The Washington union., 1857-05-14
THE BRITISH TITLE IN THE TERRITORIES n
CENTRAL AMERICA.
wAsnNeToS, May l2, 1851

the political history of the American isthmus parti
that part Of it relating to the territorial aggreops !,
Great Britain in Central America, which subject haze
already with permission, addressed several public letter.
to the press At this particular uncture when the C
trlAmerican matter is reported to be still adI ono o.
to have been further complicated by the rejection Of a.
treaty have thought that the second thought Of ia
people on the subject might be appropriately engaged h
review Of the question, made up from historical sour
to which access hitherto has not been common Ihr
therefore gathered notes on the subject and ps
them at your disposal, composing history, oomp
in all respects and, venture to say, not little striking
in its information Of the history of the British title
the territories of Central America.
The facts of the deserve fair summing up and
shall be guilty of appeal to the popular temper on ina
subject except such may be directly suggested ami
fully warranted by the text OF history
The asserted claims of Great Britain in the territo
of Central America may be stated the Mosquito pot
torate the Belize establishment, British Honduras and
the Bay Islands colony
The Mosquito title, in its first source Is altogetherd IA
rived from historical assumption namely, that the n
tive Indians, Of whom little is known that ha,
proper name even has become lost to history never ~,
their Independence by conquest but have continued &
the remotest times free and independent nation ana
capable Of acting politically such Nicaragua b,,
repeatedly reclaimed the disputed territory as her d.
main by reason of her succession to the rights ~
Spain. On the other hand, England has maintained
evidently for her purposes, the authority of tbs
Indian King by virtue of transfer of his territories nt
her protection in the year 1857. The historical eyd
for the independence of Mosquitia on the strength
which this procctoate is asserted is altogether nec
being mainly adduced from the singular fac that
no ruins of any Notifications or churches have baa
found in proof of the country having ever been sA
ugated to the dominion of Spain and held in possesm
by her
In fact however admitting, as we may. the SIGMA
canoe of the evidence referred to-Engand in her a,
sumed protectorate can derive no benefit from these H.
torca doubts In the treaty of Paris drawn up IN 7Ss
England had not made any profession of proectoraie II
Central America and by her own silence the clamS
Spain virtually admitted
But, in 1871, England gave proof Of her detemnatD
to the country dependency on the British en-
pirc. In that year San Juan threatened by man.
of-war; while the country all along the coast was
visited by Colonel Macdonald, the British superintendent
Of Belize who, under the disguise of protectout
established an absolute control by deception and duu
over the simple savages Such an mpostured admin
istration England continued to maintain in Mosquito
the crownng act of which was the seizure Of the port o
the treaty Of Guadalupe Halgo, when it became certain
that California would fall into the hands of the United
States and when interoceanic transit had becomes
paramount object of interest," am attack was made upon
San Juan by the British war; the Alarm and
Vxen and the port seized and under the name Of Grey
town, and with English municipal organization added
to the Mosquito dominons, The outrage was committed
under the preext that the port belonged to the Mosquito
territory, which extended, it was claimed to the
lagoon south of the town. Under such a shallow pre-
text England secured her vio acquisition although hs
herself had previously recognised San Juan Ncaraguan
territory, and it had BEEN as history tradition and the
monuments of the country attested, principal port
entry under tho dominion of Spain.
1t is scarcely necessary to allude to the utter dctu
ton of the Mosquito protectoratc of right or title asa
territorial claim Apart from any qult-clam which
England may have implied made in the treaty of Paris
and that of 1856 with SPAIN it is evident that her
sumed protectorate could in the reason of things only
have extended to the mere persons of miserable and OBJ
savages incapable of the territorial rights Of civil
lied nations, and could never have rghtlly implied the
exercise of political sovereignty which in time past she
has virtually claimed in Mosquitia.
AS to the Belize establishment the British rsurpaia
of territorial sovereignty there has been equally chc
terstic Of the policy Of England to turn every privilege
to advantage by claiming moro than Is conceded and
to make the most specous pretexts however weak in in
vention 1t by virtue of treaties with Spain that
the English obtained the right to cut mahogany and dye
woods at the Belize but all domain or sovereignty
positively excluded This limited and peculiar establish
ment constitutes really everything to which England
justly pretend in Central America or Mexico and our
government has been willing to recognise such
We should insert the explanation that Belize is not prop
erly part Of Central America but of Mexico having
formerly belonged, probably, to the viceroyaty Of Yw
tan and that the questions connected with are scarcely
subjects for any practical interference on the part Of our
government while there is such complication Of parties
to the issue of territorial sovereignty and Guatemala
chooses to submit TO encroachnents on her territory
is very evident however that in establishing the dn
ion of socacd British Honduras the territorial SOW
ereignty usurped in open disregard of the terms
the original treaty concessions and that not satisfied
with the false pretence of sovereignty in the premises
Great Britain has perpetated the bolder crime Of adding
to her political estate at the expense Of the neghbOr
powers The very itself of British Honduras is @
to have been usurpcd to give color to claim to certain
islands in the bay which had been notorious Recognised
as Hondurian territory
The chief and most distinct issue made by govern
mcnt in the Central American imbroglio had been in re
lation TO Ruatan and the .'Bay Islands, which ref
to having been wrcsted from Honduras The history
Of the foundation Of the so-caled ebay Islands colony
is the brief Of the open violation of law without or
Guilty petext But the early accounts of these ISLANDS
and their whole history of sufficient interest to reh
to for some time back related to what the mos
important issue IN past negotiations between the govern
nents of tho United States and Great Britain and e
ciay throwing light upon the course of aggression ana