The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1856-01-08


! lion uf tie Quilted States provides iha,
Congress shall assemble annually On tie
first Monday Of December, and it. has
be,n usual Tor the Prc> ident TO make ne
communication of u public character IL
the Senate and House Of Representatives
unliliadvised Of their read ness to receive
It. have deferred TO this usage until the
close of The first month Of the session. but
my convic. ions of duty will moi permit me
longer 10 posipore The discharge Of the
obligation enjoined upon The Piesiden; by
the constitution Of giving Congress- infpr-
maiion upon the State of the Union. and
recommending TO their consideration such
measures as he shall juds necessary and
expedient.
Ii is a matter of congr ,tulation that the
republic is TRANQUILITY advancing in a career
Of prosperity and peace.
Whilst relations of amiiy continue TO
exist between the United States and all
foieign powers. win some of them grave
questions are depending. which may re-
quire the consideration of Congress. OF
such questions. the most important is, that
which has risen out Of the negotiations
with Great Britain in reference to Central
America. By the convention concluded
between the TWO governments on he l9lh
Of April. 1859, both parties averred that
neither will ever occupy, or forlify. or col
opize. or assume, or exercise any domn.
ION over. Nicaragua. Costa Rica. the
Mosquito Coast. or any part OF Contra.
America. 1t was the understanding of
the United States, in making this treaty,
that all the present States. of the former
republic Of Central America. and the en-
tire territory Of each, would lhenceforlh
enjoy complete independence. and that
both contracting parties engaged equally.
and to the same extent for the present and
for the future. that it either of the m had
any ciaim of right in Central America,
such claim, and vii occupation and author
ity under il, were unreservedly relln-
pushed by the slipulations Of the con-
venlion, and that no dominion was there
after 10 be exerted or assumed in any
par, { Central America BY Great Britain
or the United States. This government
consented to restrictions in regard TO a re-
gion of country wherein We had specific
md peculiar interests, only upon the con-
vicion that the like restrictions were in
The same sense obligat Dry on Great Britain.
But for this understanding of the force
and effect of the convention. it would
never have been concluded by us. So
clear was this understanding on the part
Of the United States. that. in correspond
ence cotemporanous with the ratification
of the convention. it was distinctly .ex
pressed that the mulu Il covenants Of non
occupation were not intended To apply to
the British establishment at the Bslize,-
This qualification is TO be ascribed TO the
fact that. in The course Of successive treat.
les with previous soverei.ns Of the coun-
try. Great Britain had obtained con-
cession Of the right 10 cut mahogany or
dye woods at the Bslize, but wi h positive
cArluslou Of al domain or sorereignty;
aud Il.us il confirms the Natural consiruc
ION aud understood import Of the irealy
assIo all he Of tie region to which Tie
stipulation applied. L., however, became
aEptrcnr, nj an early day alter entering
upon the dl,cnsrge Qf my present fnrc.
lions. that G,ra, Bfi,sin sull inued in
the ,xarci>e of Ia &C aulho,i Y in all iIial
part of Central America com Fnouly called
The Musdui o Co 81. and c. vcfiug The cn
tire len 9Th Of The State ol Nc.fagua and
part of Costa Rica !; that she I,gsricd
u Z B ,lixc as her absolute dO:nan. and
was gradusIly ex ending lis limits AT tie
expense of the Safe OF Honduras ; aud
that she had formally colonzed a cunsii.
cradle in>ulsr gr"up. known as the Bay
Islands, and belonging Of right To that
State. All these acs or pletensi0ns Ct
Great Britain being contrary la ,hc rights
of the States OF Central America. aud To
The manifest Tenor of her supulsions with
the Uni cd States, as understood by this
government. have been made The subject
of nsgoliali through tie American
Minister in London. ] transmit herewith
The instructions to himon ,he-subjvct. and
the correspondence between him aud the
British Secretary Of Foreign Affairs. by
which you will perceive that the govern
ments differ widely and irreconciiably as
10 the construction Of the conyenion. and
lis effects on their resp, clxe relations To
Central America. Great Britain SO con-
strues the convention as to maintain un
changed all her previous pretensions over
the Mosquito coast. and in different parts
Of Central America. These pretensions
as to the Mosquito coast are founded on
the assumption Of political relation be-
tween Great Britain and the remnant Of
ribe of Indians on that coast, entered in
to at time when the whole country was
colouial pcssessesion Of Spain. IL can
not be successfully controverted that by
the public law Of America. no possible act
of such Indians or their predecessors
could confer on Great Britain any polli-
cal rights. Great Britain does not alege
the assent Of Spain as the origin of her
claims on the Mosquito coast. She has,
on the contrary by repeathd and uccess-
i've treaties. renounced and relinquished
all pretensions Of her own, and recognized
the full and sovereign right Of Spain in
the most unrquiyocal terms /; yet these
pretensions. without solid foundation in
the beginning. and thus repeatedly alb
jured. wdre at recent period renewed by
Great Britain against the Central Ameri