312 ORAL ARGUMENT OF SIR CHARLES RUSSELL, Q. C. M. P. 



Americau interests in Central America, and to tbe necessity for estab- 

 lishing inter-oceanic communication across the Isthmus — 



A Company was organized under the authority of the State of Nicaraj^ua, but 

 composed for the most pnrt of citizens of the United States, for the purpose of open- 

 ing such a transit way by the Eiver San Juan and Lake Nicaragua, which soon 

 became an eligible and much-used route in the transportation of our citizens and 

 their property between the Atlantic and Pacific. 



Meanwhile, and in anticipation of the completion and importance of this transit- 

 way, a number of adventurers had taken possession of the old Spanish Port at the 

 mouth of the River San Juan in open defiance of the State or States of Central 

 America, which, upon their becoming independent, had rightfully succeeded to the 

 local sovereignty and jurisdiction of Spain. These adveuturers undertook to change 

 the name of the place from San Juan del Norte to Greytown; and though at first 

 pretending to act as the subjects of the fictitious Sovereign of the Mosquito Indians, 

 they subsequently repudiated the control of any Power whatever, assumed to adopt 

 a distinct political organization, and declared themselves an independent Sovereign 

 State. 



Then he goes on : 



At a later period, they organized a strong force for the purpose of demolishing the 

 establishment at Punia Arenas; but this mischievous design was defeated by the 

 interposition of one of our Ships of War at that time in the Harbour of San-Juan. 

 Subsequently to this, in May last, a body of men from Greytown crossed over to 



Puuta Arenas, arrogating authority to arrest on the charge of murder a 

 1093 captain of one of the steamboats of the Transit Company. Being well aware 



that the claim to exercise jurisdiction there would be resisted then, as it had 

 been on previous occasions, they went prepared to assert it by force of arms. Our 

 Minister to Central America happened to be present on that occasion. 



And he proceeds to state how he was threatened upon American 

 territory; and thereupon they proceeded to bombard the town in which 

 tliese people took refuge; and he says finally: 



This pretended community, a heterogeneous assemblage, gathered from 'ariouB 

 countries and composed for the most part of blacks and persons of mixed blood, had 

 previously given other indications of mischievous and dangerous propensities. 

 Early in the same month, pro])erty was clandestinely abstracted from the depot of 

 the Transit Company and taken to Greytown. The plunderers obtained shelter 

 there, and their pursuers were driven back by its people, who not only protected the 

 wrongdoers and shalred the plunder but treated with rudeness and violence those 

 who sought to recover their property. Such, in substance are the facts. 



And so on. 



And, finally, he describes it as a place which they were justified in 

 bombarding, 



it was in fact a marauding establishment too dangerous to be disregarded, and too 

 guilty to pass unpunished, and yet incapable of being treated in any other way than 

 as a piratical resort of outlaws, or a camp of savages, deyjredating on emigrant 

 trains or caravans and the frontier settlements of civilized States. 



The bearing of their illustration upon the question of seizing and 

 confiscating a ship because it caught or was about to catch a seal, half 

 a dozen seals or a dozen seals, — I suppose the number makes no differ- 

 ence — seems somwhat remote. 



The President. — Have you official statements of the view of the 

 British Government on that business? 



Sir Charles Eussell. — I am not sure. 



The President. — It was invoked as a protector ; and it would be 

 interesting to know what was the view of the British Government as 

 to that. 



Sir Charles Russell. — I will see if I have the document. We 

 have a despatch which I have not read, and I will go through it. 



The President. — It may be of interest in their view of the question. 



Sir Charles Eussell. — Yes. I should think it exceedingly likely 



