New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-08-24
COSTA RIGA.

Congress clofed its session on the 9th. Among "a
laws already published is one declaring that Punt
Arenas shall cease to be free port after the 18th
January IDOL Another decree closes the port OF the
Nom and the Sarpqu River ION the Atlantic side Il
interior commerce The privilege asked for by Sr
Louis Wolfrane to Introduce Swiss immigrants, ha'
| been conceded.
The mott important act Of the late Congress aud the
that created most interest In the country was the
c6St'sct n ade with Mr. Ambrose w. Thompson OF
New. York, for the construction of railroad from
Cbipfsn Lagoon, on the Atlantic TO the Calf Of
Dulce on the Pacific. AS You aware, Congress al
Washn son voted $40 600 for the survey OF this route
and Capt Engle of the Brooklyn, has been placed IN
charge Of the surveying expedition.
1t ia state publicly in regard 70 the passage OF tn,s
bin by the Costa RIGA Congrts g. that Mr.. Buchanan
uerce was brought TO bear to procure its accept
snce ard it is said that letter from him was shown
to the Senator's have not learned the exact nature
Of the document in question, nor can L imagine Wna'
interest the President have in the success OF tue
speculation but the fact of his letter being publicly
spt ken of both in San Jose and here leaves Little room
to doubt that there must be some truth in the rumof
ifso it certainly deserves to be inquired into, ana Is
worthy of the attention Of some inquistve eovoae.
Advices from Costa Rica state that the grant Is not
at all popular, but Mr.. T. f. Meagher, the agent OF
: Thompson, in letter published in The Star ana
Hrad of this city, the 10TH in reply TO some re-
marks which appeared in that paper states that the
Chamber of Depu les passed the grant almost unan-
imousy, and that there was not man In the country,
In or out of Congress- who opposed 1t.
have before me printed sheet entitled "a vindi,
" cation, and signed Unos Peticionarios' Published
in San Jose on the 9th July which states that on the
10th inst. petition, signed by number OF Costa Ri
cans of reproacbabe antecedents and of various pot
cal parties, presented to the Executive, begging
that the settlement Of the contract might be postponed
until the various important points 1t involved were
fully discussed by the people. IL further COM
plains that this document not inserted in the Goceta
Ofcial while its columns were opened TO the support
of thompson and his associates The remonsrants
.l.t.s Z tha
project has ben before the public for eight months as
Thompson contract is only dated the 30th Of May,
barely month and twentyfv days before the date
Of their petition They also complain that the terms OF
the contract were not known to the public but only TO
certain circle and that since the Both of May the
terms of the contract have been considerably altered by
be Committee of the House of Representatives, aud by
the Senate Finally, the remonstrants state: " For
our part do not fear to state freely that in our
capacity of voters we we're called upon to give con-
scentious votes of the members OF the Cham
bers they certainly would not be altogether in con-
fornity with those which we gave on the otn CT
q April last 1t must be remembered that this is
stroI q language 10 come from people in country
where the press is lot free, and where one is liable to
be baDished for too openly expressing opinions con-
trary TO the views of Government.
Having said thus much in regard TO the feeling in
Costa RIGA relative to the Thompson grant, it is now
necessary to post your readers still further in regard to
this undertaking stock speculation or investment,
30 that they may not be deceived by the importance
which may be given to the concession made by Costa
Rica and the capital likely to be made out of the fact
Of the United States Government having undertaken
TO survey the route.
1t should be known that the country through which
the proposed railroad il to pass and which has been 80
literally conceded by Costa Rca, is in fact not within
the limits of her State, but actually belongs 10 New
Granada, which at present exercises all the rights OF
sovereignty over it and refused to ratify the
boundary treaty made by General Herran in 1856.
Thompson to meet this difficulty, claims that he holds
like concession from New Granada, granted by the
Provincial Legislature of the Province of Chriqu in
1854 but it has been decided in Bogota that this grant
Is not valid See then the dilemma in which Thompson
is placed. If Costa RIGA insists on claiming the boun-
dairy and New Granada disputes the point with her,
the United States Government is bound by Article 80
of the treaty of 1916 to defend the tight of New
Granada for in its first section it speaks of the part
T" of the Granadiau Territory generally dsnominated
q the Istbmus of Panama" (he italics are from the
Treaty. 'irom its Southernmost extremity until the
" boundary of Costa Rica" these italics are ours,
and aso TO guarantee in the manner the rights
80 of sovereignty and property which New.'iranada
" has and possesses over said territory" Assuming
this to be the definition of the lsthmus OF Panama.
the 9th Article of the Panama Railroad Company 8
contract states that the Government OF the
Republic engages neither itself to make nor to grant
" TO sny other company whatever, under any title
whatever the power to establish another iron rail-
road on the Isthmus Of Panama." &c. In any case,
therefore, Thompsons grant supposDg the route feas
be which is doubtful, aud the concessionsts capable
of carrying 1t out, which is also dubous is not worth
the paper il is written upon. In expressing myself
thus, wish it to be understood that am a,tuated by
no feeling of Partially for this Ishmus route but solely
by desire to the public from being Imposed upon
by scheme similar to Cullens Dsrien Canal, Kely's
Atrsto Canal, Bellys Nicaragua do, Squers Hondu
ras Railroad Sloos Tehuantepec Transit and others
of like kind gotten up entirely for stockobbing pur-
poses. ~ u
So much for the Thompson Chiriqui scheme. The
only other from Costa RIGA is that the Congress
has approved the treaty lately negotiated by MIR.
Dimitry Cd the part OF the United States.
The coffee season is now Ter but little of last year
crop remains in the country, for which high price ID
demanded.