WASHINGTON, _July 18, 1850_.
_To the House of Representatives of the United States_:
I herewith transmit to the House of Representatives, in compliance with
the request contained in their resolution of the 24th day of January
last, the information asked for by that resolution, relating to certain
proceedings of the British Government in the forcible seizure and
occupation of the island of Tigre; also all the "facts, circumstances,
and communications within the knowledge of the Executive relative to any
seizure or occupation, or attempted seizure or occupation, by the
British Government of any port, river, town, territory, or island
belonging to or claimed by any of the States of Central America."
The resolution of the House speaks of the island of Tigre, in the
State of Nicaragua. I am not aware of the existence of any such island
in that State, and presume that the resolution refers to the island of
the same name in the Gulf of Fonseca, in the State of Honduras.
The concluding part of the resolution, requesting the President to
communicate to the House all treaties not heretofore published which
may have been negotiated with any of the States of Central America "by
any person acting by authority of the late Administration or under the
auspices of the present Administration," so far as it has reference to
treaties negotiated with any of those States by instructions from this
Government, can not be complied with, inasmuch as those treaties have
not been acted upon by the Senate of the United States, and are now in
the possession of that body, to whom by the Constitution they are
directed to be transmitted for advice in regard to their ratification.
But as its communication is not liable to the same objection, I
transmit for the information of the House a copy of a treaty in regard
to a ship canal across the Isthmus, negotiated by Elijah Hise, our
late chargé d'affaires in Guatemala, with the Government of Nicaragua
on the 21st day of June, 1849, accompanied by copies of his
instructions from and correspondence with the Department of State.
I shall cheerfully comply with the request of the House of
Representatives to lay before them the treaties negotiated with the
States of Central America, now before the Senate, whenever it shall be
compatible with the public interest to make the communication. For the
present I communicate herewith a copy of the treaty with Great Britain
and of the correspondence between the American Secretary of State
and the British plenipotentiary at the time it was concluded. The
ratifications of it were exchanged at Washington on the 4th day of
July instant.
I also transmit the report of the Secretary of State, to whom the
resolution of the House was referred, and who conducted the
negotiations relative to Central America, under the direction of
my lamented predecessor.