The Washington union., 1857-05-08
THE pALI.As.cLARENpoN TREATY


According to the intimation of the London Morning
Post (as we took occasion to observe on Wednes-
day. the DaaslClarendon treaty was allowed by the
British government e die in consequence Of the
amendment by the American Senate of the second
paragraph of its second separate article As was
published last winter in New York, this paragraph
Of the original treaty stood as follows:
Second. That the islands and their inhabitants Of
Ruatan Bonacea Utila, Barbaretta, Hcna and Morat
situate in the Bay Of Honduras and known as the Bay
Islands, having been, by convention bearing date the
-- day OF --, 1856, between her Britannia Majesty
and the republic of Honduras constituted and declared
free territory under the sovereignty Of the said republic
OF Honduras, the two contracting parties do hereby
tualy engage recognise and respect in all future time
the independence and rights of the said free territory as
part of the republic of Honduras y
II will be that the terms Of this paragraph are
as ssfree territory Y but the independence and
rights of the said free territory to be respected
"as part of the republic of Honduras" The con-
vention with Honduras is referred to- but is not ex-
pressy made part of the treaty nor does it appear
to have been annexed to it. Indeed the Was,fng-
ton Union, last winter, declared that the United
States were not then in possession of an official copy
of the Honduras treaty. and it added, with refer
ence to the only version of it published in this
country, Its accuracy cannot therefore, be vouched
for" Of course, this government was not to be
bound by any contract between two other govern
ments Of which it scarcely knew the terms, and to
which an incidental reference was made only for
distinct purpose Yet the Senate had learned caution
by whathad happened TO the Clayton Bulwer conven-
ton 1t desired to leave room for future mscon-
struction. If the Clayton-Bulwer treaty was to be
substantially executed in Central America the pre-
else mode in which it would be done was matter of
small consequence and the surrender Of the Bay
Islands to Honduras being accomplished it was for
Honduras to determine how they should be taken
care of. Hence the Senate, as we understand the
published description of its amendment substituted
for the paragraph above quoted plain, direct. and
straightforward agreement by the United States and
Great Britain to recognise and respect the Bay Islands
as under the sovereignty and part of the republic of
Honduras The reference to the Honduras treaty
appears to have been stricken out as unnecessary
but the great fact TO which that reference pointed
was carefully preserved. The Bay Islands were
part of the republic of Honduras. They were under
the sovereignty of Honduras. Great Britain and the
United States We're to recognise them as such They
were to be British colony no longer and as to them
the ClaytonBulwer treaty was to be at last executed
What care Honduras would take of them what insti-
tutions provide for them what privileges grant in
them to other countries it for Honduras herself
to determine. This was the Senate amendment, as
we understand it, in all its length and breadth why
should Great Britain take exception to it2 IF she
willing to recognise the Bay Islands as
part OF the republic of Honduras, and under tbe
sovereignty of Honduras, the amendment accom-
plished this, and no moro than this If she in
tended anything less than such a recognition, and
while appearing to withdraw from Central America.
meant really to retain foothold there then il is not
at all wonderful that she found the Senate amend
ment unsatisfactory But if the latter supposition is
correct we do not hesitate to say that il is fortunate
that the DalasClarendon treaty is at an end. Its
ratification, as it originally stood with any such idea
as this on the part of England, would only have rem
dered more complicate and difficult questions which
are sufficiently involved already. Far better would
1T be for both nations TO annhiate the Cayton-Bul
wer treaty itself and begin their CentralAmer-
ican negotiations, than 10 make fresh treaty on the
same subject which was liable to misconstruction
in its own provisions. The object of the Dallas
Clarendon treaty TO settle the differences which
had arisen between The two governments in refer
ence to the Clayion-Bulwer convention This ia
clear from Lord Carendons published letter TO Mr.
Dallas Of June, 1855, as well as from all the circum-