New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-01
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

10 make 40 commuuication o. PooH characset va ""
Senate and House Of Representatives until advised u
their readiness to receive u. have deferred To toH
usage until the close Of the rs month OF the session.
bu, NV convictions Of duty will not permit me longer
to postpone the discharge OF the obligation enJoinea
bv the Constitution upon the President " 70 give 70
the Congress information OF the state Oh the oIo',
and recommend 20 their consideration sueh measures"
" a. he shall Judge necessary and expedient.
II j. matter OF congratulation tina, the Repuohc rs
TRANQUILITY advancing in career OF prosperity aaa
peace
FOREIGN RELATIONS AMERICA
While relations of amty continue to exist betweee
the United States and all foreign powers, with some a
them grave questions are depending, which may re-
ouire the consideration OF Congress
OF such questions, the most important Is thar whcs
has arisen out Of the negotiations with Great Brtss
in reference to Central America.
nv the convention concluded between the two Gov
eminent, on the 10Th Of April, 1880, both parties COW
epanted that "ncither will ever "occupy or fOrtify.
A" or COLOMBO or exercise any dominion owes
"Nicaragua, Costa Rica. the Mosquito coast, or any
"part OF Central America
Ii Wa the undoubtcd understanding Of the United
States in making this Treaty. that all the present States
of the former Republic of Central America, and the
prte ndepeudeuce and that both contracting parties
engaged equally and to the extent for the pres
mi and for the future; that eherthen had any clam
of night in Central America, such clam, ana al ocya
nation or authority under IT, were unrcserNedy rein-
1ushed bv the stipuations of the convention; and
that no dominion was thereafter to be exercised or as
smtd in any part of Central America by Great Brtasa
or the United States.
10 a region of country, wherein we had specific aud
peculiar interests, only upon the conviction that the
fke restrictions in the same sense obligatory On
Great Britain. But for this understanding OF the force
and effect of the convention il would never have been
concluded by us.
80 clear was this understanding the part OF the
United States that, in correspondence cotemporaneoss
with the ratification of the convention II was distinct
Iveypressed that the mutual covenants of nonocoupa
tion were not intended to apply 10 the British eetab
lishment at the Balze. This qualification is to be
cribed to the fact that, In virtue of successive treaties
with previous soyeregns OF the country Great Britain
had obtained concession of the right TO cut mahogany
or dye-woods at the Baze, but with positive exclusion
of all domain or sovereignty and thus il confirms the
natural construction and understood import OF the
treaty as to all the rest u the region 10 Whch 'he spo-
lations applied.
II however became apparent, at an early day after
entering upon the discharge of my present functions.
that Great Britain still continued IN the exercise or as
serton of large authority in all that part OF Centra
America commonly called the Mosquito Coast, and
covering the entire length of the State OF Nicaragua
and part of Co Rica; that she regarded the Baza
her absolute uOHdlI, was kiuuuoh1 eAee"aT
ing its limits at the expense of the State OF Hon
duras and that she had formally colonlzed consider
able insuar group known the Bay Islands, and be-
longing OF right, to that State.
AL these acts or pretentOns of Great Britain, being
contrary the rights Of the States of Central America,
aud to the manifest tenor of her stpuatons with the
United States understood by this Government, have
been made the subject OF negotiation through the
American Minister in London. l transmit herewith
the instructions to him the subject and the CORE
spondence between him and the British Secretary for
Foreign Afars, by which you viii perceive that the
two Governments differ widely and ireconclebly ~
to the construction of the convention and its effect
their respective relations to Central America.
Great Britain so CONSTITUTES the convention as 10
maintain unchanged all her previous pretensions
the Mosquito Coast and in different parts of Central
America. These pretensions, as to the Mosquito
Coast founded the assumption of political rea-
ton between Great Britain and the remnant of tribe
of Indians on that coast entered into at time whea
whole country was a colonial possession of Spain.
1t cannot be successfully controyerted that, by tho
he public law of Europe and America, possible act
Of such Indians or their predecessors could confer
Great Britain any political rights
Great Britain does not alege the assent of spain
the origin OF her claims the Mosquito coast. She
has the conta by repeated and successive treaties
renOunced and renquished all pretensons OF her own,
and recognized the full and sovereign rights of Spain
in the most unequvocal terms Yet these pretensionss
80 without solid foundation in the beginning and thus
repeatedly abjured, were at recent period revived
by Great Britain against the Central American States
of Spain in that region. They first applied only
TO defined part of the coast of Nicaragua aterward
to the whole Of its Atlantic coast, and lastly TO part
of the coast Of Costa Rica and they are now re-
asserted to this extent Notwithstanding engagements
to the United States.
On the eastern coast Of Nicaragua and Costa Rice,
the interference Of Great Britain, though exeted al
one time n the form of military occupation of the port
Of San Juan del N0re then in the peaceful possession
of the appropriate authorities Of the Central Americas
States presented by her "a the nghtfu exercise
of protectorsbp over the Mosquito tribe of Indians
But the establishment at the Balize, now reaching
far beyond it, treaty limits into the State Of Honduras,
and that of the Bay Islands, appertaning of right To
the came State are distctly colonial Governments
"a those of Jamaica Canada and therefore contrary
10 the very letter well the spirit of the conveS
ton with the United States, it at the time Of
ratification and now II, understood by this Govern
ment
The Interpretation which the British Government,
thus in assertion and act persists in ascrbing TO tho
convention, entirely changes its character. While X
holds us to all obligations, il in great measure
releases Great Britain from those which constituted
the consideration of this Government for entering into
the convention. II is impossible, in my judgment, for
the United States to acquiesce in such constructors
of the respective relations of the two Governments "
Central America.
To renewed call by this Government upon Great
Britain to abide by and carry into effect the stpula
tons Of the convention according TO it, obvious import,
by Withdrawing from the possession colonization q
portions OF the Central American States Of Honduras,
Nicaragua and Costa RIGA, the British Government
has at length replied affirming that the operation Of
the treaty prospective only and did not require Greet
Britain TO abandon contract any possessions held by
her in Central America at the date of its conclusion.
This reply substitutes partial issue, in the place of
the general presented by the United States. The
British Government passes over the question Of tho
rights of Great Britain, real supposed, in Central
America and assumes that she had such rights at tho
date Of tine treaty and that those rights csnprehended
~. l.. Al. IL