Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-02-19

Interesting Revelations The Marcy
Clarendon Mesquite Speculation in a
Dilemma.
We commend the following letter to the careful
perusal of our readers. Il comes from well-n-
formed source, and ought 10 open the eyes of the
people as to the real motives which controlled The
United States Government in its policy in relation
to Nicaragua. Ii opens W dark chapter in the
history Of public men at the national capital:
WAsHISGroN, Feb. 9th, 1857.
The last ten days has decided in a most singular
manner and by the most unexpected means the
fate Of the Monroe doctrine. It was under the
slaughter-knife-the Maroy-Clarendon treaiy-yet
hardly any one thought it in danger until strange
hand vas put forth TO save il, and by so doing,
posed the plot tor its destruction.
For the first time in his life, William L Marcy
has been completely ysnquished on his own field Of
diplomacy, and that too by an opponent who would
never have had the power defeat him but for his
own stubborn opposition to Nicaragua.
The dying Administration had bent all is efforts
to bringing the Central American question to
close before it quit Office. There were many
sons, political and pecunisry for having Walker
crushed out of Nicaragua aad certain Mosquito
land grants snugy and safely fenced round and co
vered up, before another Administration came
into power, aud this was to be effected in the said
treaty
1t is not very generally known though not alto
gether secret, that Col. II. L. Kinney obtained
the notorious Sheppard grant Of somewhere be-
tween twenty and thirty millions of acres of the
richest class OF sugar lands the coast Of Nicara
qua, and that very distinguished persons at Wash
ngton are his partners in this gigantic speculac
ton.
When the Walker Rivas administration had the
full and tranquil control of the Country, Col. Kin-
ney went up to Granada to have "a friendly under
standing with Gen. Walker. He proposed to
knowledge the sovereignty of Nicaragua over the
Mosquitoes, provided Nicaragua would confirm this
grant. Walker would not hear of il, and charaes
terized the whole transaction as a swindlng specu~
laton. Walker was then Informed that his ''gOs-
erRnIent poald neVsr be recognized By the United
States If he did not also recognizes the Kinney grant,
for some of the Cabinet and the President himself
uds largely interested in It," Walker treated the
idea with contempt, but Kiuney's words have been
verified nevertheless.
About this time Mr. Smith, the son Of OK Cover.
nor Smith, of Virginia, went to Nicaragua on pri
vate mission, and the proofs are in this city that
show its purport. The object of this mission was
to have to have Minister sent here from Nicara'
qua, with powers to confrm this grant and to give
a. the port of San Juan to the holders Of that grant,
American Land Company. In making San Juan a
free port and the outlet Of an important Isthmus
transit the land in and about it would be valuable,
and twelfth part of twenty millions Of acres was
worth some trouble.
Mr. Smith made Padre Viii understand that he
must keep his mission secret until he had seen
The President IN private. The President was "seen
in private" two three interviews and his powers
being found ample, he was received After being
I'D - !, L. 4
would not act in the Mosquito grant, and the Ex>
ecutive favor cooled forthwith, to such an extent
that Padre Will would not stay in Washington, and
went back to Nicaragua in disgust.
Finding General Walker was not to be coaxed or
frightened into sacrificing large district, and the
excellent post to the Central American Land Com.
pany, this Government set itself to work to 'crush
him out, and the Marcy Clarendon treaty was ar
ranged to cover the general speculation.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Pierce declined receiving any
Minister from Nicaragua and recalled Mr.. Wheeler,
the U S. Minister, so that no official communication
or protest could reach this Government, and this
very act of extra precauiion has defeated the whole
plan.
Don Fermin Ferrer, the Minister from Nicaragua,
knew the whole game, and never presented his
credentials. lie remained in n. York, and with his
friends arranged his plans for exposing the nature
aud motives OF the treaty, and communicated them
at the right moment TO eminent members OF the
Senate. The bearings Of the treaty on the Kinney
grant, and the abandonment of the Monroe doc
trine as the price of British aid was proved suL
rosa, but concusivey to the Senate. If be had
been the accepted Minister of Nicaragua, usages
would not have allowed him to address the Senate
but in the over anxiety Of the Cabinet to exclude
the Minister, they forgot the able experienced and
resoute Don Fermin Ferrer, was left perfectly un'
trammelled, and his public and private letters tc
the Senate, showing up the treaty, made its ratfca
ton impossible. Nicaragua is saved from dis
memberment and the Monroe doctrine from slaught
err S. L. Z.