Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-06-05
THE PROPOSED ARBITRATION OF THE
CENTRAL AMERICAN DIFFICULTY.

Washington, May 3O.-The message Of
the President sent to the Senate yesterday
merely encloses the letter of Mr.. Marcy to
Mr.. Dallas, dated on the Oath of May; the
subject Of the difference of opinion between
the British government and the United
States regarding the construction and effect
of the constitution of the 10Th of April,
1850, and the subject of Central America
generally and stating to Mr.. Dallas the
views which the President entertains of that
|question as it now stands, in order that he
may communicate the same to the Earl of
Clarendon There has been no direct COM
munication between the two governments
on the main subject since the letter of Mr..
Buchanan to Mr.. Clarendon, in September
last his lordship's reply on the 9Th of the
same month, and the brief rejoinder of Mr.
Buchanan on the 18th of the following Octo-
Der.
The President, it appears, would have
been better satisfied, if in expressing the
conviction that all obstacles to satisfacto-
ry adjustment of the controversy might, with
concilitory spirit on both sides, be overcome.
Lord Clarendon has been pleased to indi-
cate the means which, in his judgment,
were calculated to pronounce SO favorable
contamination. For want of this, the Pre-
sident was left to conjecture as to the pres
ent idea of Her Majesty's Government.
He could not be certain his conjecture
concerning it was we'll grounded-but he
was induced by certain collateral incidents
which have occurred y infer it was by ar
bitration, by third power, of the difference
between the two governments relative to
Central America.
Mr.. Marcy says it would be superfuous
to dwell on the offset, while the President
entertains that proper action of this ma
ture, which her Majesty's government in
tended as final one, was not presented at
the commencement, and in such shape as
to have attracted to and fixed upon it the
attention of his government
That is the only possible construction of
the declarations exchanged between Clayton
and Bulwer at the time of exchanging the
ratification of the Convention
But it is not so understood by this Gov
eminent, which does not understand that at
the date Of the treaty Great Britain had any
possessions, or occupied any territory in
Central America, unless the British estab-
lishment at the Balize, with it's dependen-
cies, as the same are defined by her treaties
with Spain to be considered as British pos
sessions or territory in Central America
Lord Clarendon seems to assume that the
difference between the two countries is mere
ly of the Interpretation of the Convention Of
1856.
The President says he cannot do anything
which could be taken to admit, either di-
rectly or implicitly, that these are the ques-
tions in his mind relative to the true con-
struction of that Convention and he feels
bound to take care that in entertaining the
proposition of arbitration he shall not be I'M
derstood as actuated by the slightest feeling
of distrust regarding the treaty rights Of the
United States.
Instead of submitting to arbitration pre-
tensions involving such consequences, or in
any other way consenting to restore effect
to the treaty with such possible construc-
ton, it would in the judgment of the Presi-
dent, be his duty to propose its annulment,
so as to relieve the United States from obi
cations not attended by any benefits; and
which obligations thus Intentionally incur,
they having entered into treaty upon the
supposition that absolute reciprocity of re-
striction was incurred by Great Britain.