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

has been above described in the space Of eighteen months
10 be computed from the exchange of ratiheauons And
the treaty further expressly provides that the permission
granted 70 cut logwood sha not DO considered dero
eating In any vice from his Catholic Majesys rights Of
sovereignty over this logwood districts and stpuates
moreover that ii any ortihcatons should actually have
been heretofore erected within the limits marked out his
Britannia Majesty shall cause them all TO be demolished
and he viii order his subjects not to build amy ones
But Notwithstanding these provisions in the opinion Of
Mr. Fox IL was still in the power Of the British
to put our Their own Interpretation upon the words
eoatiaent Epagnoi and to determine, upon prudential
considerations, whether the Mosquito shore under
the description or noL'
Hence the necessity for negotiations which should de-
terne precisely and expressly the territory embraced by
the treaty OF lss These produced the convention Of the
l4h July, 1856 and its very first article removed every
deubt the subject. This declares that His Britannia
Majesy SUBJECTS and the other colonisls who have hith
erto enjoyed the protection Of England shall the
country Of the Mosquitoes well the continent in gem
era and the islands adjacent without exception situated
beyond the limits prescribed BY the convention within
which British subjects to be permitted 70 cut not only
faSwood but mahogany and all other wood and even
this district IL indisputably acknowledged 70 belong Of
right TO tbs Grown Of Spain #.
Thus what was meant By the coatiasnt Epagao in the
treaty Of 1888 defined beyond all doubt by the
on of l7S6 and the sovereignty of the Spanish King
the Mesquite shore we'll every other portion Of
the Spanish continent and the islands adjacent il expressly
recognized
the Mosquito Indians against the punishment to which
they had exposed themselves her allies from their eg
mate and acknowledged sovereign The lath article OF
the convention therefore provides that hs Catholic Ma
eay prompted solely by motives Of humanity promises to
the King OF England that he will exercise any act OF
severity against the Mosquitoes nhabitng in part the coun
tries which to be evacuated by virtue Of the present
convention account Of the connexions which may have
subssted between the said Indians and the English and
his Britannia Majesty his part will strictly prohibit all
his subjects from furnishing warlike stores the
in situated upon the frontiers Of the Span
ish possessions
British honor required that these treaties with Spain
should be faithfully observed and from the contempora
history doubt exists but that this DONE that
the orders required by the 18th article Of the convention
issued by the British government and that they
strictly carried into execution.
In this connection reference to the significant proceed
ings in the House Of Lords on the 26h Of March, 1885,
ought not to be omitted. On that day motion made
by Lord Rawdon shat the of the convention of July
a. 1885, do not meet the favorable opinion OF this House
The motion discussed a considerable length and with
great ability The task OF defending the ministry this
occasion undertaken by Lord Chancellor Thuow and
was most triunphantly performed He abundantly JUS
+,
our allies they were not people we were bound by treaty
to protect "His lordhp repeled the argument that the
settlement regular and legal settlement with some
sort Of indignation and far from agreeing had been
contended that had uniformly remained in the quiet
and unquestionabe possession Of our claim to the terri
tory he called upon the noble Vscount Stormant to de-
clare, as man Of honor, whether he did not know the
contrary"
Lord Rawdon's motion to condemn the convention was
rejected by vote of SO to IL.
1t is worthy of special remark that all sides Of the House.
whether approving disappearing the convention pro-
Gsedsa upon the express admission that It required Great
Britain employing its own language to 4evacuate the
country Of the Mosquitoes On this question the House Of
Lords were unanimous.
At what period then did Great Britain renew her claims
to he country of the Mosquitoes well the continent
in general and the islands adjacent without exception
II certainly was not in 1901, when under the treaty OF
Amiens she acquired the island OF Trinidad from Spain
without any mention whatever Of future acquisitions In
America 1t certainly not in 1909 when she entered
into treaty Of alliance offensive and defensive, with
Cvnt r. alta
conquer the Spanish monarchy. 1t certainly not in
1914, when the commercial treaties which had previously
existed between the two powers including II Is presumed
those OF 1888 and liS6, were revived.
On all these occasions there WAS no mention whatever
Of any claims of Great Britain the Mosquito proecto
rate or to any Of the Spanish American territories which
II in 1917 and 1910, when Of the British
Parliament (57 and So Geo. 3d distinctly acknowledged
that the British settlement at Belize mot within the
territory and dominion of his Majesty but merely "a
settlement for certain purposes in the possession and under
the protection of his Maest-thus eyincing with de-
termined purpose TO observe with the most scrupulons
good faith the treaties Of 17s3 and 1886 with Spain.
In the very sensible book Of Captain Bonnycaste OF the
of British Royal Engineers Spanish America,
published at London in 1878 he gives no ntmston what
that Great Britain had revived her claim TO the Moe
quito proectorae On the contrary he describes the Mos
quito shore "a tract of country which lies along part Of
the northern and eastern shore OF Honduras which had
"been claimed by tho British He adds "The English
held this country for eighty years. and abandoned II in
1887 and 1881
Thus matters continued until considerable period after
1871 in which year the Spanish provinces composing the
captangenerashp Of Guatemala asserted and maintained
their independence of Spain II would be work of super
erogaton attempt prove this period Of the worlds
history that these provinces having by successful reyo
luton become independent States succeeded within their
respective limits all the territorial rights Of Spain This
win surely be denied by the British government which
took noble and prominent part in securing the inde
pendence Of all the Spanish American provinces
Indeed Great Britain has recorded ber adhesion 10 this
principle Of International law in her treaty of the 26h
December, 1896 with Mexico, then recently revolted
Spanish colony by this treaty, far from claiming any
rgh, beyond the asufruc which had been conceded TO
her under the convention with Spain Of 1885, she recog
niscs continued existence and binding effect between
government Of the latter stipulation that British subjects
shall be disturbed moested in the pcseeabe pos
session and exercise Of whatever rights privileges and inn
munities they have at any time enjoyed within the limits
described and laid down by tho convention Whether
The former Spanish sovereignty over Belize subject TO the
British usufuct reverted Of right TO Mexico TO Guse
ala may be seriously questioned but in either case this
recognition by Great Britain is equally conclusive
And here II may be appropriate to observe that Great
ct between the Rio Hondo and the Sbun within which
the King OF Spain under the convention Of 1856, had
granted her license TO cut mahogany and other woods
but the British settlers have extended this possession
south the river Sarsoon degree and half Of sti
ude beyond the limits described and laid down by the
convention II Is presumed that the eucroachments of
these settlers south OF The Sbun have been made without
the authority sanction Of the British Crown and that
no difficulty will exist in their removal.
Yet in view of all these antecedens the island OF Eua
TAM belonging TO the State OF Honduras and within sight
Of its shores captured in lsdl by Colonel Mcdonald
then her Britannia Maestys superintendent a Belize and
the Gag of Honduras hauled down and that Of Great