Hertford County, NC - That Man Named Solon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MINSTER SOLON BORLAND (1811VA-1864TX) (Revised: 01-17-13) (APRIL 1853 to APRIL 1854) ~ ~ ~ This is my working hypothesis - the way I understand it as of 01-17-13! ~ ~ ~ Solon's family. Solon's research. More information concerning parties herein may be found on www.findagrave.com Sally's family time line. Any material used herein from the 521 pages at The College of William & Mary archives, is noted with (WM). ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY and MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY of CENTRAL AMERICA Nicaragua was but fourteen months of Doctor Solon BORLAND's over thirty year dedicated public service, spending about half that time in Nicaragua as of 16th September 1853, --- sufficient time to: 1)- succeed in obtaining an important agreement with the Nicaraguan government regarding Britain's aggressive land confiscations of past years along western Caribbean Sea coast line of Central America and Bay Islands, including Nicaragua's port town and fort of San Juan del Norte, 2)- obtain confirmation of the rumored multitude of abuses against American citizens and their properties around Greytown (formerly, San Juan de Norte) by the British-Jamaican's "...instigated by the British consul and the ever present naval-officers." (page 77, "Filibusters and Financiers", by Wm O SCROGGS, 1916), and 3)- to provide a paid temporary force for protection of Americans in Nicaragua against Britain and those British-Jamaican trooper officials of Greytown (formerly, San Juan de Norte). Great Britain's treatment of American citizens and their properties in Nicaragua and confiscation of Central American countries lands along the Caribbean Sea since 1848, such as: a)- the "Brits" taking of port town and fort San Juan del Norte, which they renamed Greytown, then began harassing Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt's company which resulted in some damage and the trampling on the American flag. b)- again in 1853, the same illegal British-Jamaicans of Greytown (formerly, San Juan del Norte) ordered Vanderbilt's company to raze their new buildings at Punta Arenas but the nearby American warship CAYNE, dispatched Marines ashore to guard American property in Greytown (formerly, San Juan del Norte) from the illegally controlling British-Jamaicans, thus preventing that which occurred two years earlier. View historic comments. This was unacceptable and considered of national interest to newly elected President Franklin PIERCE (1804NH-1869NH), thus, at beginning of his administration he apparently choose to confront Great Britain ~ ~ however, found to be confronted with an unfriendly, "Brit" influenced, national and international press. To attain his goal President Pierce needed two strong willed individuals thus, selecting 42 y/o Senator Solon BORLAND for Central America and former Senator then Secretary of State under James Knox POLK (1795NC-1849TN), a party to the settlement of nation's 49th parallel as northern boarder with the Brits, 62 y/o James BUCHANAN to England, serving 1853 to 1856. Following BUCHANAN's success, Pierce appointed George Miffin DALLAS (1792PA-1864PA), a friend of Solon's and former vice president under James K POLK, as Minister to Great Britain. DALLAS serving from 1856 to 1861, helped settle some of the disputes over the controversial Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (1850), which prevented either Britain or the United States to establish a colony in Central America or to build an Atlantic to Pacific canal, this treaty was later cancelled settling some of difficulties in Central America which in part had been settled earlier by Solon BORLAND while in Nicaragua. DALLAS also secured from Great Britain a disavowal of the right of search, a historic matter of dispute. Review closely, Secretary of State, William L MARCY's (1786MA-1857NY) 27 April & 17 June 1853 instructional letters to United States Minister of Nicaragua, Solon BORLAND. Solon accepted President Franklin PIERCE's appointment, resigned his senate seat (filled with Robert Ward JOHNSON (1814KY-1879AR)), upon being appointed 'Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary' --- following his refusal April 8, 1853 of offer as governor of New Mexico Territory, thusly, becoming first person so commissioned to the Republics, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, as well as to "Central America.", being the second minister, following John Bozman KERR (1808MD-1878DC), to Nicaragua, -- officially 18 April 1853, passport obtained 27 April 1853. Solon arrived 15 May 1853 at Little Rock, Arkansas spending a few weeks with family in Hot Springs, purchasing a farm home in Little Rock, and half interest in a newspaper, leaving for New Orleans 4th of July, no doubt spending time with brother Euclid (1809VA-1881VA), visiting 100-y/o slave Rose on brother's sugar plantation forty-nine miles south of the city, arriving Into an extremly tense atmosphere at Managua 16 September 1853, serving until June 1854, with bloody battling starting May 5th, about two weeks before he departed. Other southern gentlemen served later, such as his hometown acquaintance John Hill WHEELER (1806NC-1882DC) whose younger brother, Samuel Jordon, was with Solon in 1831 during Nate TURNER (1800VA-1831VA) rebellion, serving from 2 August 1854, arrived 7 April 1855, left 23 October 1856, then former Texas governor Mirabeau Buonaparte LAMAR (1798GA-1859TX. Solon's appointment to Nicaragua fit well into President PIERCE's two prong approach concerning United States past and current problems with Great Britian and to his overall program, - - - which included; $10,000,000 Gadsden Purchase from Mexico for a southern railroad route, survey for canal in Central America and three railroad routes from Mississippi river to Pacific ocean, attempt to acquire Cuba (by purchase or war), also Hawaii and Alaska, plus opening trade in 1854 with The Treaty of Kanagawa, thus allowing trade with Japan and other Western nations which was cutting into Great Britain's world trade dominance displeasing them by making the United States a major player in world-wide trade. Great Britain, knowing the power of a friendly press, gathered their international press in support against United States. San Juan de Norte had been confiscated by Britain from Nicaragua, then renamed Greytown, its officials replaced with British-Jamaican natives who where illegally taking Americans properties, disrupting American businesses and illegally held Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Solon BORLAND, a prisoner for forty-eight hours, refusing to make of ANY kind amendments for their many illegal acts, ~ ~ then fleeing the Greytown (formerly, San Juan de Norte), when later confronted, hardly a case of "gunboat diplomacy" as Dr Wood leads his viewing public to believe! ~ ~ ~ The documented facts DO NOT SUPPORT the flamboyant phrase; ~ ~ "gunboat diplomacy" ~ ~ chosen by James M WOODS, Ph D, of Southern Georgia University, in his partially correct biography of Solon BORLAND in "Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture" entry (02/17/12)! ~ ~ ~ NICARAGUA: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nicaragua became an important Central American nation as early as 1823, gaining interest of both, Great Britain and United States, when Spanish ended their authority 1 July 1821. View history. It was considered a likely route for a canal linking the two oceans (and may still be). Even more so when California and Oregon Territories became a part of United States in 1848, with California's 1849 gold rush, plus Pierce's trade treaty with Japan. Costa Rico and Nicaragua had an ongoing dispute regarding ownership over the San Juan river and Lake Nicaragua. January 1, 1848: the British SEIZED Nicaragua's eastern port, then and now, known as San Juan del Norte located at the mouth of the Río San Juan river at country's southern most Caribbean coast, bordering with Costa Rico on the south with whom Britain was heavily involved in trade of their coffee and other goods, ~ ~ ~ re-naming said seized port Greytown --- EXPELLING Nicaraguan officials --- replaced with British-Jamaicans. The port had been a small Nicaraguan fort and customs station prior to 1848, the start of its period of rapid growth as a foreign merchant enclave, with United States citizen, Commodore Cornelius VANDERBILT (1794NY-1877NY) and his Accessory Transit Company, which had became a big concern to the British (who illegally hampered its operations with its Jamaican officials of Greytown), beginning with the California Gold Rush, when thousands of travelers crossed the isthmus through this port on their way to or from San Francisco all while we were busy settling our affairs following the Mexican war. This same year Britain FORCED Nicaragua to sign a treaty recognizing British rights over the Miskito on the Caribbean coast, which the British called the Mosquito Coast, present-day Costa de Mosquitos. As afore mentioned, Costa Rico and Nicaragua were having an ownership dispute regarding the San Juan river and Lake Nicaragua, which was none of United States concern except, hoping such would be settled to ease tensions within the area. Be that as it may, August 26, 1849 a contract was signed between "Commodore" Cornelius VANDERBILT, a United States businessman, and the Nicaraguan government granting VANDERBILT's company--the Accessory Transit Company-- exclusive rights to build a transisthmian canal within twelve years, raising major concerns with Britain. Accessory Transit Company's passengers were loaded aboard a steamboat that took them up the Rio San Juan River, a waterway sufficiently navigable in which the British and Spanish once had naval battles, to Lake Nicaragua. This the 10th largest freshwater lake in the world, the 'sweet sea' which is about 80 by 30 miles, and home to the only fresh water sharks in the world, as well as around 400 islands. When passengers crossed the lake, they were dropped off at Rivas, then transported overland by stagecoaches for the 12-mile trip to San Juan del Sur from where ships came & went to San Francisco and elsewhere. United States also contracted them to haul our mail which strangely, concerned Costa Rico. September 1849, the United States-Nicaragua treaty, along with VANDERBILT's contract, were approved by the Nicaraguan Congress. The contract provided VANDERBILT exclusive rights, while the canal was being completed, to use a land-and-water transit route across Nicaragua, which was miles shorter than one in what now is Panama, where a railroad was first constructed in 1855. 1850, Nicaragua was struggling with two lively conflicts, a bloody shooting war between its liberal and conservative groups and ~ ~ differences between the British and United States over it and other Central American countries. May 1850, while a United States Senator (4th from Arkansas),--- BORLAND, rightfully claimed, the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (between Great Britain and United States) violated the Monroe Doctrine and stymied American growth! The opposition of the United States was due, very largely, to the fear that Britain would acquire a privileged position in regard to an inter oceanic canal. Great Britain, with her ever so long and large presence in the Caribbean Sea, then started on 20 May 1852 confiscating the Caribbean coast of Central America, south of her interest at Balize/Belize, including the Honduran Bay Islands. This to the dissatisfaction of Central America countries and United States. Central American countries were in turmoil, finding they were unable to govern themselves with any stability against Great Britain and were sorely in need of a friend President PIERCE's apparent two pronged approach to correct things in Central America was implemented September 1853 simultaneously in Central America and Great Britain with Minister BORLAND in Nicaragua and Minister BUCHANAN in England. Minister James BUCHANAN, in Great Britian, required Britain's withdrawal from the coastal lands and Bay Islands south of Balize/Belize while Minister Solon BORLAND in Managua reached agreement with Nicaraguan government regarding the British confiscated lands within Nicaragua (Greytown and its coast line north). "Filibusters and Financiers", by Wm O SCROGGS, 1916, ---Chapter VII p 71- 81, where in his research he concluded on page 77, (viewed 09-19/-08), to wit: "There can be little doubt that all the trouble was instigated by the British consul and the ever present naval-officers.". Great Britain was reluctant to return Nicaragua her lands of Greytown (formerly, San Juan del Norte) operating with British-Jamaicans and her coastal land north thereof, also, ~ ~ BORLAND's so-called 'insult incident' was but one minor, of several major, on going, unjust, and illegal problems being conducted against Americans by the British and was blown out of proportion by their friendly world press corps as well as some modern day so-called history professors who publish books, ~ ~ thereafter actions were taken by the United States which were indeed justified, ~ ~ considering the review of following: A Digest of the International Law of the United States: Taken from Documents ... - Page 594 by Francis WHARTON - International law - 1887 (Bombardment of Greytown, July 1854) Documents Relative to Central American Affairs, and the Enlistment Question ... - Page 230 by United States Dept. of State, Great Britain Foreign Office - Central America - 1856 - 485 pages the republic; or a history of the united states of america in the ... - Page 210 ,1888 Central America and the United States: The Search for Stability - Page 21 by Thomas M. LEONARD - Political Science - 1991 - 245 pages As minister, following (not as Arkansas Encylopedia would have you believe), securing the important agreement regarding Great Britain's taking of Nicaragua's land (town of San Juan del Norde and the coast north, a violation of said treaty) Solon called for the United States to repudiate the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (of which President Teddy ROOSEVELT (1858NY-1919NY) did achieve ca 1901, nearly a half-century after BORLAND's failed efforts) and for the American military to support Honduras in its confrontation with Britain over confiscated coastal lands and their Bay Islands. Mid-October, in a public address in Nicaragua, Solon announced that it was his greatest ambition to see Nicaragua, 1,700 miles from United States, "... forming a bright star in the flag of the United States". (CONSIDER, if you will, the fact we now have Hawaii, some 2,500 miles away and Alaska as states). Secretary of State William Learned MARCY, formerly; 1820 creator of the Democrat party, a U S Senator, Governor of New York, and Secretary of War during Mexican war, (view correspondence on pages 1 to 39 and 39 through 57) wrote BORLAND his 30 December 1853 letter setting forth the "official" United States stance in the region which was giving him his most problems mainly because Great Britain was trying to gain control of the area. (View MARCY's history) In 1854 MARCY had to deal with the complications growing out of the bombardment of Greytown under British rule since 1848 to after1860, (now San Juan del Norte, Nicaragua), ---- by the United States sloop-of-war "Cyane" for insults offered the American minister -- [Solon BORLAND] -- by its -- [illegal Jamaican officials and] -- inhabitants (which had been blown out of proportion by an unfriendly press) and for Britian's refusal to make restitution for damages to Americans, their properties and land confiscated. As BORLAND was leaving 16 May 1854, he interfered with a so-called arrest of an American citizen (Captain SMITH who had shot a crew member) this setting off international press stories about their unfavorable Pierce administration to make the United States look bad, ~ ~ by a group of Jamaicans (NOT Nicaraguans) trying to take him to Greytown, the BRITISH -- NOT a NICARAGUA controlled city. Solon reportedly grabbed a rifle and pointed it at the Jamaicans, warning them to NOT board the vessel. See: Filibusters and Financiers: The Story of William WALKER and His Associates - Page 75, by William Oscar SCROGGS - Filibusters - 1916 BORLAND was held captive by the British-Jamaican officials after voluntarily going ashore and was threatened with arrest, ~ ~ so held forty-eight (48) hours, he was not arrested, due to his diplomatic immunity. While arguing with local British Jamaican officials, someone threw a bottle in his face leaving a lifetime scar on his forehead, significant enough to scar him for life, so noted in his daughter Fanny's poetic tribute to him, At My Father's Feet, thus when questioned about it the obvious wound upon return to Washington city, he told of what occurred (also , ~ ~ this added to the illegal activities conducted by the British in Nicaragua. See New-York Daily Times, May 26, 1854, p1, c1, Delaware State Reporter, May 30, 1854, p2, c4 and many other national and international (unfriendly towards Pierce) newspapers. This, international incident, along with the continuing British-Jamaican illegal activities against the Americans and VANDERBILT operation were reported to the PIERCE administration by BORLAND upon his return to Washington city, who then dispatched an American naval ship to the area demanding the British Jamaicans to apologize to the minister, to stop illegal harassment of Americans, return confiscated properties and to correct other illegal activities against the Americian and the VANDERBILT interests, PLUS, make reparation or restitution for property stolen from American citizens. -- FOLLOWING a warning, with nothing forthcoming, the American ship and marines bombarded and later burned the unoccupied British city Greytown (now, Nicaragua's, San Juan de Norte). ~ ~ Additionally, --- Great Britain had rightful concerns over loss of Far East trade dominance being lessened by her former colony, a growing world trade threat, United States of America. George Miffin DALLAS', Dallas-Clarendon Convention, signed in 1856, set a basis for the settlement of difficulties in Central America brought forth: "....November 1859 Britain delegated its protectorate to Honduras. "This caused great dissatisfaction among the Indians, who shortly afterwards revolted; and on 28 January 1860 Britain and Nicaragua concluded the treaty of Managua, which transferred to Nicaragua the suzerainty over the entire Caribbean coast from Cabo Gracias a Dios to Greytown (now San Juan del Norte)..." BORLAND's wisdom saw only hopelessness in Nicaragua without British concurrence, with contnued internal blood-shed, turmoil and later the appearance of William WALKER (1824TN-1860HON) (of Nashville, Tennessee, where Vanderbilt University now stands), so at age 43 resigned, returning to a private life with his family in Arkansas. Solon's former neighbor and acquaintance, John H WHEELER of Murfreesboro, Hertford county, North Carolina was then appointed minister, followed by the Texan former governor Mirabeau Buonaparte LAMAR. Solon's argument was later proven viable a quarter-century after having first uttered it in 1850, again in 1853, ---- a treaty signed in 1878 with Columbia for 553 square miles of land later known as Panama Canal Zone, where the French started the task in 1882, In 1903, Columbia refused to sign a treaty, thus Panama declared its independence and with Teddy ROOSEVELT's actions, United States finished & opened the canal 15 August 1914, following loss of 20,000 lives before 1889, 10,000 after. Canal supplanted the railroad built in1855. The increased lock width to 110 foot seemed advisable, considering Suez Canal at 197 feet, (today, its limiting mega-vessels from passage, with a new canal discussed from time to time). Review: The State of the Union: Being a Complete Documentary History of the Public and Domestic Affairs, Foreign and Domestic, for the year1854. --Washington, Published by Taylor & Maury,1855. www.books.google.com/books?id=57nyOyJtgakC, search "Borland", (18-pages) PREPARED BY : Compiled with copies originally mailed November 2008 by William (Bill) Samuel BOGGESS, raised Carthage, Jasper county, Missouri(ah) until 1944. ______________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by William S. Boggess - bog417@gmail.com ______________________________________________________________________