The record-union., 1897-10-04
Claims Jurisdiction of the Delta Of the
San Juan.
He Recapitu1ates the Award Of
President Cleveland as Arbi-
traitor and Says It Was Ac-
cepted by Both Parties and
That Costa Rica Has Long En-
deavored to Have the Line
Marked by Monuments.

the Costa Rican Minister to-day called
attention to a publication regarding
the rights of Costa Rica in the Delta of
the San Juan River matter which
has a strong bearing on the future Of
the Nicaraguan canal project. The
published statement is as follows:
General Alexander decides that the
boundary between the two republics
shall commence at the extremity of
Punta De Castillo, at the mouth of the
River San Juan and shall continue fol-
lowing the right bank-the Costa Riea
bank-of said river, until point is
reached three miles from Castilloviejo.'
He located this point, according to
the treaty stipulations at a place that
puts the San Juan River and its delta
wholly within the territory Of Nicara-
qua. Nicaragua owns the river Summo
Imperio as part of her domain and ex-
ercises over it all rights of sovereignty
and domain.
'Greytown, instead of being on Costa
Rican soil, as was contended, is deter
mined to be in Nicaragua The whole
claim of Costa Ricans thus falls to the
ground.
In this connection, Senor Calvo said
This statement not being correct |
deem it convenient to present the facts
as they are: The limits between Cos
ia Rico and Nicaragua thirteen years
after this treaty was in existence were
respected by the two countries. A long
contention followed and sixteen years
afterwards the subject was submitted
to the decision of President Cleveland,
as arbitrator, who, by his award of
March :, 1888, declared the treaty to
be valid as Costa Rica claimed AL
though the award was accepted by
both parties and Notwithstanding the
friendly efforts of the Government of
Costa Rica to have the boundary line
marked by monuments, this work re-
mained unfinished, not on account of
omission on the part of Costa Rica.
THE Government Of Salvador Of
fered last year its "fraternal mediation
and through it's good offices, conven-
ton was signed in order to establish
the form in which the boundary line
will be materially marked. According
with the provisions of this convention,
the two Governments requested the ap-
ed States of an engineer to act as an
arbitrator in any case of disagreement
between the two respective surveying
commissions of the two countries, and
President Cleveland appointed General
P. Alexander of Georgetown, S. c. Sc
nor Calvo reviews the work of this COM
mission and concludes:
I'm regard to the river San Juan
and the canal projected, want but to
remind you that Costa Rica has always
maintained the validity of the treaty
limits and as stated in President
Clevelands award: The republic of
Costa Rica can deny to the republic of
Nicaragua the right of deviat ting the
waters of the river San Juan, in case
such deviation will result in the de-
struction or serious impairment of the
navigation of the said river, or any of
its branches at any point where Costa
Rica is entitled to navigate the same.
Finally, besides the natural rights of
Costa Rica as defined in the same
award:
The republic of Nicaragua remains
bound not to make any grants for canal
purposes across her territory without
first asking the opinion of the republic
of Costa Rica as provided in Article 3
of the treaty of limits of the 10Th of
April, 1853.
The natural rights of the republic of
Costa Rica, alluded to in said stipula-
tion are the rights which, in view of
the boundaries fixed by the said treaty
of limits, she possesses in the soil there
by recognized, as belonging exclusively
to her; the rights which she possessed
in the harbors of San Juan Del Norte
and Salinas Bay, etc.