THE INTEROCEANIC CANAL PROBLEM 153 



The treaty had two primary objects, the construction of 

 the Nicaragua Canal, and the dispossession of Great Britain 

 from her Central American settlements. To this end, the 

 parties agreed not to exercise any dominion over, fortify, or 

 colonize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Mosquito coast, or any 

 part of Central America. Yet Great Britain exercises do- 

 minion over Belize or British Honduras, an area equalling 

 Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and the 

 impression prevails that since 1850 Great Britain has con- 

 siderably increased the region in Central America over 

 which she assumes control. Such dominion seems incon- 

 sistent with the provisions of the treaty. At the time of the 

 conclusion of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, English domin- 

 ion in Belize consisted merely in a privilege to cut wood 

 and establish saw-mills in a territory established by metes 

 and bounds. It was referred to by Sir Henry Bulwer in 

 1850, as a "settlement" at Honduras. His letter to Mr. 

 Clayton, excepting this settlement and its dependencies from 

 operation of the treaty, was made after the conclusion of same, 

 and was unknown to the President and Senate. In 1859 Great 

 Britain made a treaty with Guatemala, in which her " settle- 

 ment " was referred to, as " Her Britannic Majesty's settle- 

 ments and possessions," and the commissioners appointed 

 to mark the boundaries discovered the British area to have 

 greatly expanded. The United States never gave assent to 

 this conversion of a British settlement into a British pos- 

 session under full British sovereignty. " Under treaty of 

 1850, while it is binding, the United States have not the 

 right to exercise dominion over or to colonize one foot of 

 territory in Central America. Great Britain is under the 

 same rigid restriction. And if Great Britain has violated and 

 continues to violate that provision, the treaty is, of course, 

 voidable at the pleasure of the United States." 



Referring then to Lord Granville's mention of President 

 Buchanan's message of December 3, 1860, in which the 

 executive expressed his entire satisfaction with the outcome 

 of negotiations arising under the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, Mr. 

 Frelinghuysen said : 



