The Papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, Volume IV, part 2

137

PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BUONAPATITE LAMAR

l\Iora of Costa Rica, and some dignatories of State, together with M. Belly, the supposed representative of France (for he had not then defined his position, as well as I recollect) Whether the question of limits of Costa Rica will be the only discussed there, or whether the presence of M. Belly will bring other questions on the topic - in which the United States may be interested - is a matter unknown at present." - This was the Rivas convention, in which the memorable Manifesto of Martinez & Mora appealed to European Powers against the United States. - No. 2624 1858 Apr., [M. B. LAMAR, MANAGUA? NICARAGUA] INFOR- MATION CONCERNING NICARAGUA TRANSIT• 0 Vanderbilt opened the line under the Original Charter from Nicaragua 1849. Continued until [1]856 - Jos. [ 80 ] White Counsel of the Accessary Col. - The ten thousa-nd dollars were regularly pd. When Nicaragua called for the 10 per ct. on the net profit, - the company shewed by its Books that there were no net profits; and the reason of their being none was that the co - had expended them in allowing exorbitant salaries and extending the line, (which they had no authority to) from N - Y to San Francisco. - The settlement between Nicaragua and the Company, was referred to arbitrators; but was never carried out. - Nicaragua then threatened to app[ 80 ] U S [Go]vt.; whereupon the Com- pany fearing that the U S would decide against them on [ac]count of their having unlawfully extended the line, the Attorn[eys of] this [Com] pany published a manifold, was the [Com] pany did not look to the US for protection, since they regarded the contract as exclusive and affair between them & Nicaragua, to whom said Co. alone lookecl for protection. - Walker in the mean time got possession of the Country, and Van- derbilt, felt that he would be able to arrange the difficulties with Walker, and they got rid of the US and Nicaragua. - Walker, how- ever, was no less easy to be satisfied than the previous Govt. of Nica- and appointing three commissioners to settle the accts of the Co. brought [the] Company in debt to Nicaragua to the amt. of 4 hundred thousand dollars. He gave them 30 to pay in - this not being done, the vessels were sold to Garrison & Morgan. Garrison was acting as Agent for sd. Co. in St Francisco. - Garrison Morgan & Whitney ran the line about 4 months when the Costa Ricans seized the boat, [ 80 J of transporting filibusters. [Th]e men who seized the boats was an american namd (Spencer) employed by Vanderbilt. Mr Webster was with [Sp]ence[r bu]t took no part in the actio[n 80 J [t]hrough his intimacy with Spencer, \Vebstcr gaine<l some information of certain letters of Spencer's -

70 A. Df. of Lamar. "'Illegible where document is torn.

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