124 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



status of Greytown a matter rendered perplexing by 

 the chronic boundary disputes between Nicaragua and Costa 

 Rica. Indeed, this old-time quarrel had just then broken 

 out afresh. The negotiations dragged along wearily for 

 quite a year with the unhappy result of demonstrating to both 

 men th^ impossibility of a mutually satisfactory conclusion. 



A series of unfortunate events now took place, which 

 seemed to sharpen the ill feeling already existing between 

 the two powers, and, because of the mutual jealousies and 

 suspicions thereby aroused, a deadlock resulted, making the 

 reconciliation of American and British interests in Central 

 America impossible for some time to come. Perhaps the 

 distressing political conditions in Central America, at that 

 particular time, were, in a large measure, responsible for 

 numerous British and American follies ; but, at all events, 

 both England and the United States were led into commit- 

 ting acts in Central America which were in open violation 

 of their treaty stipulations, and seemed to indicate bad faith 

 upon the part of both. 



With the evident intention of making it perfectly clear to 

 all concerned that she still considered Mosquitia a part of the 

 dependency of British Honduras, Great Britain proceeded 

 formally to occupy Greytown with a military force, and 

 profited further by the occasion to reassert her protectorate 

 over the Indians. Having accomplished this, the British 

 commander urged upon the Nicaraguans the advantages they 

 would reap by abandoning their " pretended friends " (the 

 United States), and coming "to an understanding without 

 delay with Great Britain," for only in London could sufficient 

 capital and "spirit of enterprise be found for carrying out 

 a project (the building of the canal) of such magnitude." 

 Thus were the Nicaraguans impressed with the fact of un- 

 impaired Mosquito control of their Atlantic coast arid over 

 the port of Greytown. The United States was expected of 

 course to take notice. This new assertion of British sover- 

 eignty over Greytown soon brought American and British 

 subjects there resident into direct conflict. A crisis was 

 reached in November, 1851, when an American vessel, be- 



