Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-07-21
Nicaragua and Napoleon

served to call our attention from one of the most important points on the continent and to the most significant movements made on that cor her of the political chess board
 IL is our opinion, given with diffidence, that the late active preparations of the French Em- Peror, have the isthmus for their object and des- tination. Years ago, while Louis Napoleon was prisoner in the castle of Ham, he wrote letters and, if We are not misinformed, bulky pam phlet on the subject of an inter-oceanic canal by the river San Juan and Lake Nicaragua. Not only was this canal project fully set out, but he also developed plau for the colonization of Central America. His plans were not consider ca as secret at the time, but as visionary and 'mpractcable. In order to carry them into eff feet two essentials were required; consent of the owners ot the soil ard fleet, to enforce or pro- tect, as force or protection might become neces- sarv.
 Bearing in mind then that these have louo been cherished schemes of the usurper, that the time is the most favorable that can be conceiv. ed, that the Nicaraguaus and other Governments are hostile to the United States, that it is ne eeSsary for him to start some new project and turn French speculation and reslessuess into 4 new. channel and We have the key to the recent movements in France and on the islbmu..
 A Mons. Felix Belly, known to be. and who boasts of being, in the confidence of the En- pernr, suddsnly appears on the jsthmu,, ard aD parently acting as inc agent of the large bank ing house of Midland Ss G., Of Paris, concludes a treaty with the governments of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, Or as they call t. convention, l l}y which French company are to build ship | canal, from ocean to ocean, sufficiently wide to admit two ships abreast, aud the work to be commenced h two years. The grant is to ex- l teld for Iii ety-nle wears from the opening of the canal and the company are to charge uniform 1 j"llS Bu 1t is to De observed that the whole thing k under the direction of the French go- i yenment, and il Is expressly stipulated that the aa.d government is to have He ezclusiUe pljUe- lege of keeping two ships of-war on the water 6f the route during the time occaried in the construction of the canal. But what Is of more Importance to us ihan all, is, that by the treaty, or convention, the ship-causl, when finished, is to De placed under he protection of Eiaqla1ad, France and Sardinia The United States is not consulted, ard these foreign governments cou- trol the whole concern. This thing being done and the necessary papers sigued and scaled, the government of Nicaragua and C,>ta Rica issued the following extraordinary declaration:
 1.-The supreme chiefs of the two republics of Nicaragua and Costa Rica assembled at Rjvas. alter having settled the questions which divid- ed She two republics and having re- established peare and the most complete harmony between them, wl;h common accord, aud m order to secure the independence and safety of the two countries, as well as of all the States of Central America
 Considering that fresh invasion of American nh busters Stll menaces the independence of Costa fica and Nicaragua, iu contempt of all the laws that protect natIons and that guaranty the lvcs and properties of cit.zcps in civilized counties;
 That this invasion, officially rtpro5a-ed by the government of the United State,, Is ,repariug Iii reality under its patronage, as the meals of delmuN ely taking possession of Cen,ral Ame- rira Ii Central America refuse to surrender itself eoiuntarily to She United States; That hitherto all the official agents of the United States al Nicaragua have been the ac- compilces aLd auXiliaries of the invaders acting as masters aud aufaciousiy hos,iug the flag oi ihe United States in all parts, where, as at San Juan del Sud, the flag of Nicaragua only ought to tloa, and openly menaced Central America with an inevitable annexstion;
 That the minister actually accredited to Nica ragua boasts n public of perempiorily prope sin, hs mtimot,lm, either the legal Tossession of \ lcaragna by the ratification of the Cass- Iris sarri treaty, fresh invasion of the fllibusters already organized at Mobile under the Ameri eau flag;
 That, moreover, the government of the Uni ted States has, according to the official reports made to that of Costa Rica bv the minister plenipo.entiary at Washington, declared that it was utterly liowerless to prevent fresh attempts by the tlllbusters, or to protect the neutrality of Central America, owing to the insufficiencv of the laws of the United States on this head;
 Considering that three years of war aud de- vastation have deprived the two republics of the means of resisting fresh attack on the part of many thousands Of brgands; that the towns of Nicaragua are destroyed in whole or in part; that their commerce is annihilated, their popu- lation decnated; and that after a desperate re- sistance, which testifes their patriotism, they must succ mb before superiority of numbers, unless Europe deign to defend them against at tcmpts unprecedented i the nineteeth century:
 Thevideclare solemnly-
 l. That they place the convention above mentoped, relative to the canal of Nicaragua, under the patronage of civilized Europe, bv ap- pealing to the justice and humanity of all Chris tau nations against the attacks of pirate, and buccaneers. of whom they have been for three years the victims.
 ?. That they place the independence and nationality of the republics of Nicaragua and Costa Rlca under the guarantee of the three powers who have caused the independence and nationality of the Ottoman Empire 10 he re. sPected, namely, France, Englan aud Sar- diaia
 g. That they suppcate the governments of these three powers not any longer to lssve rho coasts of Central America without defence ;ts rich countries at ithe mercy of barbarians. and the future route of the trade of the world with out a serious guarantee of liberty and neutra- ty.
 i. That they bind themselves in the name of their people 10 accept from those three pow CTS all the coudilions they may attach 10 their assistance. provided the public law of civilized Europe be extended to all the States of Ameri- ca, and imposed by force, if needs be, on those who so audacously violate it.
 In faith whereof they sign the present decla- ration. sr--a.k
 RIVAS, enL
 THOMAS MARTINEZ,
 JUAN RAFAEL MORA.
 May l, 1858.
 While these events are transpiring on this continent, we find that the nephew of his uncle is surprising all Europe by the extent of his maratime preparations. Not only has he re-