifCHAPH To TIf r sTdN JOURNAL.
ss.!Ar Ci'7.-.or NJ S.c.te
nhd Hose q Htfs,ss~,c;iws:
The CONSERVATION Of The United States
pro. iics that Congress shall assemble annu.
a.ly on the first Monday OF December. ard il
has been usual for the Prpsihen' to make no
communication. ola public character to 'he
Senate and House Of Representatives unit!
advised oftheir readiness 10 rccei,eit !
have deferred to His usage until the doe Of
;he first month Of he session. bu, nv convic.
tons Of duty will not permit me longer tn post
pone the discharge Of the ob'lsa:ion enioined
~ the Constitution on the President, 70 give
TO Congress information on the state Of the
CLion. and recruitment to their consi!era-
ton such measures as he shall judge necessa.
y and exp-lirnt
II is matter OF concratnIation that tie
Republic is RAPIDLY advancing in a career Of
prosperity and peace.
FOREIGN RELATIONs-CENIRAL AMERICA.
Whilst relations ot amitv continue 10 exist
between the United States and all foreign
powers, with some Of them grave questions
are pending. which NAV require the con>id-
Grafton Of Congress. Of such questions the
most important is that which has arisen on:
Of the negotiation. with Great Britain in ref.
srence to Central America
By the convention concluded between the
two governments Oh the 18th Of April. 1850.
both parties covenanted that neither will ev-
er occupy. foriify, COloi'izc, assume or pxer-
else any dominion over Nicaragua. Costa RI
q. the Mosquito coast. or any y,ar, Of Central
Amrrica. il was the undoubtrd understand
ing OF the United States. in making this trea-
~, that all the present States Of the former
republic Of Central America. and the entire
territory Of each. would thencefor'h enjoy
complete independence. and that both con.
tracing parties engaged equally. and to the
same extent. for the present and for the f,-
surS, that it either then had any claim or
right in Central America. sue, claim, and all
occupation or authority under it. were unrr-
servedly rrlinqui>hrd by the sripu!ations Of
the convention; and that no dominion was
thereafter to be exercised. or assumed. in anv
part Of Central America, by Great Britain or
the United States. This government consent
81 to restrictions in regard to region Of
country wherein We had specific and peculiar
interests. only upon the conviction that the
like restrictions were in the same sense obliS.
ssorv Oh Great Britain. Rnt for this under
Standing Of the force and effect Of the Con-
ven'ion it would never have been concluded
by Us. So clear was this understanding on
tho mart ofthe tris,d States. that in a CORES
pondence contempOraneous with the ratifira-
ton OF the Convention. it was distinctly ex-
pressed that the mutual covenants of non o.
rupation were not intended to apply to the
British establishment al the R-lze. This
qualification is TO be ascrihed to the fact that
in virtue Of Successive treaties with previous
sovereiens Of the country, Great Britain had
obtained a concession Of the right 10 cut ma
hoRany or dye woods at the Balizc, but with
positive exclusion Of al. domain or sovereign
", and thus it confirms the natural cOnstruc-
ton and understood imnort Of the treaty. as
10 all the rest of the region to which the stip-
ulations applied. 1t. however. became ap.
parent at an early day after entering on the
discharge Of nv present functions. that Grea,
Britain s'll continued in the exercise or as
sertion oflaree authority in all parts Of Cen
trail America. commonly called the Mosquito
Coast. ard covering the entire length Of the
State Of Nicaragua and part of Costa Rira
that she regarded the Belize as her absolute
domain. and was gradually extending its linz
Us ~ the expense of the State Of Honduras
end that she had formally colonizcd a cor>id
er'N'e irsu''r crcnn. known IS the B,v
~. 4. ,s,.t ~. :. Il At A..
All these acts or ,'r-.rnSions ofGreat Britain
being contrary TO the rights Of the States Of
C"ntrAl America. and 10 IN. man,rst tenor
Of her s'pularions with the United States, as
,drr>to"l nv this government have been
made the subject Of nccotiatons through, the
American Minister in London.
transmit herewith the Instructions 10 him
on the sntlect and the correspondence be-
tween him and the British Secretaries for
foreign affairs. nv which yon will perceive
that the two governments ,iitIer widely ard
i-rsconcilat!y. as to the construction of 'he
Convention and its effect on their respective
relations to Central America Great Brit,
ain IN CONSTITUTES tho Convention as to main
tain al her previous rr"tension. over the
Mosquito Coast and in different parts Of Cen
trail America. These pr.'en,ions as to the
Mosquito Coast are founded on the assnmp-
ton Il polit,a relation between Great Brit
ain and the rcmn, nj Of tribe Of Indians on
that coast. entered in,,. AZ tine whrn the
whole country was colonla, n"sse<s'o OF
Srair. II cannot he ST. cesSfnllv rontro'' r'
ted. that by the public law of Europe anu A.
meri"a M possible a.. of sucl. Indians. or
their predecessors. could confer IN Grca,
Britain any political rights. Great Britain
doe' not allsgc the assent Of Spain. as the
orie'" Of her claims on the Mosquito Coast
hhe mas. on the contrary BY repeated and
svr""sSve treaties renowned and rrlinOui>h-
81 all prefensons Of her own. and recognized
the full and sovereign rights Of Spain in the
m"ss unequivocal terms.
let these prrrrnsions. 50 without solid fonn.
da''on IN the beginning. and thus Repeatedly
stJnr"d. we're Al a recent period revived Nv
t'rraf britain. against the Central American
rtntee. the legitimate successors of all the an
r,snt jurisdiction Of Spain in that re.ion--
They were first arnied only 10 defined
part OF the Coast Of Nicaragua. afterwards n
the whole Of its Atlantic coast. and lastly TO
apart Ct the coast ct Costa Rica, and they
ere TOW reassrrted to this EXTENT notwi,h.
standnr engagements TO the United States
On 'hr Eastern coast If Nicaragua, and Co.'S
% Klcn. the Interference Of Great Britain.
though exer,ed a. on~ time in the form Of
military occupation ofthe port of San Juan del
N"r'e. then in The peaceful possession Of the
appropriate authorities Of The Central Ameri
can States. Is now presented bv her. az the
S"h"u' exercise Of dominion over the Mos.
quito tribe Of Indians But the establishment
ct the Belize. now rearhing far hevond its
limits into the State of Honduras, and that
~ 'bs'B"y Islands appertsinins If right 10
the same State. are as distinctly coloni-
81 governments AZ those Of .}amaica or Cana.
ia. and therefore contrary 10 the very letter.
AGyVall AZ Tho ,y,;r;, ~ H. C..,...: =,