Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-04-12
From Blsckwood's Magazine, March, 1856.
NICARAGUA AND THE FILIBUSTERs

control of all the North American continent,
and of the island of Cuba; they consider TINS
their manifest destiny" and any movement
in that direction is looked on by them as .
matter of course and deserving OF encourage
ment
The popular name for the agency by which
such state Of things is to be brought about
is "filibusterism." The word "flibustern is a
French and Spanish corruption of the English
word freebooter, appellation which, in for.
mer days, from its being frequently assumed
by certain class Of men, who disiked the
harsher name Of pirate became familiar to
the inhabitants Of the West India Islands and
Central America; but as flibusterism is now
used, it expresses the action Of the American
people, or a portion of the people, IN the &C
QUESTION of territory which does not belong to
them, unrestrained by the responsibilities OF
the American Government
The sovereign people of the United States,
and the United States Government, are two
distinct bodies, influenced by different motives.
The Government is obliged TO maintain the
appearance Of keeping faith with other friendly
powers, but at the same time is so anxious 10
gain popularity at home, that it does not take
really etfectua measures to check any popular
movement, however illegal it may be, if favor
ed by the majority of the people
qua has been reduced, or, it should rather be
said, raised to her present position, by being
occupied aud governed by large body OF
Americans, affords an instance of the truth Of
this statement.
For the last two years the American and
English Governments have been exchanging
diplomatic letters, arguing at great length on
the abstract meaning of certain words of q
treaty, by which either power was equally
bound not TO occupy, fortity, colonize, or take
possession Of, any part Of Central America.
In the mean time party of American citizens,
under command of certain Colonel Walker,
have virtually taken possession of, and do now
govern the State Of Nicaragua, one of the
States specially mentioned in the treaty. When
they first landed in Nicaragua, not ten months
ago, they numbered only fifty six men; but in
as far as they had the goodwill of the majority
of the American people, they represented the
nation as truly as General Pierce and his Cabi-
net Colonel Walker was merely the practical
exponent Of popular theory and his success
has been so rapid and decisive, and such is the
position he now holds in Nicaragua, strength
ened by daily accessions to his force from Cali
fornia and from the United States, that the
Americanisation OF Nicaragua may be almos
considered an established fact.
Should the Americans in that country be
able TO maintain their position, of which, al
present, there seems to be every probability
the successful fiibustering Of Nicaragua will
be but the beginning; the end will be the oc
cupation, BY Americans, Of all the Central
American States, and in due course Of time,
OF Mexico and Cuba.
In order 70 show why the ilibustering eIer-
gies Of the Americans have been specially
directed 10 Nicaragua, and how it is that 50
small party OF them have so quickly got con
troll OF that State, and also to appreciate fully
the position which their leaders occupy a
members Of the wly.iormed government il i:
necessary to give some information on the poll
teal condition Of the country, and on recent
events there, which the writer, while resident
in the country during the greater part Of the
revolution, had good opportunity of acquiring
On the discovery OF gold in California in
l84s, when there was such a rush Of gold.
hunters 10 that land of promise both from the
Old and the New World, the route generally
followed was that by Panama, as the most ex.
peditious-lines of steamers being established
by American COMPARES from New York and
New Orleans to Chagres, and from Panama to
San Francisco.
The supply Of steamers, however. was never
sufficient Tor the accommodation Of the crowds
OF eager emigrants; the profits Of the steam
ship companies we're enormous, and American
enterprise was not long in discovering and
opening new, and in many respects superior,
route TO the golden regions Of the Pacific.
The new route lay through the State Of Mic
aragua, one Of the FIVE States into which the
Central American Confederation was dissolved
in the year 1881.
1t was to the advantages offered BY its geo
graphical position that Nicaragua owed its dis
tnction. The Lake Of Nicaragua, splendid
sheet Of water ninety miles long by about fifty
broad, lies within the State. Its most western
extremity is only twelve miles from the Pacific
and at It's eastern extremity about one hundred
and fifty miles from the Atlantic; it empties
itself into that ocean through the river San
Juan, which is navgable all the distance for
small vessels, and forms at its mouth the har
Dor Of Greytown or San Juan del Norte. An
inter oceanic canal was first talked of but il
was found that it would take all the gold in
California to construct il; so that idea was fol
the time abandoned, and New York com
pany, styled the Accessory Transit Company
Of Nicaragua, got a charter from the State
granting them for considerations the exclusive
privilege Of steam navigation Of the river Sar
Juan, and Of the Lake Nicaragua for period
Of ninety-nine years.
Steamboats, Of various capacities, to suit the
navigation Of the river and Of the lake, were
sent out-a road over the twevle miles Of land
between the lake and the harbor Of San Juan
del Sur on the Pacific, was commenced-steam
ships we're put on between that port and San
Francisco, and between New York and Grey.
town, and large share Of the California emf
grafton began TO stream through the country
The difficulties Of the route were at FIRST con
siderable, owing to the number Of rapids in
the river San Juan requiring boats OF peculiar
construction for their navigation, and from the
fact Of the country through which lies the road
70 the Pacific being mountainous wilderness
the greater part covered BY dense tropical
forest.
In the rainy season, which lasts for about
five months, the road was SO bad that mule
would sink 10 his belly at every step; the
twelve miles were not unfrequently two DAYS
journey, and many poor mule, after vainly
struggling to extricate himself, succumbed 10
his fate, and was absorbed in the mud, leaving
his rider to fight bis own way through, which
he generally did without much trouble. Such
little difficulties were not thought much Of by