THROUGH THREEFOLD TENSION 161 



the islands which had been made a colony were 

 dependencies of Belize; and she claimed finally 

 that the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty required her, 

 not to relinquish her protectorate over the 

 Mosquitos, but merely to abstain from using 

 this protectorate for the purpose of control 

 ling the canal or of establishing colonies or 

 dominion in Central America. Any such pur 

 pose she categorically disclaimed. She early 

 manifested a readiness, moreover, to withdraw 

 from occupation of territory held in the name of 

 the King of the Mosquitos as soon as it should 

 appear that this humble potentate and his sub 

 jects were assured of proper respect by their 

 neighbors. 



The American contention, as fully developed, 

 was based upon not only the Clayton-Bulwer 

 Treaty, but also the Monroe Doctrine. It de 

 nied the validity of any claim of sovereignty 

 by the Mosquitos, who, as a savage, degraded, 

 and insignificant tribe of Indians, could be 

 recognized by the public law of civilized na 

 tions as enjoying only a qualified right of occu 

 pation in the territory over which they roamed. 

 A &quot;treaty&quot; with such a tribe could not be re 

 garded as vesting political authority in a great 

 power like Great Britain. The alleged &quot;pro- 



