Doc. No. 75, 



95 



had previously been concluded by the United States. Although from the 

 comparative insignificance of the commercial marine of that republic, there 

 might have been cause to apprehend that some of the provisions of the 

 treaty, though reciprocal in terms, would prove unequal in their opera- 

 tiou; it is believed that no complaints of this character were made, and 

 that, in fact, (here was no cause for them. Under the authority of the 

 treaty, consumers in Central America of articles from Europe or the East 

 Indies derived advantages from the competition of the intelligence and 

 enterprise of merchants of the United States in supplying them, far out- 

 weighing any benefits which that country could possibly have enjoyed 

 from interposing impediments to the admission of our vessels and their 

 cargoes. This, indeed, seems to have been the conviction of the Central 

 American government itself, so long as it existed. You will notice that 

 the treaty was to last twelve years from the date of the exchange of the 

 ratifications; and that it did not contain the clause which has since been 

 introduced into many of our treaties, providing for its continuance. In 

 consequence of this, in 1838, shortly previous to the expiration of the 

 treaty, Mr. De Witt, the charge d'affaires of the United States at Guate- 

 mala, was empowered and instructed to renew it. The new treaty was 

 accordingly signed on the 14th July, 1838. It contained a stipulation 

 that the ratifications were to be exchanged in this city within eight 

 months from its date. Mr. De Witt, having received leave of absence 

 from his post, quitted that country before the treaty had been acted upon 

 by the government of Central America; and when he reached the United 

 States, bringing the treaty with him, the period limited for the exchange 

 of the ratifications had expired. In consequence of this, the treaty did 

 not go into operation. Mr. De Witt died soon after his return home, and 

 no successor to him as charge d'affaires of the United States to Central 

 America was appointed. In the summer of 1839, however, Mr. J. L, 

 Stephens was sent a special agent of this government to that country, for 

 the purpose, in part, of proposing to the Central American government 

 that the ratifications of the treaty should be exchanged, notwithstanding 

 the lapse of the time within which that ceremony was to have taken place. 

 On reaching that country, however, he was unable to accomplish the 

 object in consequence of the dissolution of the government of Central 

 America. 



In the summer of 1841, Mr. W. S. Murphy was also despatched as a 

 special agent to Central America. It was stated in his instructions^ that 

 since the return of Mr. Stephens there was reason to believe that a con- 

 federation of some kind and to some extent had been formed in Central 

 America; that, in the opinion of the President, it was desirable that this 

 government should be in possession of authentic information in regard to 

 the condition and prospects of that country. If he should find there any 

 organized government with the tide of the federation of Central America^ 

 he was to endeavor to effect with it the arrangement in relation to the 

 treaty, which Mr. Stephens failed to accomplish. He ascertained that no 

 government existed with the title above mentioned. He was informed, 

 however, that there was a league or alliance among the Central American 

 States, but he did not discover its nature or extent. The department has 

 reason to believe that since the mission of Mr. Murphy, attempts have 

 been made by some of those States to form a league for the purpose of 

 transacting business with foreign powers, but it is doubtful whether any 



