Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-01-11
Presidents Message.
Ielo,g Citizens of tie Senate, and


nually on the first Monday of December,
and il has been usual for the President to
make no communication of public charac-
ter to the Senate and House of RepreSen-
tativer until advised of their readiness to
receive il. l had deferred to this usage
until the close of the first month of the
session, but my convictions of duty will not
permit me longer to postpone the discharge
of the obligation, enioined by the eonstitu-
ton upon the President ''to give to the
Congress information of the state of the
! Union, and recommend to their considera-
ton such measures as he shall judge necces-
sarv and expedient." I"
1t is matter of eongratulation that the
republic is TRANQUILITY advancing in career
of prosperity and peace.
FOREIGN RELATIoNs-CENTRAL AMERICA.
Whilst relations of amity continue to ex-
ist between the United States and all for
eign powers, with some of them grave ques-
tions are depending, which may require the
consideration of Congress.
Of such questions, the most important Is
that which has arisen out of the negotia-
tions with Great Britain, in reference to
Central America.
Bv the convention concluded between the
two governments on the 10th of April,
1850. both parties eovenantad that neither
will ever occupy, or fortify, or cOlonize, or
assume, or exercise any dominion over, Nj
caraqua, Costa Rica, the Mosquito coast or
anv part of Central America" t
Itwas the undoubted understanding OF
the United States, in making this treaty that
all the present States of the former repub-
lie of Central America, and the entire terri
tory of each, would thenceforth enjoy com
plete independence; and that both contrae-
ting parties engaged equally, and to the
same extent, for the present and for the fu-
ture, that if either of them had any claim
of right in Central America, such claims,
and all occupation or authority under it,
were uureservedly relinguished by the stip-
ulations of the convention; that no domin-
ion was thereafter to be exercised or asSum-
ed in any part of Central America, by
Great Britain or the United States.
This government consented to restrictions
in regard to a region of country, wherein
we had specified aud peculiar interest, only
upon the conviction that the like restrictions
were in the same sense obligatory on Great
Britain. But for this understanding of the
force and effect of the convention, it would
never have been concluded byis.
So clear was this understanding on the
part of the United States, that in cores
pondence contemporaneous with the ratiti-
cation of the convention, it was distinctly
expressed, that the mutual covenants of non
occupation were not intended to apply to the
British establishment of the Balize. This
qualification is to be ascribed to the fact
that, in virtue of successive treaties with
previous sovereigns of the country, Great
Britain had obtained a concession of the
right to cut mahogany, or dye woods at the
Balize, but with positive exclusion of all do
main or sovereignty; and thus it affirms the
natural construction and understood import
of the treaty as to all the rest of the region
to which the stipulations applied.
1t, however, became apparant, at an ear
" dav after entering upon the discharge Of
nv present functions, that Great Britain
still continued in the exercise or assertion
of large authority in all that part of Cen
trail America commonly called the MoSquetc
coast and covering the entire length of tho
State of Nicaragua and a part of Costa Ri
ca; that she regarded the Balize as her alb
solute domain, and was gradually extending
its limits at the expense of the State o
Honduras; that she had formally colonlzeo
a considerable peninsular group known a:
the Bay Islands, and belonging Of right tt
that State
All these acts and pretensions of Grea
Britain, being contrary to the rights of th'
State of Central America, and to the man
4 fest tenor of her stipulations with the Uni
ted States, as understood by this govern
ment, have been made the subject of nego
tiation through the American Minister II
] London. l transmit herewith the instruc
tions to him on the subject and the CORES
pondence between him and the British Sec
retary for Foreign Affairs, by which yol
will preceive that the two governments dit
fer widely and irreconcilable as TO the con
struction of the convention, and its effect ol
their respective relations to CentralAmerlca
Great Britain so construes the convention
as to maintain unchanged all her preyiou
pretensions over the Mosquito coast, and il
different paris of Central America. Thes
r pretensions as TO the Mosquito coast, ar
founded on the assumptions IF political rela
ton between Great Britain and the remnan
of tribe of Indians on that coast entere,
into at a time when the whole country wa
a colonial possession of Spain. 1t canno
Il be successfully controverted, that by the pub
lie law of Europe and America, no possibl
act Of such Indians or their predecessor
could confer on Great Britain any politics
rights.
Great Britain does not allego the assen
of Spain as the origin of her claims on tn
Mosquito coast. She has on tn
contrary, by repeated and successive treat
les, renounced and relnquished all prefer
; sions of her own, and recognized the full an
soyereignrights of Spain in the most unequiy
$ ocal terms. Yet these pretensions, so witt
out solid foundation in the beginning, an
thus repeatedly abjured, were at recer
period revived by Great Britain against tn
Central American States, the legitimat
successors to all the ancient jurisdiction {