230 



Doc. No. 75. 



jet, persuadee qu'elle doit etre que de ma part je me rendrais avec la pcys^- 

 sible efficacitC; a tout ce qui^ sans entamer I'honneur et la digniti des 

 dits Etats^ pourrait contribuer dv, quelque maniere que ce soit a resserer 

 de plus en plus les relations qui existent avec fa Grande Bretagne; rela- 

 tions auxquelles je fais un appel convenable^ pour esperer que le gou.- 

 vernement de Sa M. n'exigera pas autre chose qui pourrait etre consideree 

 comme c^^ntraire aux droits des dits Etats, en leur qualite de corps poli- 

 tiques. 



En attendant la reponse que V. E. voudra bien me faire parvenir^ j'as 

 I'honneur &c., 6cc., 



FRANCO. CASTELLON. 

 A Son Excellence Mr. le Ministre des Affaikes Etrangehes 

 de S. M. B. 



Mr, Clayton to Mr. Bcmcroft. 



Department of StatEj 



Washington, May 2, I84'9^. 

 Sir: The President of the United States has for some time viewed 

 with anxiety the apparent determination of the British government to-' 

 take advantage of the comparative inability of the authorities of Central 

 America to repel aggression from abroad, for the purpose not only of ex- 

 tending, according to their own pleasure, the limits marked out by the 

 treaties between Great Britain and Spain for the settlements of British 

 subjects on the Atlantic coast of that country, but also for the conver- 

 sion of those settlements into communities of a character by no means- 

 authorized by those treaties. Hitherto^ however, he has abstained from 

 asking of that government an explanation in regard to its measures in 

 that quarter, in the hope that they still might prove to be consistent with 

 the obligations of Great Britain under the treaties adverted to; or, if 

 otherwise, that the differences between the British government and the- 

 Central American authorities, respecting them, would be accommodated 

 to the satisfaction of all parties. But he now apprehends that this was. 

 a delusive hope. 



The President of the republic of Nicaragua has addressed a commu- 

 nication to the late President of the United States, and the Minister for 

 Foreign Affairs of that republic has addressed two letters to the late Sec- 

 retary of State of the United States^ requesting the interposition of this- 

 government^ with reference to the seizure and occupation of the port of 

 San Juan by the British, on the alleged ground of its being within the 

 dominions of his Majesty the King of the Mosquitos, of whom her Bri- 

 tannic Majesty is declared to be the protector. This application has led 

 to an inquiry by the department into the claim set up by the British 

 government, nominally in behalf of his Mosquito Majesty; and the con- 

 clusion arrived at is, that it has no reasonable foundation. Under this 

 conviction, the President can never allow such a pretension to stand in 

 the way of any rights or interests which the government or citizens of 

 the United States now possess, or may hereafter acquire^ having relation 

 to the Mosquito shore, and especially to the port and river of San Juan de 

 Nicaragua. He is decided in the opinion that that part of the American 



