844 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



taken by the American Government 

 in relation to this question was in re- 

 sponse to an appeal from the Central 

 American Republic. Seflor Canaz, its 

 Minister at Washington, in a note ad- 

 dressed to the Department of State in 

 1825, proposed the cooperation of that 

 republic with the United States in 

 opening a canal through the province 

 of Nicaragua. Mr. Clay replied to 

 it, and instructed Mr. Williams, then 

 our Minister in Central Am.erica, to in- 

 vestigate the practicability of the Nic- 

 aragua route. Through Williams's in- 

 fluence a contract was made with the 

 Central American Government for the 

 construction of a canal through Nica- 

 ragua " for vessels of the largest bur- 

 den possible." It was proposed to 

 raise a capital of only $5,000,000 for 

 the entire work; but even tliat amount 

 could not be obtained. 



The Central Ameiican Government 

 then applied to Holland for cooperation, 

 and a Dutch company was formed in 



1830 to construct the canal ; but owing 

 to European political disturbances it 

 could not carry out its agreement, and 

 the Central American Republic renewed 

 its application to the United States as 

 the country that should naturally have 

 the preference. 



The project was again brought up 

 under Jackson's Administration, and in 



1831 Mr. Livingston, Secretary of State, 

 instructed Mr. Jeflfers, American charge 

 in Central America, as follows: "You 

 will endeavor to procure for the citi- 

 zens of the United States, or for the 

 Government itself, if Congress should 

 deem the measure constitutional and 

 proper, the right of subscribing to the 

 stock ; and you will, in either case, 

 present and transmit such plans, esti- 

 mates, and other information relative 

 to the projected work as may enable 

 us to judge of its feasibility and impor- 

 tance." 



Four years later, on the 8d of 

 March, 1835, the Senate of the United 

 States adopted the following broad and \ 

 liberal resolution : " Resolved, That the I 



President of the United States be re- 

 spectfully requested to consider the ex- 

 pediency of opening negotiations with 

 the governments of other nations, and 

 particularly with the Governments of 

 Central America and New Granada, for 

 the purpose of effectually protecting, 

 by suitable treaty stipulations with 

 them, such individuals or companies 

 as may undertake to open a communi- 

 cation between the Atlantic and Pacific 

 Oceans by construction of a ship-canal 

 across the isthmus which connects 

 North and South America, and of se- 

 curing for ever, by such stipulations, the 

 free and equal right of navigating such 

 canal to all such nations, on the pay- 

 ment of such reasonable tolls as may 

 be established to compensate the capi- 

 talists who may engage in such under- 

 taking to complete the work." 



Again, four years later, in 1839, the 

 American House of Representatives 

 adopted a resolution reaffirming the 

 ground taken by the Senate, and re- 

 questing the President to consider the 

 expediency of negotiating with other 

 nations " for the purpose of ascertain- 

 ing the practicability of effecting a 

 communication between the Atlantic 

 and the Pacific Oceans by the construc- 

 tion of a ship-canal across the Isthmus, 

 and of securing for ever, by suitable 

 treaty stipulations, the free and equal 

 right of navigating such canal to aU 

 nations." 



The same policy was even more 

 broadly and emphatically announced 

 by the United States Government in 

 1850, in the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, 

 That convention contains the following 

 declarations : 



"The Governments of the United 

 States and Great Britain hereby de- 

 clare that neither the one nor the other 

 will obtain nor maintain for itself any 

 exclusive control over said ship-canal ; 

 agreeing that neither will ever erect or 

 maintain any fortifications commanding 

 the same or in the vicinity tijereof, or 

 occupy, or fortify, or colonize, or as- 

 sume or exercise any dominion over 



