215
PAPErtS OF )fms\RE.\U BeoX.\P.-\HTE L.uun
No. 2758 JS.][) Ap1·. 2u, HENHY GHEER, NEW SEGOVIA, [NICAR.\GeA] TO M[IRABEAU] B(UONAPAilTE] LAMAR, l\IANA- Gt;"A, [NICAHAGU.-\] Inquiry regarding the re~eipt of a former letter of Greer regarding his claim "11gainst this State." A. L. S. 1 p. No. 2759 18-59 Apr. ;.!9, M. B. LAMAR, CHINAN"DEGA, [NICAH.\GC:\] TO L. CASS, WASHINGTON, [D. C.p· Despatch No. 51. Legation of the United States Chinanclego 29th. April 1859. Sir/ The Belly Canal Contract with Xicaragua and Costa-Rieu has been ratified by this Republic with various modifications, which are imperfectly explained in the enclosed number of the Nicaragua Official Gazette. The Minister of Foreign Relations promised to furnish me with a copy of the modifications; but failed to do so. - Regarding the Belly Contract in no other light than as a conspiracy against the United 8tates, I have not been remiss in all proper endeavors to defeat its ratification. Whatever it was possible for me to do to this end, has been done. Indeed I fear I may have allowed my zeal to carry me a little beyond what my duty required. Being informed that the Senate was about to take final action on the question of its ratification, I re- paired immediately to that Body for the purpose of remonstrating with some of its members against the measure. The Senate suspended its Session in order to give me a hearing. I spoke on the occasion. with great franknef's and earnestness, and not without a sincere desire for the good of this country. If I indulged in any severity of comment upon the schemes and projects of Mr Belly, it must be remembered that he stood to me as an enemy of my Country, against which many of his operations were directed. Among other things I told the Sen- ators, that if the ~ole purpose of that Contract, was the arnwed one of opening a Ship Canal, and no other, I thought the Congress had be- come fully satisfied that the enterprise would not be carried out by the present parties, nor indeed by any other, and of consequence it was the height of absurdity to contract for the execution of a work which was 110w arlmitted on all hands to be impracticable in the present clay. - This looked as if there might be some ulterior views not dis- closed. If this was the case, as a matter of course I could not discuss the hidden policy, whatever it might be, as it was unknown to me; but if it were the intention of Congress by its modifications to reduce that magnificant humbug to a simple colonization contract, I thought it infinitely better to pass some general law upon the subject, instead of limiting the Colonization right to a single individual and restricting it to a particular section of the country. Whatever I may have said
"A. Df. S.
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