84 



Doc. No. 75. 



attack on the part of a power to which not only had we given no grounds- 

 of complaint, but we had ever considered it as the friend of Nicaragua^, 

 and as entirely at peace with us. 



For these reasons, the Director of Nicaragua desires to make known 

 to all the powers of the earth, as required by his honor and his 

 duty, the injustice of the proceedings of the British agents in this af- 

 fair, and the falsehood of the motives alleged by them for their hostile 

 operations aganist a State which has never employed any other means of 

 defence than those of reason and justice. Being, moreover^ certain that 

 the justice of the cause of Nicaragua will excite the strongest sympathy 

 in the noble and magnanimous breast of his Excellency the President of the 

 United States, the Director makes it his duty to declare that if the designs 

 of Great Britain should be to take possession of the shore of the Mosquito 

 country, and of the port at the mouth of the river of San Juan, it should 

 from that reason refuse to conclude a definitive treaty, as stipulated in 

 the sixth article of that of ^^Cuba;" the State will never consent to the 

 dismemberment of the smallest portion of its territory, nor will it ever 

 accept any indemnification or equivalent which may be offered therefor. 

 And in order to secure its just rights against the measures above men- 

 tioned, and to protest against the consequences which may ensue from 

 any measure tending to injure them, by repeating the declaration which 

 Sefior Francis Castellan, the minister plenipotentiary of the State, made 

 in its name in September, 1844, my government relies on the respecta- 

 ble mediation of your supreme government in the terms expressed in my 

 communication of the 12th of November of last year, being fully persuaded 

 of the principles of liberty and justice which the enlightened government 

 of your happy republic professes in favor of all and each of the States of 

 the continent of America. 



I eagerly embrace the present occasion to renew to your Excellency 

 the assurances of my high and distinguished consideration, and remain 

 your obedient servant^ 



SEBASTIAN SALINAS. 

 His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Relations 



of the Supreme Government of the United States. 



Note. — It does not appear from the records of the Department of State 

 that the above communication was answered during the administration 

 of Mr. Polk. 



No. 1. 



Extract from the correspondence respecting the Mosquito territory,'^'' 

 ^'presented to the House of Commons July 3, 1848^ in pursuance of 

 tlieir address of April 3, 1848." 



Treaty concluded by Captain Loch, on the part of Great Britain, with 

 the Commissioners of the State of Nicaragua. 



En consecuencia de las desavenencias que han teiiido lugar entre la 

 Gran Bretaiia y el Estado de Nicaragua con relacion a los rmiites del Terri- 



