The Washington union., 1857-05-06
THE pAILAs-oLARENDoN TREATY.

THE DALLAS CLARENDON TREATY
1t is generally understood that the Dallas Clarendon
treaty in its amended FORM has failed to receive the
approval of the British government. 1t was nego-
tiated in London last autumn. The late administra-
tion sent it to the Senate and the Senate ratified it,
after considerable hesitation, with several amend
ments. Thus amended, il was sent to England by the
present administration, and the Africa brings now
the of its rejection. AS the time limited for its
ratification is believed to have expired it is OF
beyond the power of either government both gov
ernments combined, to bring it back TO life. This is its
brief history, none the less reliable because it is
gathered from newspaper statements and probable
circumstances rather than from the official narrative
general surprise in the United States, where it was
chiefly defended the ground that it had been
made necessary by its unfortunate predecessor, the
CIayton-B Bulwer convention but where it was not
easy to justify ii before the people upon its in
dependent features. We think that this surprise will
be shared, to some extent, by the people of Great
Britain, many of whom must have congratulated them
selves that ut least partial settlement had been
approached of the Central questions which
had for long period embarrassed the intercourse of
the two countries On both sides of the Atlantic the
rejection will occasion or less of regret in pro-
portion as the settlement regarded as judicious
or otherwise by the people of either government
and in proportion the disposition in any instance
is more or less friendly to cordiaity and goodwill
between the two leading commercial nations of the
world. Bnt, however it may be regarded, the result
is still the same. The Central American questions
are yet unadjusted The Clayton-Bulwer treaty re-
mains, in the view of the United States unexecuted
Great Britain continues her Central American preten-
sions and while she does So insists with marvellous
assurance, that government is forbidden to ac-
quire single possession in that region of any kind
whatever Or hands to be tied but her hands are
to be free AT doors she asserts the right to
control our movements, and yet at doors she
clams to enjoy in quiet territory and privileges whose
just existence this country has always denied, and
to which, unless reading of their history is
tirely wrong, no lapse of time can give her an hon
est title. But we do not mean to enter upon
general discussion of Central American affairs We
may do this hereafter. 1t is enough to know that
the claims in that quarter of Great Britain Except
to right to cut og-wood in the Belize) were
contested by the United States from the beginning
as wholly without foundation that to get rid of
these claims the leading motive Of the American
negotiator of the Clayton-Bulwcr treaty; that the
treaty ratified with this full understanding and
without such understanding could hardly have re-
ceivcd vote in the Senate of the United States !;
that it afterwards construed by Great Britain as
meaning, not that Great Britain should renquish
AZ. a.
States should acquire nothing there that after long
discussions, which, during Lord Aberdeens admins
tration came being amicably settled on basis
of enduring justice, treaty was made in Lon
don, for scarcely any purpose under Heaven than to
accomplish the execution by Great Britain of the old
one; that the new treaty, having been amended
las we have said) by the Senate, was returned to
England for the British approval of its amendments,
and that, this approval having been refused, the
treaty is now dead. The London Morning Post of
April 18th substantially predicted this result in an
article which republsh to-day and the same Pal.
merstonian organ gives tolerably clear idea of
the assigned by the British government for
its somewhat unexpected decision.
The article in the Post, to which we refer, assuming
as substantially accurate the version Of the amend
ed treaty which had appeared in some of the New
York journals gives distinctly to understand that
all the amendments of the Senate received the more
less ready assent of the British cabinet with
exception and this exception is TO be found in the
alteration made in that portion of of the sepa
rate articles which has reference to recognition OF
the Bay Islands as belonging to Honduras We ven
ture to say that no citizen of the United States who
had been called TO anticipate the action of Great
Britain with respect to this treaty would have
dreamed that the occasion for its rejection would
have been found in this section and on this point
The claim of Great Britain to the Bay Islands is in
conestably the weakest part Of her whole case. Her
colonization Of them directly in violation of the
Clayton-Bulwer treaty, not only upon the American
construction of that instrument, but upon her own
construction Of it, 1t occurred subsequently to the
date of that treaty and after she had solemny agreed
to acquire no rights and exercise no dominion in
Central America Hence it has been always regarded
in this country Of those passages in her his
tory which il is difficult to account for without inn
puguing Extensively her good faith and her dsposi-
fon to observe implicitly her treaty obligations To
show that we do not exaggeratc on this subject,
subjoin few paragraphs from the documents which
were sent TO Congress by the Department of State in
T.. Al. a. q. "A. a