316 



Doe. No. 75. 



receive together with a copy of my note to his lordship upon the sub- 

 ject of Mr. Chatfield's movements in Central America. Your instruc- 

 tions to me were of such a character that I felt it to be expedient to read 

 them to his lordship. Every point taken in your instructions will stand 

 before the world. 



[Private.] 



Memorandum of an interview hetv^een Mr. Laivrence and Lord Palmers- 

 tony on the 21th January y 1850. 



Mr. Lawrence began by saying that he had anxiously waited for a reply 

 to his communication of the 14th of December; but the principal object 

 in asking for an interview at this time was to say that; after the very free 

 and frank conversations they had held touching the subject of Central 

 America, he felt it a matter of courtesy to inform him (Lord P.) of the 

 new aspect of affairs before addressing him in writing on the proceedings 

 of Mr. Chatfield. He then asked him what were the views of the gov- 

 ernment of Great Britain upon the question of the seizure and occupation 

 of territory in the Central American States ^ particularly of Tigre island? 

 To which Lord Palmerston replied, that representations of British subjects 

 were made to the government with regard to claims of long standing 

 against the Central American States, many of which were of a pecuHar 

 character, and also of abuses committed on British subjects by imprison- 

 ment and otherwise, and that he applied to the admiralty to send a naval 

 force on both sides of the isthmus for the purpose of coercing those States 

 to the payment of their honest debts, notice having been given more than 

 a year since that such would be the case unless the debts were paid ; that 

 Mr. Squier was acquainted with the fact that Tigre island would be 

 probably taken possession of by Great Britain, and that he (Squier) en- 

 tered into the treaty with Honduras with that knowledge. He further 

 stated, that the forcible seizure of Tigre island he deemed premature on 

 the part of Mr. Chatfield under the circumstances; that it should have 

 been left to the admiral in command on the Pacific, who was then ex- 

 pected to arrive there at an early day, to act as circumstances might call 

 for. He said he thought Mr. Squier had probably been misinformed in 

 many particulars in regard to the views of the British government; that 

 there appeared to be a misunderstanding of the motives and wishes of her 

 Majesty's govt^rnment; ^'but so far as all that goes," said he, we will 

 not discuss it. We do not acknowledge the right of the United States to 

 interfere with us in the course we have taken in Central America; yet 1 

 repeat what I addressed to you in the early part of this negotiation, that 

 ( ^ "^nin has no intention of annexing, settling, colonizing, or forti- 



^ Central America." Mr. Lawrence then stated that it 

 ^^ret to him at this juncture in the negotiations, 

 disturb the fair prospect of a settlement; 

 *'^structed to demand, before pro- 

 ^her Majesty's government 

 that the United 



