4 



THE MONROE DOCTRINE 361 



entertained no fears of European colonization in the Western 

 Hemisphere, when located at so distant a point from the 

 United States as the Falkland Islands. 



In 1835, Brazil and Buenos Ayres recognized the indepen- 

 dence of Uruguay by a treaty made through the mediation of 

 England. Some years later, Buenos Ayres threatened to 

 attack the nwly created nation it had so recently recognized, 

 and Brazil called upon Great Britain and France for aid in 

 maintaining the integrity of Uruguay. In answer to this 

 call those two powers established a naval blockade along 

 the coast of Buenos Ayres. The United States having no 

 live interest in the dispute, and feeling itself in no way 

 threatened by such an act of European intervention, refused 

 to interpose. Again the United States was roundly de-t 

 nounced in South America for the abandonment of her! 

 principles. 



Through her foothold in Central America along the Mos- 

 quito coast and in Honduras, England had, for many years,, 

 been gradually encroaching upon Nicaragua. Great Britain's;! 

 claims to territory in Central America dated from the seven- 1 

 teenth century, although some of these claims were judged, 

 in the United States, to be of doubtful origin. Up to 

 1835, extensions of her Belize boundary lines had been 

 made gradually and noiselessly ; but in that year the English 

 made so decided a territorial advance into Honduras and 

 Nicaragua, that the Central American authorities appealed 

 to the United States. President Jackson was reminded that 

 " it had always been the policy of the United States to pre- 

 vent and resist European settlements in America." General 

 Jackson thought it inexpedient to interfere. From a more 

 modern point of view, he would seem not to have been imbued 

 with the spirit of Monroe's message, for a similar move on 

 the part of Great Britain in Venezuela, in 1896, caused great 

 excitement in the United States, notwithstanding the fact 

 that Venezuela is considerably further removed from the 

 United States than is Nicaragua. Subsequently, however, 

 British territorial advances into Central America have been 

 opposed by the United States, upon the sole ground of 



