The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-01-03

On the 26th OF March, l7s7 motion made in the
House OF Peers by Lord Rawdon shat the Of the
yenton OF July a. 1885, do meet the favorable opinion
Of this House, On this motion long debate ensued be-
tween Lords Rawdon Carlisle, Sormant Hawke and Por-
chester in support Of the motion and the Duke OF Man
chester who negotiated the treaty of lTs3 the Marquis Of
Oarmarhen Secretary for Foreign Affairs who negotiated
the convention OF l1s6 and the Lord Chancellor the cele-
brated Thurow.
Lord Rawdon, on introducing bis motion, stated shat
the Mosquito shore given up Spain by the treaty Of 1886
bad been for more than century in the possession OF Great
Britain that consisted OF territory Of between urand
hive hundred miles in length and nearly OF the depth
Of one hundred miles inland from the that there were
on It various settlements, and that the residents at
the time of It's cession consisted OF 1900 British sub
jects, including whites male and female persons Of mixed
color and their slaves that regular form OF government
had been established il many years since consisting of
council etc that ii settlement OF great value and
importance to this country, and that claim TO IT was
AS good claim the island OF jamaica La support
of these assertions his ordshp produced various docu
nents from the governor and assembly Of the island OF
Jamaica and other corroboratng papers In exchange for
this valuable settlement he said the British ministers had
contented themselves with accepting narrow slip OF ter
ritory between eleven and twelve miles in extent only.
Lord Rawdon then proceeded to censure the minister's
especially for the fourteenth article OF the convention by
which the King of Spain promises not TO exercise any act
of severity against the Mosquitoes inhabng in part the
countries which TO be evacuated account of the
connexions which may bave substed between the said
Indians and the English" which his lordship declared
be III most degrading humiliation Of Great Britain"
The Earl of Carlisle in the spoke of the
Mosquito shore settlement that had been in the undis-
urhed possession OF Great Britain for than century
lie considered the ministers especially censurabe or hav
ing hung up the humiliation of Great Britain in every
court in Europe article degrading TO the national
honor the l4th article of the convention because there
could be secret for such mortying sacrifice of
the spirit of the country" Lord Sormant likewise partic
uarly enlarged the l4h ariceas unnecessary deg
radiation of the country and he said he Mosquito Indians
had proved themselves faithful allies and bad invariably
adhered to the interests of Great Britain. He conended
that they were independent people and that had
right whatever to deliver them the Spanish yoken
On the part of the ministry the Duke of Manchester and
the Marquis OF Carmarthen said very little more than in
support OF their personal agency in the treaty OF 1888
and the convention OF 1885, the defence being left TO the
Lord Chancellor the champion of the administration who
left the woosack, and in most mastery manner answer
ed the various arguments that had been urged in support
Of the motion"
He began with declaring that he had expected to have
heard the question spoken to with that degree Of explicit
ness and candor that belonged 10 it. He had looked for
more accuracy OF description in point of geographical
character than had been attempted The Mosquito shore
had been talked OF as tract of country extending between
four and five hundred miles without the smallest mention
of the swamps and morasses with which nerspersed
nor any allowance for hepars of II that actually i'm
possible to be either cultivated inhabited With regard to
settlements, it would be imagined by those who
strangers TO the fact that there had been regular
men regular council and established laws peculiar to
the Territory when the fact there neither had existed
the other His lordhp went into the history of the
settlement tracing it down from the 1850 the
l77T mentioning Lord Godophns treaty and all ts cir
culsances; and deducing arguments from each fact be
mentioned TO prove that the Mosquito shore had
been fairly deemed to be British settlement but that
Jamaica, who had erected tortifcatons which had been
afterwards abandoned by order OF the government home
He instanced the transactions the subject Of the peace
o Paris IN 1853 when Governor Lyteon governed Ja-
maca aud enlarged upon them to show that this country
by the peace of Paris had renounced whatever claim she
might before that period have fanced she had right
TO aintah and had given fresh proof Of her having
done in the year lz when Lord George Germane the
ecreiary Of the American Department sent out Mr. Lawrie
treaty between tuis country and Spain carried
fully into execution. His ordshp enlarged very much
these particulars and after enforcing and them
TO the arguments that bad been urged in defence of the
motion, proceeded TO ice what Lord Carlisle had said
the delcacy OF questions of that sort clarDg that he
had been happy hear the matter udciousy observed
upon His lordshp said he should been extremely
glad ii the whole grounds of the transactions could with
prudence and proprety have been gone into but that
could not be done he must meet the matter as he found It.
With regard 10 the degradation of the country that the
4th article pretended to hold out he denied the fact
The Mosquitoes not allies they not peo
pie we're bound by treaty to protect nor there
anything like the number Of British subjects there that had
been stated; the number having been, according TO the
last report from thence only 40 and lG women The
fact was had procured by contract If the noble lord
peased) stipulation that the King of Spain would not
punish those British subjects and the Mosquitoes who had
possessed themselves improperly of the rights belonging to
the Spanish Crown and in consequence of such irregular
possession had persisted for course Of time but with fire.
quen interruption in the enjoyment Of those rights His
lotdshp repeled the argument that the settlement was
regular and legal settlement with sort of indignation
and far from agreeing had been contended that
had uniformly remained in the quiet and unquestionable
possession OF claim to the territory he called upon the
noble Vscount Stormant to declare man Of honor
whether he did not know the contrary"
The purport Of Lord StormantS answer Is not given
Lord Rawdon however deendedb his notion and produced
documents by General Daing when governor of Ja
maca to prove that superne dent had been Gent
TO The settlement the Mosquito shore at that time with
a view 10 form government
The Lord Chancellor replied that he aware Of the
application for charter but he wished the noble lord had
mentioned the that given to that application
when il made His Iordship said the having
/ snpgrintendent with the establishment of
regular council &c, did not by any prove that the
government ut home had countenanced the scheme lie
reerd the noble lord to what had been before stated rel
aveto the conduct Of Governor Lytteon in l63 and Of
Lord George Germaiue in l777, ample proof that let
what would have been the state Of the Mosquito shore
the opinion OF this country in l74 or 74S, the idea Of
settling there had been changed completely since and the
orliGcatous recently abandoned and Withdrawn. After
further debate 1.-THE particulars Of which not
givenl the question taken, and decided against Lord
Rawdons motion to condemn the convention by a OF
I hity-three TO seyenteen.s
Nothing could be atanot the treaty Of 1886 it.
se-to the preensons set up by Great Britain for herself
and the Mosquito Indians than this debate and the
be motion To censre the treaty Of 1885, The Lords who
supported the motion of the administration for
having made the treaty assert IL is true that Great Brit
AIM and her ally the Mosquitoes had rights before the trea
y OF 1885, but admit that these rights given up by
that treaty This position destroy the preensons Of Great
Britain, both for herself and the Mosquitoes Of having rights
there after that treaty. On the other hand Lord Thurlo
in his defence OF the administration denied all claims
the part Of the Mosquito Indians well the part
Great Britain except what given by the clause rea
tive to the Belize his position which concurrcd In by
nearly the whole House Of Lords therefore equally fatal
to these pretensions Of the British government In ono
Vii 9TH Of he nf iu