The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1856-05-31

| ciaf consideration to. nil maritime nations,
which has been greatly 4annginentcdii in modern
Hines by thee. opprRer1attiojn Of changes III CONNER
cial relations. especially those, produced by the
general use Of steam asa motive power by land
and Sea- To rs. Of, account of its .geograpbi-
cal poNsiittiio ula and Of our political interest as an
American State of. primary magnitude, that
isthmus is Of peculiar importalicc,jus us the
isthm,s If Suez is. for ourrrcrssptornuding reasons,
to The maritime DO bowers of Europe. But, above
all. the importance to the United States Of
securing free Transit across theYAmieriean 18th
mus has rendered it of paramount interestato
us since thegscttlement5 Of the Territories of
Oreron,and Washington, and the accession OF
California to the Union. ~ 5eA 49l'1
UNVEILED by these considerations, the United
States took stcps at an early day to assure
suitable means Of commercial transit, by canal,
railway, or otherwise, across this isthmns. a1l'
we concluded, 10 the first place, o treaty Of
peace. amity. navigation and commerce with
The Keapoublicc Of New Granada, among the con
ditions of which iWyaapss a stipulation, on the part
Of New(4ranadaL. guaranteeing to lie United
States the right OF way. or transit across that
part of the isthmus which lies in the territory
Of NewGra nadla, in consideration Of which the
United States guaranteed in respect Of the
same territory the rights of sovereignty aud
pronerty of NewGranada. e'i7nh
The effect Of this treaty was to afford to, the
people of the United States facilities for at
once opening a common road from Chagres to
Panama. and for at length constructing a rail
way in the same direction, to connect regularly
with. steamships. for the transportation of
mails. 7specic and passengers, to and fro, be-
tween the Atlantic and Pacific States and
nv II \. 4. U ~. r ~ VI ryt..E1 lf,.a1X. -N.e N" -lNrN
The limited States also cndcayored. but u,-
successfully, to obtain from the Mexican Re
public the cession of the right of way at the
northern extremity Of the ist6mus, by ii'ehua,l-
lepcc, and that line of communication con-
tues to be an object of solicitude to the people
of this Republic. ~ft
In tile mean time, intervening between the
Repub!ic Of NewGrapada and the Mexican
Republic, lie the States of Guatemala, Saliva
dor. Honduras. Nicaragua, and Costa Rica,
the several members Of lie former Republic Of
Central America. Here, in the territory OF
the Central American States, is the narrowest
part of the istbmruuss, and thither, Of course,
public attention has beer, directed as the most
inviting field for enterprises of inter-oceanic
communication between the opposite shores OF
America, and more especially to the territory
Of the States of Nicaragua and Honduras.
Paramount 10 that Of any European State
as was the Interest OF the United States in the
security and freedom of projected lines Of travel
across the istl,nlus by the way Of Nicaragua
and Honduras, still we did not yield in this
respect to any suggestions of territorial ag-
grandizcmcnt, or even Of exclusive advantage,
portunities had not been wanting to the United
Stofnc fn J,pouuyn ii, nh sd MT, roc h,, r,cnrnf,l
means, and with full and free assent OF those
who alone had any legitimate authority in the
matter. We ~disregarded those opportunities,
Eeign policy, just as, even to the present day,
VIC have. persevered III a system Of justice and
yissespect for the rights and interests of others as
Jewell as our own, in regard to each and all Of
Pane States Of Central America.
1t was with surprise and regret, therefore,
that the United States learned, u few days al
ter the conclusion Of the treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo, by which the United States became,
with the consent Of the Mexican Republic, the
righttul owners Of California, and thus invested
with augmented special interest IN the political
condition OF Central America, that o military
expedition under the authority OF the British
Government had landed at San Juan del Nortc,
III et"' Io.s' s"S SSS"y eSA1h''Aoo " ~
canal or railway across the 1sthmus within the
territories OF Nicaragua.
IT did not diminish the unwe!comeness to US
of this act OH the part Of Great Britain to find
that she ASSUMED to Justify it on the ground OIL
an alleged protecSorship OF q small and obscure
band OF uncivilizea Indians, whose proper name
even had become lost to history, who did not
constitute a State capable of territorial sover-
eighty, either in fact or OF right, and oil politi-
cal interest in whom, aud in the territory they
occupied, Great Britain had previously re
nounccd by successive treaties with Spain when
Spain was sovereign OF the country, and subse
quently with independent Spanish America.
Nevertheless, and injuriously affected as the
United States conceived themselves to haNC
been by this act OF the British Government
and by its occupation about the same time Of
insular and of continental portions Of the terri
tory of the State OF honduras, We remembered
the many and powerful tics and mutual liz
tcrcsts by which Great Britain and the United
States are associated, and we proceeded il
earnest good faith, and with q sincere desire tt
do whatever might strengthen the bonds 81
peace between us, to negotiate with Great Bri.
tain a convention to assure the perfect neu.
trality of all interoceanic communications
across the lsthmus, and, as the indispensable
condition of such neutrality, the absolute indie
pendence Of the States of Central America, and