AMERICAN -HONDURAS
CO.

HONDURAS

BANCROFT
LIBRARY

University of Calif ornia • Berkeley

•HONDURAS

HONDURAS

AND

[HE PERRY LAND GRANT:

A NEW FIELD

FOR THE

FARMER, STOCKMAN, LUMBERMAN

AND LABORER.

CHICAGO: x

THE AMERICAN HONDURAS Co. UL-

1888.

urn i. -i EI

DONOIII i. A HI.NM:I;I.I;I;\ .

< Mi< kGO,

T

INDEX,

Area of the Perry grant, .... 5

BANANAS, cost and yield of plantations, . . . 22, 27

Fields of wild, . . . . . 21, 25, 29

Xutritive value of ..... 26

Cabinet and other woods, . ... 12, 13, 17, 18, 42

Cacao, 28, 42

CATTLE, advantages for raising, ... .31

Cost of growing beeves, ..... 7

Markets for . . . . . . . 7

Values of ....... 32

CLIMATE OF HONDURAS, healthfulness, . . .7,8

Rainfall, .... 9

Temperature, . . 8

For pleasure seekers and invalids, . 11

Cocoanuts, value of .... 6

Constitution of Honduras, . . 48

Contracts with foreigners, ...... 50

Cotton, . 30, 42

Crops grown in Honduras, . 11, 13, 26, 37

EXPLORATIONS, official report of ]2

Taylor's report of ..... 14

Fibers, useful ....... 3[

Fish and game, ...... 11, 13

Fruits and fruit growing, . 11, 22, 27, 28, 38

Fruit trade, growth of . . .26

Gold deposits, . . . . . . . . 30, 46

Government and its policy, the ...... 48

Health fulness of Honduras, . . . . . . 7, 8

Horses, cost and profit of raising, . 34

Indians, . . . 42, 47

India rubber, ....... 30, 42

Indigenous fruits, ..... 29, 38, 42

Labor and laborers, . . . . . . ' . 47

LAGOONS, Cape River, ...... 38

La Criba, ....... 38

Ebon, ..... 40

Br«s, .... 40, 42

Tilbalacca, ....... 43

Caratasca, ... . 44

l.\/>

I. mi.
'

(S6

, i - 1 1 1 _• .
. inhiii.l.
„'«•*. <Mlltlir<

.
I'ustiinurc.

-. i-usl :nnl profits Of

'
Plain itnnos, . . . L'ii

'M.I. . |-

I'uMi.- (>|>iiii<>ii. ....

-

Ui-lM-ll . . .-,1

.

:>.-

I'lantjini.

'I'.'lll ' .Mill. . 41

II

Rotuls, pulilit , . li.

irillii.

HP . •;. n.

!.|\... I all

H..I--M-S.
Bwin

.
• nv.

H
31

'l.i.

INTRODUCTORY.

Thousands of temperate, frugal, law-abiding people, skilled in the
arts needed for the development of a country, have found, after years of
exhausting toil and exposure to the sudden and extreme changes of an
inclement climate, that they can at the best get but a bare subsistence
in the North. Farmers see the interest of the mortgages on their farms
increasing rapidly, to in time drive them from their homes despite their
most earnest efforts. Those who have courage to calmly consider their
situation see that their future offers little or no hope. Competition from
the virgin fields of the West is too keen. Steam has made the farmer
of the deep, rich land of Dakota and Kansas close neighbor of the
man who grinds his life away on the barren soil of the East. Each
short summer spent in the attempt to raise enough to support the fam-
ily through the long, stormy, and cold winter only adds to the burden
the hopeless strugg'e has brought.

To such people, tired of pinching along year after year in dreary al-
though respectable poverty, these pages will be of interest, for they
offer sure, safe, and speedy relief. They will be of value to young men
who have wisdom to carefully look ahead, intelligence to see that life in
the old and crowded fields affords little encouragement to legitimate ef-
fort, and courage and enterprise to seek new fields where competition is
not sharp, and whe~e by a little toil and forethought they can quickly
secure all the comforts and most of the luxuries of civilized life. To
all such homes are offered in a country with'n easy reach, where the cli-
mate is more temperate and pleasanter than in the most favored spot in
the United States, and where there is freedom from many if not from
all of the diseases most dangerous to human comfort and life. There
the days are not hot, dry, and dusty, and the nights cold; the summers
are not blistering in their droughts and the winters terrible in their
blizzards; but the temperature ranges from sixty to ninety degrees .F
throughout the entire year. Nearly everything that can be grown in
the United States can be more easily and cheaply raised there, and many
valuable crops can be produced there which can not be profitably cul-
tivated where frosts are known.

Most of the testimony given in the following pages has been gath-
ered from witnesses who could have had no object in favoring, since
they certainly could have had no knowledge of our purposes. Much of
this evidence was given thirty years ago. Several of the witnesses were

/ \ r

whose standing1 was sufflricnt jnianint\ that their statements

: Mil .>t thr witlii-**-*

suspicion. Most of assertions mu«)« i > th. m an-i i«-|.r...hn . -:
been vt-ri'i-- 1 \>\ reotol

n truth i illness of any ot th
• n.limwComiwiny buh-slrous of in. In.
to an. i develope th.-

.n UI..M- »H

to sell lands to imlivKliml- nists in numlM-rn. Ti. tin- lntt«-r

especial indutvnienU* will i .

*-stion8 addressexl t<. th. • < •..mi-any will rei*ive prompt answ.
TMI. AMKKK A N II* .\ I M l( AS CO.,

Cnic\i.... hi-., r.

THE PERRY GRANT,

For the purpose of encouraging immigration, and through
that bringing about the development of the great natural
resources of Honduras, the government of that republic has sold
to the AMERICAN HONDURAS COMPANY a grant of land consisting
of each alternate tract or section of land one ruyriamete" or
6fVffViF English miles square, within the following boundaries, viz. :
Beginning at a point in the middle of the deepest part of the
channel connecting Caratasca lagoon with the Caribbean sea, and
extending thence in a northwesterly and a westerly direction
along the coast of said sea to the eighty-fifth (85°) degree of longi-
tude west from Greenwich ; thence southward along the line of
said eighty-fifth (85°) degree to the place of its intersection or
crossing of the fifteenth (15°) degree of latitude north from the
equator ; thence eastward along the line of said fifteenth (15°)
degree of latitude to the middle of the channel or bed of the river
Guaranta ; thence along the middle of the channel of said river
and of any lagoon or lagoons, bay or estuaries to the place where
the waters of said river Guaranta join those of Caratasca lagoon ;
and thence along the middle of the deepest channel in said Cara
tasca lagoon to the place of beginning.

The northwestern corner of this grant is 1,800 miles south of
Chicago, in longitude 8 west from Washington, and about 975
miles south by east from New Orleans. The Gulf stream touches
the grant and thence flows westward and northward, huriying
vessels on their way from Central America to the markets of
our Atlantic seaboard and of Europe. Vessels can have the help
of this ocean current most of the way from Honduras to Europe,
and back again through peaceful seas. Steamers make the run
to New Orleans or to Mobile in three to four days, and to New
York in seven or eight days.

The grant extends from the Caribbean sea southward nearly
5

t: H02U)l :

seventy miles, and from the Mlh to tin

• nwirh. A*- a \\holr it fojin* a plain ill
j fr«.ni the tide w:iter up to the low hills of tin

line of the irninl. Alon.
land is sandy loam. UIIMII P:I*M d !

of tli< ill- flom i. lie l.i t( Ii

..-li like tl

with

otln-r hy n:i\ii:ahle channels, and all <>f thru

d l>\ ilL'.

id. Ar«'iind the I «-.>., iiv :,rr lai^' \ iuin

liall.-lllHS. phll: •< ailfrilil. BWCCl

\ainpa-. ;>

1 this alluvial belt are |»rairiev\\ hieh atlmd alum
dan! |i:i-tur.t'j«- ..n \\hirl ain fat throughout lln- .

ries. Along the atreanu and on the hills valuable caiiim-i 9
d medicinal plants are dispersed through tvi

: atural jtrodu<-tions (.f tin- i many ami of

liniiinir reaily market in the I Hit. d >•
\\ell a- in the i.

it ami othrr |»alm- thrive all I und

I . •• li rocoanut tree hears fiom -i\t\ to three Imn
dred • Lhfl cnip ! i ing uorih IK. in fdn

•id plantain* yield a

i-. till' illloinr th< ! (I ;,|l

.-ilium. I'ineni . jnotiis fully coual to

nii-ii!

' •

Ml to l|,..i|-al d :,:!.. Li

.rany and otixr raloabto woods caa lie put ai...:,id rd

1
cout.

HONDURAS. 7

ports need be no more than freights on lumber from Michigan or
Wisconsin to those markets.

Cattle and horses can be raised at an annual cost of thirty
cents per head, including interest on purchase price. No disease
prevails among them. Beeves grown on this grant can be sold
when two years old or older, in Europe, for $ 10 to $15 more per
head than animals of like weight and Duality from the United
States will bring in those markets at the same time, because cat-
tle from the States must be slaughtered on the docks where
unloaded, while those from countries free from pleuro-pneumonia
may be taken into the pastures or the stalls for grazing and fat-
tening. There is a strong demand in Europe for such stock .

In healthfulness the north coast of Honduras compares well
with the most favored States of the Union. The pure sea air
blowing almost constantly from the ocean acts as a bracing tonic,
while freedom from swamps prevents the general prevalence of
malarial disorders.

CLIM A 1 i; SOIL AND PRODUCT I <

CLI.M

!imate of Hi>n<lur:is is roinparaiivrh : m, .re

'••It- than thai of any region in the I'ni:.

r part (»f the \t ;il the lio|l h« ;,

their passage across the Atlantic oeean and tin- ( 'aiil.l.c.-r
blow over the land, reducing the temperature In -low that <»!'
mer in eountrie- lyini: tarther north. The me.-m teni|M i
throughout tlie year for the \\hole of Honduras has for
been al»"Ui ', [ !•'. The extreme r;mi.'e lias IM . n from !•'• !•'. in

:ka!'l\ ' ci.hl \\iliters|ujt7 F. in e\ee|tlioliallv hot Mill •
Observali -ln.\\ that at the innuih

river, the extreme raiii:e <luring a year \MI> from r.'J to sc, ,
variation' n- a mean ol ; I !•'. At ( 'aratasra the hot

test four months ot iio\\.d a mean tem:

with a range reaching from 7s to !M . At Truxillo the
during the same months \\y^ ;> I-'. This \va-- much lower than
the mean temperature of the Dimmer month- in Slates lyin.
of tli' j'pi. and \ei\ far helou that of the aiid^.

States and Territories, where MM, k LTOW inir ha- l'«-rn '
profitable business. At l<; In Montai

rose to 185 in the Dimmer of 1887 and in h

ifter sank to i;-, l.elow /.<TO. a with

an extreme range of ">1 in the course of years in Iloiidiin- In

the n thfl llei'iihlie i he air i- |.eeiiliail\ ,

mad< |>lea-anl \,\ hn-f/.i-
steadily across the mountain*, th<
heavy woolen lilanket- a
likelihood of n losing v I may

h l\e

III VI I II'

ID healthfulneas as in < t hi astern coast of ]|.,n

8

HONDURAS 9

duras excels even the most favored States of the Union. Pure
sea breezes, blowing almost constantly over hundreds of miles of
ocean, act as a bracing tonic. There are no swamps to breed
malarial disorders, the little disease of that nature being a mild
type of ague which attacks some of the people who dwell on the
rich alluviums, and neglect all sanitary measures.

The country is absolutely free from many diseases common in
other lands. Scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, croup,
etc., are unheard of, and yellow fever has never been known
there. Tuberculosis is practically unknown. There is some
catarrh, probably due to the want, among the masses, of com-
fortable dwellings and fires for warming and drying them in the
wet seasons. But although living, as many do, in utter ignorance
of proper sanitary means, and without even the most common
comforts, they are less subject to disease than are the people of
the oldest States of the Union.

Under date of May 28, 1888, Senor Don Dion Galindo, col-
lector of customs for the district of Trujillo, including the De
partment of Colon, certified that:

In this port, and also on the coast of this Department, we have not
had and have not now any infectious or contagious sickness. When we
learn of any such disease in Belize, or in Livingston, quarantine is estab-
lished in this place. This has kept the people of Trujillo in a state of
perfect health.

T. A. Matute, M.D., a graduate of the University of New
York, registered physician and surgeon of the University of Hon-
duras, and army surgeon at Trujillo until he recently resigned
to go into business for himself, certifies as follows:

There has not been during my six years' experience on this coast, or
in any previous years, any disease of infectious or epidemic character.
There has never been known on all this coast, from Trujillo to Puerto
Cortez, any case of yellow fever or any other epidemic disease, and at
present there is not the slightest reason to fear any infectious diseases.

RAINFALL.

Variations in the configuration of the surface of Honduras
make corresponding differences in the seasons and rainfall in

10 //'>MH'RA8.

different parU of the country. <>n this si. «;. Squier,

ed- AtTairc*of the United si.

and author of a work which t<> this day stands the best nut.
on natural conditions of Honduras, wrote : "The whole o:
tral America comes within th. /one of the n<

which iweeptaf aCHMi the Atlantic reach th« continent almost
saturated with vapor. The portion ol of whicl.

are deprived 1>\ th. • :. islands is prol«al>h nearly, if not

quite, made up in their pa-ssa.L'e over the sea of the same name.
These winds are intercepted 1>\ the hiiih inouniai!
continent, and the vapor precipitated from them flow! down to
the Atlantic through a multitude of streams and r ran A
he says: "For about four month* <«f the \ear. lr"m ^
October, the trade- hein.ir intermittent, the Pacific .:•
subject to winds from the west and the southwest which ] i
tate their waters a trainst the western slopes of the mountain -
constitute the rainy season. AJ these Pacific wind* are seldom
more than ezai: i breezes, and are rarely of more than a

few hours' continuance, the rain* which follow then:
occurring generally in the afternoon and night. It
witness an entile day of rain, although tl nally

meteoric « "iis wliich produce what the S call

rales, or rain of se\ • continua1

'•rdsof the rainfall \\ that the average

annual amount is ahout f<.i i\ -ci-lit im -h» -. or the same as that

•itral KennicUy and of I-v . little less tluin that

\vOrleaDs llunt-vi!

ington. Ark, 1 Tonson, Ind

v, Cal. and in | place- in the I'liitid States. In

•Hietfavorf ::iL-e annual rainfall

is about the same as in Honduras \\ hil.- I;,IL, ihi-«un-

a ve lets.
hi the region when the I'< rry grant is situated the rainfall is

i over a large part of tin
ber showers frequently fall, usually passing <{ui< )

HONDURAS. 11

sky sunny and the ground watered just enough to force a luxu-
riant growth of crops. In Sept ember and October heavier rains
fall, but even then work can be carried on with little or no more
interruption than usually occurs in the Northern States in Octo-
ber and November. In what is called the wet season there are
often days and sometimes even weeks when no rain falls. As a
whole the worst of the rainy season resembles late autumn weather
in the northeastern States, except that in Mosquitia the tempera-
ture never sinks as low as it does in the fall in those States. The
dry season is almost perfect, every day being clear, bright, breezy
and even in temperature. As a winter resort for invalids and
pleasure seekers this coast is unequalled by the best resort known
in the United States, so far as natural advantages are concerned;
and as a summer resort for those who en joy sea baths, safe yacht-
ing, steady, regular and cooling breezes, fresh fish, terrapin,
green and other turtle steaks, and eggs, a profusion of tropical
fruits and flowers, or deer, boar, jaguar, andante and manatee
hunting, this grant can not be surpassed by any place within
easy disance from the great cities of the United States.

SOIL.

While the soil of this grant is varied in character there is little
if any of it that can not be cultivated much more profitably than
any considerable number of farms in the United States are
worked. Along the ocean is a strip of sandy land from one to
ten miles wide. On this cocoanuts, oranges, mangoes, papayas,
bread fruit, limes and lemons, corn, cane, rice, yams, sweet pota-
toes, arrowroot, and a great variety of other fruits and vegetables
yield abundantly. There are on the grant fully 120 square miles
of such land, every acre of which can be made, by a minimum
of labor, to give an average yearly profit of $50 to $200, by
planting to cocoanuts alone. »

Around the lagoons on this grant is an area of land of moder-
ate size which is admirably suited for growing rice, sugarcane,
bananas, plantains, roots and vegetables of many kinds, cotton,
breadfruit, and cocoanuts. At the water's edge these lands are

often no more Ih an 12 to 20 inches above high tide, from \\hich
height they gradually slope upward until the print IH .1.

The soil is exceedingly rich roiiHMin:: of silt brought <:
the mountains and distributed by the river*. I' Main

that the grant contains land which will yield more sure, aliund.-int
and profitable crops than can be grown >w gnnm

h alluvial tracts on \\hich valuable

woods and medicinal plant* al»»und. Here plantations of fi
yield for years in succession, with no other ait< ntinn il
red for gathering so much of their products as msi
needed forborne use ! of the forests which n<

A ill support a large population ii.
luxury.

these valleys are high and irently undulating pr:.
or savannas covered by grasses afford in i.r pa-turage on which
stock keep in good condition at all times of the year. 1

• 1 of tin- dry -( a<on, when the forage might
have little nutriment, dams suckling their joung continu-
Closely and < '"ill inu"ii<]y gra/.ed these plant*- ui\e \\ay to^ramina
and other grasse* of superior (piality . The M>il ot tin
is vegetable mold, sand and (lay mixed \\ith giavel. .,;
on a gra%relly subsoil. Pine groves appear at thort di-:.
from ea.-h other on U nnas.

On the west and in the vnUtl:< rn part of theirrant a:
tinibori'd hills. < >n thoe ihe soil is generally loam and ve^.
mold. The great size of the mahogany, sapadillo und
liquid amber, locust and other trees of great va! mple

•M-e of the richness of

A few yean ago an - -xploration of Mo-quiiia \\as made at the
instance of
lation of that pnrt of the omViai report n l.v on of

The character, or physical appearance, of this pu i
mUwraioootooous,M It varies butltttle, being im-x.-iy .-\teii-i\e plain-..

HONDURAS. 13

extending from the Rio Sico, past the mines of El Dorado and Rio Tinto
[Black or Negro River] to Rio Paz toward the south, over an amorphous
formation. On the borders of the Paz old and splendid cedars and ma-
hogany trees are found, as well as an extensive growth of fibrous plants.
The condition of these lands is excellent for agriculture.

Paon [Black] and Platano rivers flow through the mountain systems
bearing their names. Almost all over the Mosquitia region, and espe-
cially descending from the south to the sea, hills and mountains disap-
pear and boundless savannas spread on all sides, except where inter-
rupted by river valleys. These are full of trees, including cedar,
and mahogany. The ridges of the savannas do not rise more than two
metres from the lower soil or general level.

The savannas are generally dry, but as one approaches the coast there
are swamps. In the rainy season these sometimes become impassable ;
but this happens only on lands very close to the coast, and at those
times during the rainy season when the rivers overflow low lands.
These facts lead to the belief that all of the waters near the coast, from
Rio Sico eastward, could be made continuously navigable, it being very
easy to connect the rivers with each other by opening small ditches or
canals.

Between the Rios Patuca and Ulan the land is all level and sandy,
but in the tracts near the rivers excellent and fruitful land is found.
Tobacco, rice, beans, corn, coffee, cacao, or anything planted grow
beautifully.

In the district of Patuca is found the most beautiful and picturesque
part of Mosquitia There are extensive pampas or plains and spacious
lowlands. In the streams fish are abundant. The pasturage of these
lands could maintain over 100,000 cattle. There are here ocotals, or
groups of pine trees, some of the groups being fifteen to twenty miles
wide. Similar ocotals are found at Caratasca. Toward the south of this
district, and in the center of it, one may travel five days across savannas
and pampas abundantly provided with pure water. Deer, wild pigs,
jaquillas, apes, turkeys, pajuils, and a great variety of waterfowl are
very tame here. On the margins of the rivers precious woods are very
abundant, such as mahogany, cedar, granadillo, ronron, and santa maria,
and medicinal plants, as sarsaparilla, ipecacuana, etc., with India-rubber
and numberless other useful woods.

Rio Patuca has an average depth of five to seven feet on its bar.
From a short distance from the sea to the place where, twenty-four
miles up the stream, it divides to send part of its water to Brus lagoon,
it is from three to five varas [8*4 to 14 feet] deep. From this place, fol-
lowing its course until it joins the Guayambre, in the Department of
Olancho, there is always, in the rainy season, from two to five feet of
water. From the bar of the Patuca to the mouth of the Guampu naviga-
tion is possible.

14 //<>.\/>i

In April and May last, Mr .lames P. Taylor inad<- an e.\:u
at ion of the Perry -rant. lit- was «-mpl«>\«i i..<ln thi> i:
interest of a capitalist rc-idim: in Tegucigalpa, tl f the

Republic. Mr. Taylor's letters to hi- • mpl
of Truxillo. May 1/1888:

I reached hen.' lost evening fnun Hrns lagoon, ami it- th<--t«
goes t»-'lay I Imvrn't linn- t«- inak<- a lull r«-p«»rt (if all we saw. l.nt will
'i «.nr trip, ami writ.- yii fully li\ tin- m-xt umil.
aivoiint of <-iir httl«- park-inuli- w«- ha«l t«. tia\

my place to hirean«>tli«-r. W.- wt-n- until tin-
ing I > desigrnati
road and cross the mcmnt.tii:- t-> tin- jrraut. Hut to ir,.,
told l>v tin- In.liaii- it is no
road O\«T wlii«-li we c<»ul<l tukcourin | unwilling t<' k'i\ •• up
'il«-- at thi- sta^«- «-t t!' 1 1. I. ut lia«l t«. at«aii«l«.n
them three leagues fnun tin- town, »«-inliiiir F«Tiiau<lu with tln-n;
part Of our baggage t.. await «.ui- an-i\al In-i-r. >.> Mi-. IVrrv :ni.l I
loaded down t«ur |'a\as with hainin<K-ks. h!ank<-ts. pr«
8taite<l <ui loi.t fi.r tin mpCL \\.-u.-r.-a iittli- nn>|-»- than two
daysmakin>r it. tin- di-tain - ' !lni-t> mil.---. ! .ii.l a
pipante. ami |>uttiiix'"ur " tra|-" ami .nir-rh cs in it W(

• II. wi-lia-1 a ratln-r r<-uu'h \<.\a^»-nf it. ami wen- wi .

I I ' ! MICM.

• ii«- (iiiainpu: tin- .li-tam-c I i-tiin.
• hirty niil«--«'t whirh i- t hr< -u^h n
littl«- \nll<-\. rn-h mnl -uitalil«- for tin- ^n.win^ <.f l.a:

: tin- i-ntin- ' tin- \alN

t u.-nt\ inil<-- up tin- (iuampu. tli-

>|il<-. iln-..iu\ -.ill. 'in.

I'llllf.. wli.

abigln-ml i., tin- <-a-l tin- Imlian villages as Wr

down. At Cniiuinto w«- cr«>sMM| tin •• «.unt i

.tnta, the east hoi. .j.-,i.,\\:i i

the lagoon of the sann .-hha-au <nn. M-.a. AII

aavanim <l< ._• tin- i.anks ..f these

•- andotberstrean M i a. k i i-.-m «.m- humir. <i

\v nli-. ami in phu-i-n in-

1 1 m i ai 1 1 hcce bikec, QiraUi-
and a i >tu.in id. Catma ami ('aratasca is swam i

h point tin
in the wet soawm. I am told, |»lpant(-H can cross

HONDURAS. 15

Leaving these lakes we returned to Cro punto and embarked in our
pipante for Brus on the 24th, reaching there that night. Here we
stayed two days awaiting a boat. Then Mr. Perry went back to Cara-
tasca lake, and I started for here, and was six days in making it, three
days of which we lay at the entrance of Brus lagoon. The sea being
very rough with a north wind, we could not get out with our dory.

Mr. Perry is delighted with the grant, and I assure you he has a
.right to be. We saw vast bodies of good grazing land, usually well
watered, and the cattle, what few we saw, were fat. We were told
that nothing in the way of insects troubled either horses or cattle. We
saw no snakes, but we were told that in the bush land there are a great
many. I found it nothing like as hot as I had expected; although we
were walking a great deal we did not suffer from heat. A strong east
wind blows from about nine or ten in the morning all day, and the
nights are pleasant. We were troubled at a few places by mosquitoes,
but this was when we slept on the banks of the rivers.

I will give you a detailed account by the next mail of all we saw,
and any opinion I may have. Suffice it to say that in my judgment you
have a big thing, and with the proper expenditure of a few hundred
thousand you will have a property worth a good sum— I think you
could say m lllons. Hope you had « pleasant trip home. We had splen-
did health all the way, and nothing to complain of except that our
" grub " was short a few times. Truly yours,

J. P. TAYLOR.

Under date of May 13, Mr. Taylor wrote again to his em-
ployer as follows:

Having traveled from southwest to northeast through the grant,
and also across the south and the north ends, we were able to see a great
portion of the lands, streams and lakes belonging to the grant. In order
to give you an idea of the rivers, lakes, savannas and mountains, I
enclose a rough sketch, which will serve to point out the different local-
ties and give you a better idea of the country. Although you will at
once discover that I am a poor maker of maps, you will understand the
design and overlook my shortcomings.

The Patuca, the largest of any of the rivers, winds its way through
the grant from the southwest to the northeast, thus flowing more than
150 miles (all of which is navigable) through the lands of the Honduras
Company. Of course it will require some work in the way of clean-
ing out snags. In one place there are some rocks, and one or two
shoals will need channeling a little, but none of the work will be costly,
and it will require but little time to have it in good condition for boats.

The grant being divided by the Patuca river, we have on the east, or
or rather on the southeast, a vast scope of savanna or ocotal, broken

HONDURAS.

only by the spurs . t ih. .lutn-alpa mountain- m \\

nlng down a few miles. On ami around th. Indians .

COnfti'i -arsaparilla. ••(•• < Hi tln-s«-sa\ anna Ian

common wild Drawee of this <-ountr\ .<m wim h tin-. atti.-and \\«\^< ~

n i- now late in the dry N I* tad

look better than any wr saw in tin- olan. ho miintn. -oems

it. I. i-itlMT i-attii-or horses, and while in phu-<-s you find the grass
a little thin, niidsiu-h places will nMjuire som -heless

find siinii'ientgtMMltrntzinir lands on thisside<>i tlx .m\ thoii-

aandaof head of st<>, k. Tin- sa \anna or .,,-.,t. 1 1 lands are aepii
thi- n\«t l.\ -kirts <>| i.ii^h land whi.-h i-ln-in notliiii-
wide. This biKh land, which is almost like a juntri- . i- what th«- natives
raise their bananas, etc., on.

..iranta i IMT "ii th«- •

miles. i.kt-<i. has Imt littlt- 1'all, and tl» Tin-

lands lyiiiK ariiun.l (liiaranta an-i • -w ami in places

-u:ini|.\ . - . linn -I: -.. I'nai I •!• • n- -t t liink it w..:i|.i I..- a h«-alth\ l«. cation
fora ' "li-iiH-nt: but tln-s.- laml-. an- tin. Tin-

swampy parte of tho<- land> lall ino-ti\ ».«-t w.-.-n tin- r • and

i. tin- Lot information w»- «-oiil.l L-athn.it \\oiild
. c<.niM-rt tin-in li\ at anal -.in.- I. .ur mil.- |oii»r .
watt-r in l.oth < . 'iould

think, lor alino-t :m\ -i/«- -t.-anii-r. ami an cxc«-l|(-nt harliot, I
«-oniii-«-t i'.n t,, I,.- ahno-t ind^|>«-n-al>l<-. At <'ro|ninto w<- h:r
ful savanna t-<mnt i \ . tin- l«-in>; alioiit a li-avrn«- up tin- ri\ <-r I mm
aooniu-ctioii would )><• made ll< i* \\ •• h.i\ i- I.II-MM ..I iiml.. i tor l-uild-

ln^ good water, etc., making an <-\i-ciicnt pia.-'- t..r a \iiia_

!ii«-nt Von can n-adilv •.••!• t In- ad\ ant • n has

not Hiilli. x-nt -.\;iti-i in tin- channel tor an> tiling Imt small boat-
tin- bar ol tlu- I

\S . toiitid .,ri thi-. Hi.- soul

lages, e#tin about ^in in population. s,,m,- ,,f t h. -m -i

hlllf Knt'li-h ;th< :m-whal in

engaged ni< I.IHT. -ai-sai

« MI tin- noi -thuc-t -idi- o| tin- Patm-a w.
(reams run:

ntain.
!aki- and tin- -i |

have a large scope of wi i|>ailn

|| ol .-0111111

•
•

HONDURAS. 17

finest agricultural lands I have ever seen. You can hardly imagine any-
thing but what will grow most luxuriantly : bananas, plantains, pine-
apples, sweet potatoes, corn, beans, tomatos, watermelons, and, in fact,
almost anything you plant.

All along the coast and around the lagoons, while it is not so good
for bananas and plantains, it is so much the better for cocals [cocoanut
plantations]; and while anything in the vegetable line grows here it is
not so good for bananas, etc., as the soil is sandy, and they don't seem
to last many years.

Black river is said to be navigable eighty miles. Ebon lake is fifteen
miles long, and extends west within half-a-mileof Plantain river, which
is navigable for forty miles. Thus you see that most all of the whole
grant is easily reached.

I believe this is as good, if not the best fruit-growing country on this,
the north coast of Honduras, and for stock-raising, everything consid-
ered, 1 believe it would te hard to find a place to equal this.

We were told that there are about the same number of Indians
on this side of the Patuca as there are on the southeast side. They
are all peaceable, and we had no difficulty in getting on all right with
them.

We are told that up the Guaranta, Guineo, Black and Plantain there
are good lots of mahogany and cedar. I am especially delighted with
the Patuca country. While it is a good, large river, it has a strong cur-
rent and high banks, and overflows but little land even at its highest. I
think it is perfectly healthy ; usually a good strong breeze blows from
morning to night.

The route from Juticalpa to the river Patuca, ma Dulce Nombre,
Lagarto, and Guampu is perfectly practicable for a wagon road, which
can be made at reasonable cost. The whole distance from the mouth of
the Guampu to Juticalpa is about 150 miles, twenty-six leagues of which
would be through the Juticalpa valley, and would require but little
work. The Lagarto section would be the most difficult, as it is moun-
tainous and, like the Guampu, has a heavy undergrowth ; but I think we
have sufficient scope to get a good, easy grade, and as the subsoil is of a
sandy nature, by cutting the timber well away from the road I think it
would be reasonably dry at all seasons of the year.

Taking the grant as a whole, I think it is decidedly a very fine piece
of property, and while I believe thoroughly in some of the mines of

and pampas abundantly provided with pure water." See page 13.
Reporting to the general Government in reply to questions about this
grant, Senor Fernando Martinez, governor of Colon, said, November 4,
1887: "The lands referred to contain a number of mountains covered
with every kind of woods, India rubber, cactus and pita fibres, and so
extensive and unobstructed savannas that the view is lost in the dis-
tance."

18

Honduras I know of none that 1 would like t<» CM IKHIV
ram I. > seem a \« n. but \\ licit > on >ee

have- t ' "t t<>.. mm h |<i •

nils to agree wit h m« -.

LHD OTHEB A«»OD8.

The more valuable of the woods found on ii i.uit

are mahogany, ligmimvitae, ; < How

sandal-wood, cedar. India-rubber. <-\ pp-^, <ania inaria.
dillo. laurel, pole-wood or granadillo, sap<
oak and a great variety of palms. Of some of tin
ur«- i- vi-ry line, and capable <>f rceeivini: a line polish. For the
lumber made from them ready -ale ran dniil-1
at fair profits. Of the mahogany. M. (J. Sijuier said in his
tei on Central America:"

Theniiih vs in nearly all parts ot Hiiinliir;i

ol tln-\an I. It K hi'Wt-\ i-r. iiH'-t aliiin<l.tiit IJ|MHI tin

jri'diiiuls \vliich liniclt-r tin- ri\fi< flowing into the UM\ (it llmi
ulicr<- it al-«> attain- it< jfreatevt si/.eaml lieant\ . nii'l wliere the n
any-work8, eall" : i-uttitjy- liy the S.uuiianN. art- eliiell \

fined. As tliese lands are for the iim-t part t h<- \>r> >\>i-i t \ «>( the -
the wood is cut under licence- obtained from the ir«'\ eminent, wliu-h
.111 l'..r eai-hti>e. i:.\c.-pt t In -e made at t he in- nit h « .f"
the \ arious rivers for rei-eivin^. tnarkin-.: and -hippiny tin

: di.wn. the iiialioyan\- c-.-t aMi-him-nt s are neees^ril\ teni] •
and changed t nun tune t •> time as trees •

Writing of the pine, the n-dur an 1 tl I. in

the same work

Anionu' the coiiiinoii and nn.«l u-etiil w<,,,d-. the

!ir-l mention, not !«•.*> on aeemint .

lent .|iialit\ thai. i!ni(.-t be Kjud t.. .

all the m-.re ele\ .-ited | 1 1 « Hid 1 1 ra-. t nun mie vea to the

rponthel1 .,l the ci.ntinent it make- iith«-

nd nioiintnins at the height <>! .I'-ut l.-.'in t.-.-i abi.vi t he Ma.
I the intei MM th«- At

de<-|i\ it\ it i^ abundant neatl\ down t< : it on the

|o\r hi Bf the tflejit plio:

260 feet; and it i* well kno\vn tlmt »n the »a\aiiiia-« bordering t he
.ind laKoon- t'. i u e|| a- <m t h«

HONDURAS. 19

quito Shore, it is a characteristic feature. The trees do not grow closely
together, but stand well apart, permitting the mountain grasses to grow
beneath and around them, so that a pine forest in the interior more
resembles a well-kept park than the thickets to which we are accus-
tomed to give the name of forest. The trees grow frequently to great
size, but average about twenty inches in diameter. They are rich in
pitch, and the wood is firm, heavy, and durable, and the heart is never
attacked by insects. It furnishes, therefore, a cheap and convenient
timber for all kinds of constructions in the country, as well for bridges
as for buildings and for boats. Captain Henderson observes of the
Honduras pine; "The timber which it furnishes can scarcely be exceeded
in size, and is generally considered, for every necessary purpose, greatly
superior to what can be imported from the United States ;" and Strange-
ways expresses the conviction that the endless tracts of pine forest on
the northern coast will ultimately come to furnish a large supply both
of pitch, tar, and timber for the wants of commerce.

The cedro, or cedar (Cedrela Odorata, L.), ranks next to the pine in
the list of common and useful woods. It is found in all the valleys, but
more particularly in those of the principal rivers near the coast. It
attains the height of seventy or eighty feet, and a diameter of from
four to seven feet. It is not attacked by insects, is light and easily
worked, as well as ornamental in color and agreeable in smell. For
these reasons, it is more extensively used than any other wood in Hon-
duras. It is now exported in small, but increasing quantities. Most of
the canoes and pitpans of the natives are hollowed from the trunks of
the cedro, and are both light and durable, but liable to be split in beach-
ing.

The ceiba, or silk-cotton-tree (Bombax Ceiba, L.), is abundant, and
distinguished for its vast size, which leads to its common use for 'bon
gos1 and 'pitpans.1 I have seen boats, hollowed from a single trunk,
which would measure seven feet in 'the clear1 between the sides. This
tree blossoms two or three times a year, when its carnation flowers give
a bloom to an entire forest. It produces a pod containing a kind of downy
fibre or cotton, which is sometimes used to stuff cushions and pillows,
and may possibly be made useful for other purposes.

The larger of the mahogany trees which grew within easy dis-
tance from the Patuca were cut, many years ago, by English and
by Scotch compinies. Taey left the other valuable woods al-
most untouched. In the long time which has passed since those
companies abandoned the field the timber has improved so greatly
in size that the ground might be profitably cut over again, even
though no other wood than mahogany should be taken. The

HONDURAS.

cedar, rosewood, santa marla, aapadjllo and other tir.

will of themselve, pay iarrr pn.tits. N
can / t wages ranging from $8 to *

•. is a stream down whirl, loge
wiih ease and ;! Cost. The <•

t*\n. ilneo and other iiv« i> l,;;

.1 by timlM-r cutters. Karl, of these stream.-
ibly.

Th. 1 1. .11. Win 0. Hurchard. United States consul at Ruatan.
has lived tliirtx -three years in Honduras. I»i;>
those years he was Governor of the Depnrinx nr
whirl. ||M. I',-rry irrant is includ,-,). and which no>
part of tlu- D.-partnu-nt of Colon. In this long period Mr. Hun-h-
ard has accumulated the knowledge which gives him t]
tton of I) -in- in -r,- fully and accurately inform,-,!
Honduras than is any other man. From pn>..,::i!
i- ftbte to furnbh complete and valuable informati< n ab. ut all] .-.IK
of M .>>! litia, its natural productions and its capabilities From
his letter-book the subjoined extracts from a leiier written in
June, 1*79, are taken :

Tl" -juifia an- without .l.nil.t i irl.rr ,,, •

WOOds than til.-,- ,,f any ntli.-r I ».-,,;,,•( mmt ,,| thi< H.-p.iMi
fortune* have IM-.-I. ma.l.- by KnulM. speculutors in mal
"t th- the province. Thi

worked for nut07 7«u« on re scale Atpn .irge8t

iniih... , m • • * * AI (•

all tin- liitnlii-r iin.l fiiniitun- IH...J „, Sj,.,m,|, an-l in British Hon

are imported hrom the United Statoc. TI.C.IUM ; , ,„,..

nitin .in- M IH.UM.J.

•

inavMNtu.l,-,,! th.- I. u-ii,.-^ »i,,| ,,M|,,. ,.,,,,„ u|li(.|, ,„,
ma -:iwi,,ill an. I fun ,M| jn

ml tin- >,
111 ai.othrr letter

HONDURAS. 21

wrote in reply to questions forwarded from the Department of
State:

Honduras is a mountainous country, drained by a number of large
rivers fed by rapid tributaries, many of wh'ch are natural water-powers
capable of running mills of almost any capacity. They can be secured,
not only without cost, but I think that the local authorities of the large
towns would give material aid toward the establishment of saw-mills
and other kinds of machinery, which are greatly needed by the country.
Such establishments would pay best in the interior, especially in the
rich Department of Olancho, where lumber, furniture, wagons, carts,
carriages etc., would find a ready market, and where northern men can
enjoy a most delicious climate, and surround themselves, by a little
industry, with all the comforts and luxuries of both temperate and tropi-
cal zones.

There is little or no need of calling attention to the advan-
tages which will result to Honduras and to any persons or com-
pany through supplying this demand. Those advantages will
become more plainly apparent when a good wagon road shall
have been constructed to connect the north coast with the interior
of the Republic. The opening of such a road from the head of
navigation to the city of Juticalpa, the capital of the rich De-
partment of Olancho, will enable such a company to furnish, at
lower prices than have ever been known there, all the lumber and
furniture which will be needed in the great valley system of
which Juticalpa is naturally the commercial center.

The north coast of Honduras alone uses from 2,000,000 to
3,000,000 feet of pine lumber in a year, and the Bay Islands from
150,000 to 250, 000 feet per annum. Mill run long-leaved pine, un-
planed sells for $35, and planed for $45 per M. All the lumber
used on the coast of the Carribean sea, from Yucatan in the north,
to Venezuela in the south is imported, chiefly from Nova
Scotia and the United States. The consumption will increase as
great public works will be undertaken in Central America, and
as the people of other lands learn something of the advantages
these sub-tropical countries offer to enterprise and capital. This
increased demand this grant will, by reason of its favorable
geographical position, excellent harbor and other advantages, be
able to supply at fair prices from its almost inexhaustible forests.

HONDUE 16

FRUITS AM» I HI i \DE.

Of fruits Honduras produces a large variety, \\hieh find
ready sale at home, as well as in the markets of other ,

I among these in commcn-ial. as in food vali.- anas.

Of these there are several kind-, tin- mott
platano or plantain. All through the country ti M im-

portant part of th«- daily food of the people. Along the :
coast of the Republic quantities of bananas and plantains are

n. principally for the market* of the 1'niti d Stale-. \\ jihjn
the last ten year- the iralVu- in this fruit and otlx
has grown so largely that three lines of sterner- I'M
employment in carrying the ercjs to il:e North. Vet all this
trade has been, and is now confined to that part of the coast
beginning seventy miles from the western boundaiy of the (
and extending to Guatemala.

A plan often recommended by planter- in Hoi
Inuaiiaor plantain sprouts fifteen feet apart, making 1!'.
the acre. Each of these plants will yield a bunch of fruit in
about nine months after planting. These sell on tin

- ranging at dill'erent time- from IK

•.although rarely, for $1, and even for sl.iT> ea< h. Thi-
givetfiom $78 to $940 for the first crop from • : that

tin yield is larger, as two to four of the young -pri-nt- which
sprinir up around the paren'

imatex as to the cost of planting and car

tion-«»f hanaiias or of plantain- differ in variou- ; pieal

America. In some hu -alitie- in Central and untie-

tems < inelit f«.llo\\t(l liy m:i!i\. the co.-t is from >•

$25 a maii/ana of 10,000 squat* •!" tin-

latest and i that \\liii li u:i- \ tinted

1
ragua. It -tale- that it- e-timate\\a- pulili-ln d to •

jilllilic liy lilt- ( 'icfuf the Mi»-(|Uilo I ; '. hieh

latter estiin heiiift "pessimistic,

exaggerated, extravagant, and calculated to mi-l« -ad tin pul

HONDURAS. 23

The Mosquito Reserve lies next south of the Eepublic of Hon-
duras. The estimate of El Diario states that the cost of prepar-
ing the land, planting and caring for 44^ manzanas, or 92 acres,
and the income therefrom are as follows:
Outlay First Year.

44>£ manzanas or 92 acres, and clearing the same $ 3,115

10,000 sprouts, @ Ic. each 100

Cultivating1, first year, @, $12 per manzana 534

Wages and sustenance of manager 708

Wages eight extra laborers, 15 days harvesting fruit 64

Food for eight laborers, 15 davs @30c per diem each 36

Wages and food for cook @ $23 per month 276

Building utensils, etc., etc 1,000

Total cost $ 5,833

Income.

12,000 bunches @ 50c gold $ 6,000

Premium on gold @ 33 per cent 1,980

Total, $ 7,980

Deduct 20 per cent for fruit lost, $ 1,596

Deduct cost as shown above, 5,833= 7,429

Net gains $ 551

Outlay Second Tear.

Wages 8 laborers @, $16 per month $ 1,536

Food for 8 men @ 30 c. each per diem 876

Wages and food of manager and cook 984

Materials, replanting and incidental expenses 500

Total cost. $ 3,896

Income.

30,000 bunches @ 50c. gold, $15,000

Premium on gold @, 33 per cent 4,950

Total $19,950

Deduct 20 per cent, for fruit lost $ 3.990

Deduct cost as above for second year 3,896= 7,886

Net profits second year $ 12,064

In 1879 Consul W. C. Burchard wrote on the subject of grow-
ing bananas and plantains in the Province of Mosquitia, where
this grant is located, as follows ;

I believe that facts and figures will warrant me in saying that there
is no agricultural labor more profitable, in relation to the capital
required, than that of cultivating bananas and some other tropical fruits

f4 //"MX

in this countr\ . [wlCglTOToa tbeoostand product o1

<• ot land planted with bananas:

Cost of clearing the land , -In!*.

outs
Planting TOO sprouts <T sucker- in MI

cultivating until ftr»t crop to harvested

Interest «'ii investment mi.- v Ml

Total 348 75

This ^Imitation the t:i--t \. ar. ..r probably in ten iiii.< laiit-

intr the suckers, will \ ield T.'.n bunches i.f banana-, wlr.di ai i |M- ,
price ol :-event\ '.nil here will jrive SV>.'. nr a net pi •

".on an in\ estincnt, with int«-n-st added, of *; ,iu-h lor the

lii.-t \«-ai. For tin- -< ron. 1. ami if tin- land is jfoo.l. t.,r t wt-nt\ |U<
in>r \i-ars, tin- said i»)aiitali«in "I !""\ard> xjuan- wili . ..liiiual

product iat-1-onlinjr t«> s<.il "t 1'rom two to tour times a> niudi as that of
the tirst year. The only expense after the !ir-t liai \ « -t woiil.:
out the weeds 01: liiout sltii, and that of cutting and deli\

th< iruit to vessels, which would be from six to i,
bunoh.

Of course tlx-re are drawbacks to this, as to almost all other ku
farming. No crop i.- more certain than that of banana* Th-
I Ix'lieve theonly .•iit-mv to tin- fruit planter in Honduras is tin- north
wind. In tin- winter months we sometimes ha\<- li<-a\ \ ^alt--. n< i
which uproot the banana trees which an- not pr..ti-«-t.'d by hills <T by
forest trees, and a partial lo.-s of tin- crop is the coi:^«-<|in-nc«-. Hut only
tin- fruit suffers. Th«- trc«- is m-ver killt-d, ;i>-, wh«-thei it is stain:
lymg'On the ground, new suckers will alwa\ - conn- up from tin- i<

Th« pn>\ in,-.- ot Mi -juitia has as yet «-\poi t.-,| no 1 1 ml. although no
< th.-r part of the count ry possesses as nian\ BdVBI n- I'loduc-

tion. Kanaiias ^i"u spontaneously, and attain the I.

r ion on t lie margins ol all it- principal i i\ . -r-. and a (lord an inex-
haustible supply of food for moiike\ -. parrot^ :in,| other wild i|. '
oftheforest. I'lantain river, whii-h deri\cs its name ti,,;u theabun-
dance of wild banana- and plantain- which irn.u -|.ontaneoii-l\ on its
bank- and in its \ all«-y-. i- worths of esjK'i-ial attention, o"
does, a I a rye and c.-itain -upplv of fruil. e-nia! to the best in t In- coun-

'. hich I- -eellled to i,- - ,nt 1 I'olll t lie ( J o\ ernillell I

uilK-hcail be made Jmilie-: • \.lllle Tlie-e I

- are flrst seen ab »ut i mles up tin- Plantain n\er ! i -in

nth, and I nun thence lurtlier up foi .,,iit thirty

miles, the river. ,,M |,,,th -ides, i- almo-t one , - -nt niu-.n- banana planta-

. - on either l.ank. u Inch -•c!i-ionall\ •
a oonciderable dmtanc<- back into the bottom laml-. It i- ditliciilt to

make anything like an MttflMte of the amount of frull ra

HONDURAS. 25

for the shipment which might be obtained from Plantain river alone,
but it is quite safe to calculate that a steamship capable of carrying
8,000 to 10,000 bunches, could be loaded there every month. By having
a little steamboat to tow barges up and down the river, I am satisfied
that the cost of cutting the fruit and delivering it alongside of the ship-
ping would not exceed twelve and one-half cents a bunch.

Later, the Consul wrote to a company which proposed to
engage in the fibre business in Mosquitia: "Facts and figures
will warrant me in saying that, by an expenditure of $3,OCO to
$5,000, the banana fields of Plantain river will alone yield the
company a net profit of ten per cent, on the amount of its capital
stock [$600,000]." Of the quality of this fruit Mr. Burchard
wrote last year: " It is larger and better than most of the bananas
grown in cultivated fields."

In relation to these fields of wild fruit Mr. Wm. H. McKee, who
examined this region in 1882 in the interest of the company men-
tioned, wrote:

The fruit-growing privileges of Plantain river can be understood
only by being seen. The soil is of that quality most desirable for the
production of bananas, and the banks subject to that gentle inundation
which is considered to be of all things the most beneficial to a banana
plantation, and which certainly renders the never-failing fertility of the
soil assured .

From just above the mouth of the river, for the space of a day and
a half's journey, the banks of the river for a space of from a few rods
to a mile and a half upon either side, are clear of forests, covered only
by a rank growth of grass, wild cane and bananas.

The Mosquito Indians say that in former times the king of the Mos-
quitans chose the banks of this river as the site for an immense planta-
tion, and each year compelled his subjects to clear and plant a certain
area, which course being followed for a long period of years resulted in
this extensive clearing, which has never again grown up to forests, but
remains to this day a natural plantation, requiring only the proper care
to produce fruit enough to freight a fleet.

Plantains and bananas are found growing wild on the banks
of other streams on this grant, especially on the Patuca and the
Guineo, so named because guineos (bananas) abound along its
borders, as they do to a less extent near other waters here. At
moderate cost these uncared-for patches of fruit may be extended

M llnMH .

until they will occupy a tract as wide as the < n>p < -an 1.. \>\

bly carried over to the boats, and along the entire length of the

rivers and lagoons. They will

source from which supplies of sprouts can be obtained at
nal cost, formally \-

• the rapidity of the growth which the fruit i
of northern Honduras made, even in the eailier years of i'
j-iveii bvanotherextrart from a letter prcvic usly «,
on page 24. The writer said :

During the last eighteen month* the trade in tropical fnn-
Honduras v.nd the t'nited States has grown t<. a wonderful extent, ;iii<l
is const a n 1 1 y ami rapidly increasing. R eferenoe to the consular n

<»f this office will fnveyou many interesting tacts an<l figure- in i

to our trade with Honduras. In the r> rival- ami

of American vessels j'ou will find that since the flrstof .Ianuar\

the first Of this month. .June, then- have U-en titty-one arrhal- «.| Am-

erican vessel- from port- ot the I'nited States tothi-pnrt of Kn:it:in.

This (Joes not include the arrivals at Trnxillo. I'urrto Torto and I'tilla.

whieli ports belong to this consular district, nf the said i

rivals, twenty-one were steamships and thirty sailing - ':«• m-

t ,nok -hows that for the same period, vi/... live moiit hs. • -\ port- < t
fruit* from tlii- port to the I'nited States ha\ «• l>e. \\ as foil-
Lunches of banana-. l.lXM.iMi cocoanuts, 1,063,000 plantMin-. '

;iat«- qiiantitiesof pirn-apples, limes. Oranges, mantio*-. tain.;
SOUK- Imlia riil.lM-r, sarsa|.arilla, hides. •• . lmpc.it

iitc-d States consist Of Hour. pro\ i-i.m-. lumliei-. furnit
leum, hardware, boots and shoes, lager i>ei r. toiiact o, dryjj

(ireat a^- tlie growth of the trade in banan n. it will

probably be surpassed by that of the tratlic in plantains \\ hen Un-
people of the I'nited States shall have had opportuni'
the food value of the last named fruit. There are several \ari-
eties of the plantains. >.orm- of which are dried and preserved, in
whirl) condition they will keep twenty live or tint ' Flour

from plantains is made into nutritive biscuits. < >f the fresh fruit
100 parts contain twenty-seven part*, of dry nutritive matter, or

;\vo parts less than the potato. A single plant bears from
twenty live to ninety pounds of fruit, \\orth $7..r>ii per 1
fruiN. or three-fourths cent each. An •« re \\ ill i 'ants.

HONDURAS. 27

which, averaging seventy pounds of fruit each, will yield 30,450
pounds of nutritive matter and some 600 pounds of fibre. The
returns from plantains will be found to be fully as large as those
from bananas, while the demand will be stronger and more con-
stant. At present the people of those United States ports where
plantains are landed, buy all that are offered, so that none reach
interior towns. The fruit is cooked in a great number of ways,
and in all stages of growth. Dogs, cattle, horses, pigs, fowls
and almost all other animals eat the banana and the plantain. To
a large degree this fruit takes the place of breadstuffs in all
countries in which it grows.

A person can start from New Orleans or Mobile with only
$275 in his pocket, and by planting bananas on this grant can
in one year begin to get an income of $1,800 per annum. His
fare to the coast will be $35 ; clearing and planting 10 acres,
$120 ; expenses of living, $120 ; total, $275. He can himself clear
and plant 10 acres at least, making a total of 20 acres of plantation
which will each yield 200 bunches for the first crop, 9 months
after planting, or a total of 4,000 bunches. During eight months
of the year the price will be about 50 cents a bunch. At those
figures the crop would bring $2.000. For four months the price
is about 35 cents a bunch, which would give an income of $1,400
each nine months.

Pineapples grow to large size, and of superior flavor in North-
eatern Honduras. The variety known as sugar pines is especially
worthy of attention, being very large and sweet. On the sandy
land between Caratasca lagoon and the ocean they often reach a
circumference of 17^ to 18 inches, by 27 to 30 inches in the
longer circumference, and a weight of 5 to 7 pounds.

In some places pineapple sprouts are planted in rows 3^ feet
apart, the plants being set 2^ feet apart in the rows. This gives
4,080 to the acre from which 4,000 pines should be obtained in 16
to 18 months after planting. In the Bahamas the plants are per-
mitted to grow within 18 inches of each other, making 19,360 to
to an acre, but the yield is probably neither as good in quality

28 HONDVl

nor as large in number as from fields in which the phi:

ther apart, and in which $25 to $:io p« r acre is spent per annum

in cultivation.

The usual price for common pineapples on the Hon.:
coast is six and one-fourth cents e:u h. The large, sweet sugar
pines will bring at least ten to fifteen cenK ea< h when MI;
in quantities, great enough to make it an object to keep them
separate from the others in handling. A crop of 4,000 pines at
six and one-fourth cents will bring $240, a net profit of fully
$200 per acre. If the plants are only eighteen incho apai -
should yield at least 10,000 saleable fruits for the .sixteen to
teen months, worth $625, of which $575 should be net gain which
is equal to $385 for a year, per

Oranges are grown here in profusion, with n«> can-. Tin-
trees are seedlings, untrimmed, and the ground they stand on is
never cultivated — the truth that IK. land ;liivuied ll

Republic should be kept in mind. Yet most of the orange
then- produce good crops of a fair quality and si/e. and
yield fruit of exceeding sweetness, and larger than the average
of oranges offered in northern markets.

A great variety of indigenous and other fruits can he <rrown
in Honduras, and be profitably sent to foreign markets in a fresh,
or in some preserved form. To th-.x now grown may be added,
with little labor or expense, apricots, plum- almonds,

olives, figs, dates, walnuts, etc. These will source of

dailv and very large income tocultivators of the Ian-. litia.

In " Notes on Honduras," Squire gives a partial 1M «.f in.;
nous fruits of this region. On page 182 In

Apart IP. in tli.- lime, lemon. «>, -jinjf.-. ami palm trees. thi>i<> tsa great
variety of trees ln-arin^ innt- wliich

aeao is one of these, a .n.iant <>n tin- north-

ern alluvions, when? the natives draw th< ; plie< iron

forest*. It is known there as the cacao mi< <>. tn..nk« \ »r wii<! cacao,

r.rnl i» 'i.-.J In, MI tin- OH I nut*.,

' I- < -lalllie.J, a III • |.IMientii-tl. :«-*.eni»illrHf

the Jamaica *'all»ploe" (My rtus Pimenta), is al.no in<b win, u-

HONDURAS. 29

is somewhat larger than the variety found in the islands, but weaker in
its aroma, and has not yet entered into the commerce of the country.

The Anona, of several varieties, is also indigenous ; the Aguacate, or
Alligator Pear (Persea Gratimima); Citron (Citrus Tuberosa); Tamarind
(Tamarindus Occidentalis); Guava (PsidiumGuajavas); Pines (Bromelia
Ananas); Mango (Mangofera Domestica); Papaya (Carica Papaya); Zapote
Granado (Punica Granatum); Mamay (Lucuma Bomplandi); Nance;
Jocote,or wild Plum ; Manzanilla, etc., etc.

The Vanilla (Epidendrum Vanilla) occurs in the same district with
the sarsaparilla, and is remarkable for its luxuriance and the size of its
pod. It has not yet become an article of export, but the specimens
which have been sent to the United States and Europe have already
elicited orders beyond the capacity of the available labor of the coast to
supply.

In nearly all parts of Honduras wild guava trees abound. In
the region drained by the Patuca and its tributaries, particularly
in the valley of Juticalpa, thousands of bushels of guavas ripen
each year, only to be eaten by wild animals or to rot on the
ground. A large part of this yield might be profitably made to
contribute to the earnings of the people of these valley s, by pro-
viding means for its easy and quick transportation to factories
where this now waste product could be preserved . This is also
true of a large variety of indigenous fruits which would sell
readily in other countries. Coffee and cacao prow well even on
the coast, and require nothing more than ordinary attention to
make them very profitable to the producer.

OTHER INDUSTRIES.

Fruit-growing absorbs the attention of many who learn of the
natural resources of northern Honduras; but other industries can
be carried on there with as great gains as are obtained from fruits,
or even greater. Sarsaparilla from Honduras has for many years
been recognized as the best in the markets. By judicious man-
agement it can be made to yield 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of roots per
acre per annum. At rates current on the coast, this is equal to
$575 to $700 per acre. By the adoption of better methods in
handling the roots, their value will be increased until this crop
will become the source of immense revenue to settlers on this
grant.

SO HONDURAS.

mtations of ulc, or India -rubber trees, pay richly. Tin
temati* cultivation of rubber tree- ha- ! <i the

field is new and a most pnmii-in:: one.

The greater part of the income of tlu- Indians who live in
Mosquitia comes through the gathering of rubb. -r, -arsaparilla,
liquid amber, copal and other products of forest and plain; but
the Indians are so very few, and the quantity of -
plants used in the arts or in mcdicii e i- -o^reat.tlmt
be made to give emyloyment and good rny to all who will »jitlu-r
them. Some at least may be cultivated profitably, li-
the very incomplete list of natural productions of tlr
given on page ",«;, will give some idea of the vari< t\ of such
plants found in Mosquitia.

Rice grows well in Hoi. dura.-. tl.« rcund Hie

sounds or lagoons being especially adapted to its successful culti-
vation. Honduras rice sells for better prices than bre paid for
rice grown in the Southern States. It is sought for -eed .

Cotton grows into trees 20 feet hi-rh. which yield -rood .-•
year after year.

Besides those mentioned, there are other sourctsof income
which will give to settlers on this grant from 200 to }i 0
per annum on the capital required for the development and
management of such cnterpri-. -f them arc -m-h a- can In-

carried on profitably intemperate zones, but tin -renter in.
and movt profitable arc of a kind which can never In- i;
tion with the product- of regions where fmsi- .« ur. Tl,-
tier need not rai-e ili"-,. cmp^ \\ hich can be Lrio\\ n in the I'niied
States, for he can alTonl to import flour, c»ru and calico.-
duced in the north bv the aid of macliim-r\ and underpaid toil,
and dev.te hi- attentioi t)liogl \\liich brini.'

prices, CQtt a minimum of toil and th< iiL-lit : ot be

grown in very large accessible area*.

In the western end of the _-;rair il- "f L'«'!d, which

.n..wntobe rich. Kast of the Black rivei mountain
'••rry grant, which Consul Bun-hard OO<

HONDURAS. 31

vast unexplored region, inhabited only by uncivilized Indians,
which we know contains gold, from the fact that the Indians are
constantly bringing small quantities of that precious metal to
barter with traders on the coast for ammunition, trinkets, etc. On
the west fork of the Tinto [Black River], called Rio Sico. gold is
found in the river and all its tributaries, but is extracted only by
Indians, and in the rudest manner possible. The only tools they
employ are a pointed stick, a horn spoon and a wooden bowl or
batea. The mineral wealth of La Mosquitia is yet undeveloped.
The few tests that have been made at El Dorado, have given most
satisfactory and promising results."

Useful and valuable fibers are obtained from the husk of the
cocoanut, from pita plants and from the stalks of bananas, plant-
ain and other growths. From an acre of banana stalks about 600
pounds of fiber can be gathered. Pita fiber is for some uses super-
ior to all others known, and there is no doubt that in a short
time all the difficulties which now prevent its general introduction
for those uses will be removed.

STOCK-GROWING.

Those who have become thoroughly acquainted with the busi-
ness of stock-growing in America, and have seen the country in
which the Perry grant is situated, agree with the opinion ex-
pressed by Mr. Taylor, who says, " for stock-raising, everything
considered, I believe it would be hard to find a place equal to
this." Several kinds of grasses afford good pasturage in Hon-
duras. The savannas of the northeastern part are covered by
forage. In the dry months some of the grasses ripen and cure
as they stand, thus making good hay even while there is a growth
of green and palatable leaves at the roots of the plants.

Chief in the list of cultivated plants used for forage are
maize, Egyptian corn, barley, sugar cane and para grass. The
cane is an indigenous variety, softer and richer than the Asiatic
kind grown in the United States, and is therefore better as food
for stock than the latter would be. The Honduras cane grows
continuously without replanting. Cattle eat the leaves and fruit

jt HONDURAS.

of the banana with avidity. T\\<> ciops <.f maize are grown in
a year, and then- i- no apparent reason why iln< ei nn-

num can not be raised from one field. Para grass y
heavy crops, and is greatly relMied by cattle and horses.

cnness of the temperature, an almost unbrok
of sunny days throughout the greater part «>f th- »ling

• •s which blow nearly everyday, freedom from annoyi:
sects and other disturbing causes, and an abundance «>f ;
in every part of the grant, make this tract of country -
even the most favored part of the ranching region of the l~nit(d
States, where great fortunes were made in cattle-growing !
that country became overstock* d.

• •n under the crude and wasteful method, or lack of method,
which has been common on the \\e-tern plains of the 1'nited
States, the average annual increase of herd- of cattle ha- equalled
50 per cent, of the number of breeding cows in tlm-e herd-.
being true of the arid, sun-scorched and bli//.an! -\M pt 5
what may not be done in Honduras, where cold -terms are never
known, and where nearly every -quarc league has *•
pure stream, fed by mountain springs. On the northea-t coast
these flow in gravelly or sand v beds. a< LIU \\here nutri-

tious grasses are always green. The value of such a copjou- sup-
ply of never failing water i- shown in strong li.irht by the enor
iiiou- I..-M-- cau-ed by want of water la-t J{
in the west- in BUtei red by all natural conditioi

stock-grower in Hondura- can ea-il\ -• i an 'inual

nt. in hi- herd-, and C*O, liy careful m..
ment, raise the production to 90 per cent, per annum. II
should give nearly as large a p' <»f in< -reas« -a- i- nb-

from cattle. < 'li their calves be-idr them, a- good

CAD be boil Lr lit in H-.ndura- ic.r price- raiiL'iiiir fnnn $i> to f !
bead; two-year old i >'"it<» $7, and yearlin

to $4. Tli«- lieif'-r- are u-ually thn-e \ear- old before ihey drop
their : Dg a herd in QO1

Hondura ;igeK are low and the cost of raiimi-

HONDURAS.

S3

ers is small, is only a fraction of that of maintaining a herd of
like number in the most favored parts of the western fctates and
Territories'.

A conservative estimate of the results which can be reached
in cattle growing on this grant is presented in the subjoined table.
In this calculation it is assumed that of a herd of cows 60 per
cent, will each year produce young that will reach marketable age
and condition, that half of the bulls born in the herd will be sold
when three years old, and the money received for them will be
paid for cows to add to the herd. In ten years, 1,000 cows,
their offspring and the cows bought with the money received for
the bulls would produce as below :

S

+3

OQ

ng cows

g

11s sold.

1

11

"S

3

o

CO

i

i

1

£

3

ji

?!

8 *J

1

1

3

0*

5

8

6

<

J

1,000

300

150

$15.00

$2,250

225

$10. fO

2

1,000 ! 300

150

15.00

2,250

225

10.00

3

1,000

300

ISO

15.00

2,250

225

10.00

4

1,525

457

228

20.00

4,560

415

11.00

5

2.0*0

615

307

20. (0

6.140

558

11.00

6

2,575

772

386

20.00 7,720

643

12.00

7

3,447

1,034

517

25. CO 18,925

1,077

12.00

8 '

4,620

1,386

693

25.00 17,325

1,238

14.00

9

6,035

1,810

905

30.00

27,150

1,810

15.00

10

8,146

2,444

1,222

80.CO

36,666

2,037

18.00

Totals

8,146

9,418

4,708

$25.32

$119,230

8,453

$14.10

Assuming that the bulls not sold to pay for cows will be used
for breeding, or sold to pay expenses of the herd, the account
should stand as shown below, at the end of the first ten years.

1,000 superannuated cows, original herd, at $10 $ 10,000

7,146 breeding cows, mostly grades, average value say $25 178,650

2,772 grade two-year-old bulls and heifers, at $25 < 9,300

3,620 high grade yearling bulls and heifers, at $20 72,400

4,888 high grade calves, at $15 73,320

Total $413,670

34 HONDURAS.

The above estimate allows $119,230 to pay for the expenses of

tin- lu-nl. to provide bulls of high breeding, ami toco\.

ration of the breeding cows for ten years. ;h:m

those shown can be realized on this grant, when- all

are so favorable, and no possible combination of < tin r ini

can tax the producer unduly for transportation, for .slaiiuli'

or for selling his stock. As long as the ocr.v

sels of all nations there will be compel it ii •» • t.« UL!I t<>

charges down to reasonable limits.

As no fatal contagious disease has ever appeared among the

cf Honduras, the stock-grower can send hi-
two-year-olds and older unfathmd bullocks direct to ii
of Europe. This will give him from $10to $1.~> pcrh« ad m<
his stock than like cattle from the United States would bring
on the same market. This would in itself amount
profit.

While it is tnie that the raising of cattle will pay richh
growing of horses and mules on the grant will p.; All

the condition- of -oil, configuration, climate, forage, and
graphical location are most favorable. Horses and n>
on thoroughly drained, gravelly or rocky soil, particularly i!'
hilly or mountainous, are more HIUM uhir. l.anly, .
ageous than are those brought up in a tlat count r M main
horses and mules are more highly e-teemed than
from level lands. Their hoofs and bone- an \\\
tougher than those of it<

form better developed.

Many of the horse- of

teristics of the Arabian MI which they no doubt de-

scended tlin.i]L'li itnima

illier small, clean of limli. hard and li....f. and

•IHC spirit and intci

are .v : L- 1 tempered even under the i

\\hich h«.rsesand mules are comm«.nl\ ^ubj. end by the na(

used for hard work as much as they \\ould

HONDURAS. 35

have been had not mules been generally preferred for such ser-
vice, yet they still show considerable power of endurance. As
a rule they are larger than the mustangs of the southwest. The
chief value of the mares will be found in their use as foundation
stock from which to breed animals of the Morgan type — active,,
bright and good tempered family horses. Grades got by Cleve-
land bays, French coach, or other horses of like size and style
would sell freely for general use, and would beyond a doubt be
sought for cavalry service, while the get by stallions of the
heavier draft breeds would be desirable for artillery and for team-
ing in cities.

Mares of fair size and quality can be bought in Honduras for
$10 to $12 each. The cost of establishing and managing a stud
in Honduras need not be nearly as great as that of keeping a
stud of like numbers in any part of the States. As the mares are
healthy and perfectly sound, accustomed to taking caie of them-
selves and their foals, and will never suffer from lack of food or
water, nor from exposure to storms, they may be confidently ex-
pected to breed surely and well. Probably fully seventy five per
cent, of a stud of such mares would each year produce foals
which would sell for an average of at least $75 each v\hen four
years old. By using stallions of high breeding and uniform size,
style and color, selected as far as practicable from one family, a
large number of almost perfectly matched spans would be got
each year from a stud of say 1,COO such mares as can be bought
in Honduras. From the grade fillies which would come of the
use of such a lot of stallions a large percentage of the foals will
match very closely, and would bring higher prices than un-
matched spans would. The results which can be obtained by
proper management are approximately indicated by the subjoined
estimate, based on the assumption ihat of a stud of mares sixty
per cent, will each year drop foals that will be sold at an average
of $75 each, or come into bearing at the age of three years. It
is also assumed that the money received for half of the male
get will be used in the purchase of native mares at the prices in-

lln\

dicated, t» be added t<> the ori'dnal MU>. • the lilli. -

in the stud will remain to brt. injjwilh :

Jhis basis, the following results should l>< attained in tin- I'M

years:

\

H

Totals

UMI
UMI
hum

300
300

765

l. '.'•;•;
8,681

-
8000

stun

485
BM
MB

l.Ml

6,474

r,T,.lin
7M.IKI
Ti'.in.
SII.IKI
HUH

UkMO

1 !«.«*»

I.M.IKII.

Sl-'.m
15.00

MUJO

$21.74

M

•,941

In this c-timatc tl>e average price of nat ive marts has In en put
at $21.7."), instead of $12, for which they can l.e bouirht now.
This is tf» make allowance for any advance in price whit i,
come from the development of this branch of the stock bu-
At the end of the ten years there will be on hand, if not otherwise
«li-jK)sed of:

1,000 BU|>eranmiHt«d mares 14 year
7,364 foals. :.il lutrh grades, v

ir-old {trade*, worth $75 each. • ••

-

Sales of Htal lions 1 ral America woul.:

apart of the cost of -hippin;: the -urplus to foreign ma-
Desiring to improve then ptodc, and having no other convenient
source of supply, the people there will buy (juile a nun.
beut youog stallions in the -t ml at fair pi

HONDURAS, 37

Mules are always in demand in the Southern States, only four
days' sail from Caratasca. The larger cities of the Atlantic
coast, as far north as New York will also buy large numbers of
mules. In Central America mules of small size sell freely for
$50 to $100 each; for exceptionally large, fine, and well-trained
animals prices range as high as $150 to $300 per head. Such
animals as may be gotten from the native mares by the use of
large and well-bred jacks will find ready market, even for pack-
ing, at $75 to $100 and if trained properly for riding, will bring
figures above the highest mentioned here. They can be raised
on the Perry grant at a very small cost.

Where nature unaided produces such a profusion of food
suitable for feeding swine, and where two and even three crops
of corn can be grown each year, raising pigs will cost a merely
nominal sum per head. In all parts of Central America pork
and lard are in request at prices ranging from 12^ to 25 cents
per pound. No disease of epidemic nature has been known
among the hogs of Honduras, so far as has been learned.

INLAND NAVIGATION.

A system of sounds or salt water lakes, called lagoons in
Spanish, extends entirely across the north line of the Perry
grant, and beyond Caratasca to Cape Gracias a Dios, the eastern-
most point of Honduras. Nearly all of these lakes are clear,
free from obstructions and deep enough for safe navigation.
Very little marsh is found on their borders, the surrounding land
rising at once from the water's edge to a height of from one to
twelve feet, and then sloping upward. The lowest of these lands
are of unsurpassed fertility and value for the growing of rice,
sugarcane, breadfruit, bananas, plantains, cocoanuts. yams, cas-
sava, sweet potatoes, arrowroot, and many other crops which
thrive on moist soil. Many highly prized varieties of timber
abound on these low lands, all of which are within easy reach of
navigable water. Usually these sounds are separated from the
sea by strips of sandy land varying from one to ten miles in
width, in the middle of which there is generally a savanna from

38

a few rods to a few miles wide, covered by grasses. I

of the coast lands can be made t<> yield fruits comm< n ;.. n« pi< al

or to temperate zones, such as oranges, lemons, limes, mar .

cashew, soursops, papayas, aguac 'M !'''"• i

guavas. plums .inumds. t:1

vanilla and others, while ginger, cassava, j»!

root, sugarcane and cotton are urown m<>st successfully.

the use for which this sandy land is best and for which

it can not growing of c«

First in the chain of lagoons is Cape river lake which 1
tout-he- the western line of the grant. This lagoon is five i
from east to west, and three miles wide. At its western end it
receives part of the waters of the Sangrelia river, which
within 100 yards of the River Sico, and after flowing north
through a fertile valley, discharges part of its wate-
sea at a point about a mile from Iriona, a port of entry < n the
roadstead situated west of Cape Cameron. < m the -\t
roadstead, which is 40 miles wide, villages are dotted at int<
of from one to two and one-half miles. The Sanirn
for ten or fifteen miles and ( ape river for nearly as \i\
tance.

Less than two miles east of Cape River lagoon, and .
with it by a narrow channel, is the end of La Criha la.
which | eastward to the channel of Black river. 11 i

In relation to this stream and the region through whi< h it
Squier says:

|{j<> Tin'' h.n -h..rt .in the sea

takes t h<- iiHMH'''

and to said to have a course <»l HU.ut PJII mile-, in .-..mini >n with n
••r*orith« M A tad, variable bar at Iti m«»uti

iter range*, at ditTi-rent seasons, at inimtm- t" nun- r<
veoeela may anocii'M I'M; (in \\ ;(s «.n tin- i i\ri -that

: -..mi- M-ttli-riii-til* ilnriiiu Hi" hi-'

which wer* iiuitv \\nii tin •

<tedbetwe<'n Kn^lim-l :in<l S|»IMI Snl.-. -.iiii-nt iiti.

were made t«. \<>\\\\>\ \ • luneotetfai

< .i/."ju. •••

HONDURAS. 39

in 1839-41 by an English company, under the countenance of the British
settlement at Belize, but all have proved signal failures. The last adven-
turers named the district " Province Victoria," and made an unimportant
establishment, to which they gave the name of Fort Wellington. An
account of this expedition was written by Thomas Young, a person con-
nected with it in some official capacity, which conveys considerable
information concerning this portion of the coast. He describes that
portion of the stream called Rio Tinto as flowing through a low, but rich
and densely- wooded country, which, a few miles higher up, becomes
swampy, and covered with willow trees. At the point where a branch of
the main stream diverges to connect with the Criba, or Black River
lagoon, commences the savanna and pine-ridge country, where some
Sambos have a settlement. The savanna supports a few cattle, but the
land is poor, and unfit for cultivation ; " but, notwithstanding its aridity,
it is very beautiful. It extends several miles in every direction, and
appears to have been laid out by some landscape gardener. It is relieved
by clumps of papter trees and low shrubbery, which are the haunts of
many deer. There are also great quantities of lofty pine trees. Some of
the pine-ridges on this coast are very extensive, and are valuable for
their timber, which is the red pitch-pine, rich in turpentine. This tim-
ber, from its length and straightness, is not only very useful for build-
ing, but also for masts and spars. In the pine-ridges many mounds of
earth rise above the level surface to the height of eight or ten feet, and
have broad tops, large enough for dweilingr-houses. Some parts of the
savanna, however, are swampy, and are the nurseries of annoying
insects." Above this pine-ridge the river is bordered by a continuous
" bush," relieved higher up by many gracefully-bending bamboos, and
the tall cabbage palm, the crown of which affords food, and the straight
trunks, when split, boards for native buildings. At a point sixteen miles
above the mouth of the river, the English anciently had an establish-
ment, and here the sarsaparilla and cacao begin to make their appear-
ance. Near this point had been anciently a coffee plantation, at a place
called Lowry Hill, and near by had been a sugar estate, the boilers for
which still remained at the time of Young's visit., " Thousands of banana
trees, loaded with fruit, were growing spontaneously." The ground
here becomes elevated, and the Poyer, or Sugar Loaf Peak, 2,000 feet high,
shuts off the view seaward. Up to the " Embarcadero " the river is much
obstructed by snags, which, even in small boats, it is difficult to avoid.
Young adds that " the passage from Fort Wellington to the Embarcadero,
during a flood in the river, takes a pitpan, with six men, three days and
a half. The descent, under similar circumstances, can be made in a day
and a half." The Embarcadero is estimated by Roberts (Strangeways
following his authority as ninety miles from the sea, but this is probably
an over-estimate.

40 11». \DURA8.

The Poyas Indiana have a number of settlements among the i

thesame name, mi the UPIMT tributaries!)!

the land about th.- r,,\.-r hills as exceedingly I. -ml.-, ami tin- muntry

healthx.

( )f Black river lagoon, which is entirely within tin- boundaries
of this grant, he says:

.kroon, culled Criba by the Spaniards,* Rob-

erts, wh«. \ isite«l it. i* about fifteen miles long by s«
several small i>lamls. whieh were eulti\ ate.l MuriiiK th-
tion of Hhu-k Kiver. At this peri -I t: •

-lften-e. whirh wen- enlarge- 1 by the Spaniards after the Kmrlish evacua-
tion, the ruins <>f whirh an- still r«>ii>|«iriiniis. < Mi th<- h- i
lagoon are 8om»- -a\anna> ami |'im--ritl>fi^. tr«.m which tin-

former settlers obtaiwi ••--riM-lcrahh- <numtitii-* «>t pitrh, tar. an-1 tur-
pentim .

East of Black river and connected wiih jt and La C'ril-a
lagoon by a straight, wide and deep channel, lies Ebon lagoon,
ten miles long and six wide. On the south shore of Ebon lagoon
is a savanna which stretchesaway for mili-s. brokrn by r.(u-:i
ocotals from which long-leafed pines of superior <|ualr
can be obtained. From the northeastern corm-r of Kbon lagoon
extend a low place which is covered by water during the rainy
seasons. Between this low place and Plantain river is a "haul-
over" or portage, about a mile long. Over this the j». -i.pu- have
for generations hauled their boats. When the streams an- hi^h
dories can pass from river to lagoon with little difficulty. Of
Plantain river some forty "r forty live miles are na\
liL'ht draft steamers, and fifteen or twenty mil<» more are
gated by pipantes. A lar-*- part of this di-tam-c is through the
field of wild bananas and plantains mentioned on page

Between Plantain river and Brus lugoon is a !•
whirl. IW paddled (luring the season of hi^h unter.

place is little more than a mile in width. It I : that this.

like the depression between Plantain river and Kbon lagoon, and

that li.-twrrn the Pat ura and TilbahicCE lake, WBS ODCe a Cbuniie]
through which that stream discharged part of its current.

Brus lagoon is fifteen miles long and five to eight wi<i. It . -

HONDURAS. 41

comparatively shallow, and part of its bottom is covered by beds
of oysters. From its shore a grassy savanna extends to the
southward. Over this Consul Burchard, General Gross and
others, including the government explorers whose report is quoted
on page 12, traveled for days without reaching the end. The grass
is good and might afford abundant grazing for thousands of
stock, but the entire tract, is practically unoccupied. Nearly
half of the waters of the Patuca flow into Brus lagoon at its east-
ern end, through the broad channel, called Toomtoom, or Tcina-
maya, " the white lily mouth " or entrance. Through this channel
boats of large size and drawing two or three feet of water can
have easy access to the Patuca, which is Ihe largest river in the
Republic, and for all purposes of navigation and lumbering
is the most valuable. Squier describes the Patuca and the
country along its banks as follows :

The Patook river (written Patuca by the Spaniards) enters the sea
by a principal mouth about midway between Cartine (also called by the
Spaniards Brus, and by the English Brewer's) and Cartago, or Carat-
asca lagoons. It appears to be the largest river on the entire northern
coast of Honduras, between the Ulua and Herbias, or Cape Gracias a
Dios rivers. It takes its rise in the very heart of the Department of
Olancho, in the vicinity of the large Spanish town of Juticalpa (capital
of the department), and the great Indian town of Catacamas. The
principal streams which unite to form the Patuca are the rivers Jalan,
Tinto de Olancho, and the Guyape or (Guallape) and Guallambre. The
two last named are celebrated for their extensive gold washings, to
which reference is elsewhere made . The geographical basin in which
this river collects its waters is one of the richest and most beautiful in
all Central America. It is separated from the transverse valley of the
Rio Herbias or Segovia by a high, narrow chain of mountains, steep on
the south, but subsiding by terraces toward the north. Seiior Herrera,
in his report already alluded to, state? that the Patuca is navigable for
canoes as high as the junction of the Jalan with the Guyape. The river,
however, above the coast alluvions has a powerful current and is inter-
rupted by rapids called "chiflones." At the mouth of the Guallambre
is what is called Puerto de Delon ; below this point are numerous " chi-
flones," the principal of which are those of Campanera and Caoba. At
one point the river is compressed between high, precipitous walls of
rock for a long distance . The place is called " Portal del Infierno," or
Hell's Mouth, and probably gave rise to the story recorded by Roberts,

4f HONDURAS

"that at om- part ..1 it* course th« m • - way thn-iiKh H

h i- .01,,,
which thus passes through a natural arch. a> throng

,.v five humlrr.| \ar.U." Thr principal alt!,,.

• lolli.wmjT, ill T

•\ It-c-hiv. MMBfe

ii. anil Uin Cpin •

The principal uthof thr I'atu.a ..|N-n- .lirrcth into tin- sra. ami

bOtatniCtod by a l.a-l . shi:- a whu-li th(

S-. m. -turn-., att.-r IP

•liclceHOhbs an. I tl<.w> in tl>
- Thr land at.oiit tin- mouth oj thr n
which, bowl nt K'ivi-n i

..and li.Mniii. nnlikr m-.-t ,,f th,- -a\anna< on
•<>, an 1 fiirtli«Tiii..r.- ha- a Nark an-i fertj
pine-ri.lu'r i> finin.l ah,,ut thirty miUM up thr river, at..
tO in-ar thi-s.-a. th.- liank> an- thickly w..o.lr,|, ha\
-•lay. iojiin. and black mol.l all admfl
;tivnti..n n! -in.-;, ,. in.ii^,,, ...

oedar, row, an., unl ^.un.i

throughout the wh,,lr 1,-nyth ..f th.- river valley, while thr pine-i
•unii-hiiiy inrxha.iM il.lr qimiitit

i:\cliivu,. ,,( \alu:il>l" \v 1>. tin- t..r.>t- pr,..liu-i- aluiinla-

sawapirillu. In.; , !|;1 Ml

noun.' :ia\-i»nihi«- r..r small steamers M to the

• MI. -lit- in iilanrh... '*0rm1 lra-t to thr '•

'. -l.-l Inlirni.n, ami that "it isti,

excepting that of San .Juan «!.- Nicaragua, for nuiiiiii-n-ial
with th.- Interior." II.-. think- jiN... that an otaMi-.hni.-nt at item

iK-l !.\ iinpr..\rinrnt- in tin- ri\ >-r ami l.\ roa.U in ti
woulil ^<>«n l.rcoinr thr ino-t important j-.-int ..n t

Roberta est i.-n^th «.r thr P»tuca at one h

i" IniiKlr.Ml mil,..

ofCar ihi-Tf«OM

ami |'.,\a- (OlUe

ut trie*.

MMDtOOm ,|M.

'!«. I. ut will n..t admit
ranb4r»WtOi m-.n- than .ix ... .I-M-II l.-.-t Thrrr ,,r |,,Mr mi|,.. f ,-,„„*

-•ll-h, HIP I -,-.-,:

HUH lajroon MI.....I..U with n
ptent\ MI. I large bedsct

HONDURAS. 43

northward," says Roberts, " is beautifully diversified by gently-rising
hills, valleys, and savannas, and the soil, generally speaking is excel-
lent."

The Patuca offers the only direct and easy route for transpor-
tation between the sea and the richest mines ar.d most extensive
system of valleys in Honduras. Below the mouth of the Guampu
the river is now navigable for steamers of light draft, the only
obstacles being a few rocks at one place, some snags which can
be readily removed, and three or four sand-bnis mhich htd
twelve to sixteen inches of water at the end of the last dry season.
These can be quickly dug out or deepened when required, by
means with which every man familiar with the management of
stern wheel steamers is acquainted. These bars will obstruct
navigation only during the lowest stage of water. Three or
four hours work and a few dynamite cartridges will suffice for the
removal of all the rocks in the way . Not far above the Guampu
the current of the Patuca is broken by the Caoba rapids, acd be-
yond those it is interrupted by falls at the Campanero, at Puerto
del Infierno and at Puerto de Delon, the last two practically im-
passable.

About twenty four miles south from the coast the Patuca
approaches within five miles of Tilbalacca lagcon, which con-
nects by a wide channel with Gauranta lagoon, and this in its
turn with Caratasca lake. From the southwestern corner of Til-
balacca a bayou extends toward the Patuca, and from the latter
what seems to have once been the bed of the river reaches out
toward the bayou. It is generally believed by those acquainted
with the locality that the Patuca once flowed into Tilbalacca. It
is currently reported that when the river is high the natives pad-
dle their canoes across this place from river to lagoon.

Tibacunta Creek enters the sea about thirty-two miles to the
westward of the entrance of Caratasca. It may serve to carry
away some of the high water in the rainy season but in ordinary
stages of water it will do little if any more than furnish a conven-
ient way by which tracts of fruit land s may be reached by boats.

44 HONDl

r said nf Oaratasca, sonu- forty years a.ir«>. wh.it is essentially
true today, t!

ai-tapM lay

in breadth, and having,. in a th.-app.-ai-am-r

ruiiniii»riiitora«-h other, in various ilin-.-tion,. |.,r the •
1" lt" 8 mil*- in l.rea.lfh."

'tie a -in:' :•••! ••Til.aeimta." Tl

•oof

lago. ated at about U lie* in length.

(•art shallow, \.ir\niir in depth, from

nun, wh.. visit, -.1 it in isu.

- MilMivillav-
;"'ii;. •.-i«liTal.l«-.-M.-rit. ti.niiinu :m t-ntir.- |.-\.-l ,,f mil

v«-r«iur»-anii fin«-.i pan lt, .] on one aide bj tbe waters of UM

lagoon, ami «.n th«- otli.-r l...iin<lc<J by jrcntly ri-iiiirhilK Tl,.
pint- ami «.th«-r lofty tn-t->. int.-rp.-i ~. -.1 at |.|«-a*jM..- .! -

•-i th.-a|.|.. iiti\at«-.i art, ai

ui.-t a^r«-.-abl«- n-li.-l tO th.- -:,i;t!l StreftH

th«- la>f«in In. in tin- south. vi/.: Il-.-nt.:

Kaukari. It bus al-.. tin-.-.- , -, .n-i.l.-i-nhl.- i>laii.U. Th. •

of villajfes of Sambos an. un-l this iair""ii. who rai- n],-. hut .in

not ,-ultivat<- th.- soil to aiiv extent, \ .fin* grossly imloli-nt an-l in,;

• k-iit. "Tin- IHIII! in tin- vii-inity ot th.- laK<-«'ii." an-onlin^ '

••Mtin-ly 01 uxl ln-antit'iil sivainias .-.

with th«- thirst itastiiniKi', atnl al»onii<lin»f in .l.-.-r an«l ot
Then- MIL- trees at Cnita. >.ut mi th.- ..,,,„,. ., .„!,'.

.r.-ri.U.-»frowiiUr tiiiili«-r a< lar>r.- as any onth.- OOMt !!• lun-l

:i:«san-l,oiin,U..n,y hilK whos,- sin. in,

ered by the most In v.i riant v.-^.-tation. (»„ th.- hanks of th.
th«- n i- ,-\r,-]|,-nt inaho«aii\.ai

an-1 larjfest size. Pimento an<l \ •ariousoth. -r xalualilr plant-

digenoua/'

Caratasca, half inclosed by the grant, is as jx-rfc. -tly :
locked, quiet and comiiMMlious a harbor as
the vessels that can ever l»- rcMuin-(l for fully MiriB|

••iiiiiry naturally tributary to th< ! ;]]«.y.

It is separatr.l from the n-a by long spits which an
but at a point about live mil. -s \\<st of tlif «ntr;i
area of clay which rises from six to t.

Offers an excellent -ite for wan-h«.u-e.s and other buil.:
required for transportation business. On the shoales1

HONDURAS. '45

the channel connecting the lake with the ocean there are fifteen
feet of water at low tide. A few hundred feet from the beach,
and a little to the westward of the center line of the channel, is a
small key which perfectly protects the entrance to the channel
from the waves caused by northerly winds. For one hundred
miles off the entrance the water is only ten to thirty fathoms
deep. Vessels can not only enter there for cargo at any time,
but they can find protection there from heavy gales. Any craft
finding difficulty or danger in entering, or any driven to leeward
of the entrance in a northerly gale, could find a perfectly safe lee
and good anchorage in five to ten fathoms under Cape Gracias,
only forty miles to the southeast. These and other facts war-
rant the claim that Caratasca is the best harbor on the whole
north and east coast of Central America. It forms a beginning
for the system of inland navigation which gives command of
every part of this grant, and offers gateways over which heavy
machinery, tools and other things required in the gold and silver
bearing districts of the Republic may be carried safely, quickly
and cheaply, and the fine woods and other products of the coun-
try brought out.

To make this natural system of inland navigation most useful
the lagoons and rivers must be connected by cutting canals
through the few and narrow places where they are now separated.
Two miles of canal will connect Sangrelia river, Cape river and
lagoon, Black river and Ebon lagoon. Four miles more cf canal
will connect Ebon lagoon, Plantaia river, Brus lagoon Tomamaya
river and the Patuca. It is asserted by those who have long been
acquainted with this locality that a few hundred yards of cutting
will suffice to open a good channel from the Patuca to Tilbalacca
lagoon. Assuming that it will be necessary to dig three miles of
canal there, it follows that, by making nine or ten miles of canal
through low land, entirely free from rock and largely in sand and
alluvial deposits, between 250 and 350 miles of perfectly safe river
lagoon and navigation will be connected with Caratasca harbor and
the sea. This will give to fruit growers and others who may settle

4S HONDLl

on any of the hundreds of s,,uare miles of rich land around
lakes oralong the banks of these rivers, easy and cheap transpor
Ution to market, and frequent communication with I]
world. Such canals w ill undoubted! y he made within th<
three years, perhaps within the next twelvemonti.
American H«>ndura- Corn;

A good wagon road from the head of navigation of the i'atuca
t.) tli«- valley of Juticalpa, and along that valley to the raj ;
the Department of Olancho would do mere than all other .
combined have done for the development of mitral and «•:.
Honduras. For carrying goods fr<>m this city to the coast the
< haru-e is 71; rents |*-r pound, or $150 per ton; nor <an the mule
teers do the work for less without losing mon.
quence is that the valleys ami hillsides where sugar, <•«
and other products wanted in foreign mark.
witli a minimum outlay, are neglected. The cost of trai;
tion to market leaves nothing for the producer, and he h
enough to do nothing for nothing rather than work for no:
At Juticalpa the (Juayape, the Jalun. and the I
meet t > form th • Paturi. which the < i'l-iyambre joins a
away. Each of these rivers rises in a rich gold or i
ducing region, where minex an not r:.-w 1 e j K t:t.-.lil\ cp«D<
worked. Because the ditticulty— practically the impo.-sihilit'
introdiiringsuch machinery as N BeCCtMry ? .1 mining

nts. All of these rivers How through val!- il of

which is rich, yieldini: n-.M ahundanlly when lilhd; l.ut

ir.dtli part i- culti\

>r the city of Jutiralf.a the river Telira .-liters the 1'ati.
after draining the valley of Maiit... famed for it- eXCelfc
and hor^ev it^ jirod.. [| ..,,„! , ,,tTee plant.-, •

its gold, silver and <

forty mi], .nd from :.

rich in -

iwKof inhaliit:: It is ,,f these 'mountain

valleysthat < 'f,r)sM] i',ur( i, f|M. ri(,r,j

HONDURAS. 47

can, by a minimum of labor, provide for himself the comforts
and luxuries of both tropical and temperate zones." Here is that
land which may well be destined to become the home of that high
degree of civilization which " is possible only where the possession
of plants that yield abundant food for a moderate outlay of labor,
allows, with due toil and foresight, a large degree of leisure and
relief from intent anxiety."

The opening and maintenance of a route from the interior to
the ocean will make possible the full development of this cool
and healthful country. New mines will be opened and old ones
will be worked more extensively than ever before. Food will be
needed for their laborers, and intelligent agriculture will be stim-
ulated to supply the home demand. The opening of a route over
which the products of farms can be cheaply carried to market
will further encourage farming. All this will give employment
and good wages to thousands who now earn but a scant subsistance
in a country where a living need cost but a fraction of the sum
required to support a person in the northern States. New enter-
prises of various kinds will be called into activity and old ones
will be so quickened into new life that Juticalpa will resume the
position she long held as the commercial center of all these min-
eral districts and fertile valleys. All the suiplus products of the
surrounding forests, mines and farms will flow to Juticalpa, for
transportation to the markets of the outer world, and in return
will be brought comforts and luxuries now beyond the reach of

the people.

LABORERS.

In reply to queries relating to the number and character of
laborers to be found in the region of this grant, an ex-governor
of Mosquitia whose statements have before been quoted in these
pages, says:

The Province of Mosquitia (now called Colon) contains four kinds of
laborers. First, the Caribs, who are without doubt the most hardy,
industrious, and reliable. In strength and endurance they will compare
favorably with the southern negro or the northern lumberman. They all
speak English, and constitute a very important element in the mahog-
any works and sugar plantations of British Honduras.

UO.MH .

The Sambo or M«..s,,,,it.. in.iian n
aomereape, i- to him aa a lab ret Bin strength :u..i ,..

* but In- \a more obedient ...
nptojer a> i,,, mas,,.,, !IM,I *iv,-s hi,,, ti.,- homaj
women and children a

-l.-r .-,,!,, n,lk,,,,,nKh,

i'laiitain river, ami IN.|U-,.,.I, th,.
i, win, h would aboforniah a ^H,,I ,„„„»„.,. ,,, m(

!'l".Vf,| th.-m. and f,,,,mi tli.Mii

extremely docile, ..j,,.,i,,.m. ai,.i in,iijMri.,u>. TI,.

•rked in g*nga by themsel

h;"^' Plantain river th-

DM la^t ...Ml most iuiiii,-r.,.i^i,, th,. liM ,,t ., „

-r ,K.on«f the Interior, who tothemosl iotellii .,„„!)

orperhapa six months, and win |
u. his power t«, ^tin th.- confidence and esteem ol bie
•Imandintontkmftretocel In debt wdeej

[amhappj to gay that there are manj worth] .

npa'and Mien can. i.> th,-
work when th,-,:

;:;;IM";UT"""-( H; -.-,;> win .,:,;.

n..-..ir.v..,..i,,:liliillir a «,fii,i,.IIf „„„„„.,. ,,rh,h ,„,.,.. :,i priocanmctof

from $5to$12a iiuuith.

|'I;K i - ,ii- i. \M,.

pui.lislM-d last M.-irri.. in,- governroent -f i:
duras fixed the fcllcuin- pnY<s for nati
•ken iDoiintain |MM,i

forfMiningorMmWeUDdi, raiteble foi

-ria. f,,r land^ ..n il,,- ha.iks ,,f nav

inland cfcftooeli or tbc ,r rmllwaj

K)percai.:,li.-ria. In OM ol hi* recent report

cabalh-ria i-. c<jUa) •

IMI OO1 I.IINMI N I SM, ,|. ,-,,

-".',' rniiM-nt .,f I |,,M.| ur:.* is re|ml,]i,-an in f.,rin. its r<),
• to

i-'.'iuranean fret-.].,,,, t,, ,,,-,,i,.,s ,

HONDURAS. 4»

privately and publicly the religion he desires. The Government
acknowledges no Stete religion. There is no censorship over the press.
Everyone can follow the profession or industry he chooses, and may go
from one republic to the other without passports. One may dispose of
his property as he sees fit. The constitution grants no privileges of caste.
Before the law all are equal. All citizens, except criminals, may fill
public posts . Both natives and foreigners are equal before the civil
law.

One year's residence in Honduras entitles foreigners to naturaliza-
tion, to-wit: Colonists who occupy lands in Indian neighborhoods, or in
unsettled districts ; all who inaugurate important works of general util-
ity ; those who bring fortunes into the country ; all who introduce useful
inventions into the Republic, and all who procure naturalization
papers from the proper authorities.

. All Honduraneans, both natives and naturalized foreigners, who
have professions, income, means of support or property ; and all natives
or naturalized foreigners of the age of 18 who are mai ried, and who can
read and write are citizens at the age of 21.

The constitution guarantees all Honduraneans individual equality
and security of life and property.

The constitution guarantees the right of habeas corpus. The privi-
lege of self-defense is inviolable. Torture is abolished forever. Precau-
tions and restrictions that are not absolutely necessary for the security
of prisoners are prohibited.

The domestic hearth, correspondence (epistolary), telegraphic mes-
sages, private papers and books used in commerce are inviolable.

No inhabitant shall be molested for the expression of his opinions,
no matter of what nature they may be, if such opinions infringe no law;
nor for any act that does not disturb the public peace.

Police regulations are exercised solely by the civil authorities.

No one may be deprived of his property except by course of law or
by sentence of law. Condemnation for public benefit must be certified
by law, or by sentence founded in law : but in no case without indemni-
fication. Confiscation is abolished forever.

Each author or inventor has the sole right to his work or invention.

No foreigner shall be entitled to more privileges than any other; but
all possess the same civil rights as native Honduraneans. Foreigners
may, in consequence, buy, sell, locate, exercise arts and professions,
possess all kinds of property and dispose of it in the form prescribed by
law; enter the country and leave it with their property, and frequent
with their ships the ports and navigate the rivers of the Republic. They
are exempt from extraordinary contributions and are guaranteed entire
liberty in commerce, and may construct temples and churches or estab-
lish cemeteries in any part of the Republic. Their marriage contracts

60

shall n«>t !•«• in\a,i.|;it«"l. it not in roiit,,rii:ity with <-.-i •< us be-

if they ha\. l>ei-ii !••«•:« 1 1. v ••.•l.-Nnit«-<l. Th.-y an- not uhli.

become naturaii/e.i. They m.i\ rote for public ofBon, aooonlliiff t

wlm-h ill no ru>< :..'iii <>n a< -i-ount ot their origin.

The President is tJeiierai I. ui^ Boirran. lineal
an ancient noble Norman family. For man;.
recognized as leader in the work of prmnotin.
and political welfare of his country. To thi- end he has la
^ntlyand earnestly for the development of tl.e n^ric ul:
Hondiiras, showing tirm belief in the prinriple JIT:

. the ministerial newspaper, when, ^peaking c'
Perry grant, it said "Development of : .liural and

mineral resources is the safest, surest and most peinun
beneficial of all means for increasing the prosperity. w«-:dtl
power of a nation. Kerogni/ini; this truth it N tlie policy of the
government of Honduras to encourage !>\ ,H jig

-the jHjaceful cultivation of the fertile soil of this Hej ublic.
The government has repeatedly declared that it • take- the agri-
cultural industry under its especial care.' "

< >f all the many mininirand <»thei grants made li\ II' i
one has been ignored, violated or set aside by the -;..ven
on the other hand, the govrrmwiit ha- rej .« at< ii,

illowed for i>erformaiice Iry the ^rant« ,

and has renewed contracts which had 1>< fail-

ure of the contractors to do their work .\

i illy favored ever since the negotiations between the I'niud
States and Great Britain, in 1>.V_». re-u!t»d in the relin.|uislirnent
by Knuland of all claim to lenilory belonuiiiLT i«- H<>n<!

I'nder tin- a lmini-t rat ion of President Ho- ran the public debt
•I. public ;l,,.jr

li arts are .1 and div

.ml disturl-.mce of the publi. In

M land, and in -s of society, the careful

f)ds one uniform sentiment of contentment \\iih-
ing conditions and i : ..f irnpr<»vement tiny-;

lower never in : •, i,jeh

HONDURAS. 51

the men may be dragged into military service. The higher
orders are all engaged directly or indirectly in business, usually
in trade, and are wise enough to see that disastrous loss to them-
selves is sure to result from anything which seriously deranges
public affairs, therefore the influence of the leading classes is
firmly against all disorder. Many years have passed since this
Republic was the scene of even an attempt at rebellion, and the fate
of all filibustering schemes of recent years shows conclusively
that the people, as individuals, are as deteimiced as the govern-
ment is to promptly put down all such attempts to disturb the
peace. This feeling will increase in strength as the masses realize
more clearly than they do now, that nothing but evil results from
unlawful acts directed against the legitimate government.

PUBLIC OPINION.

As tending to show the popular feeling in Honduras toward
the enterprise of the American-Honduras Company, the subjoined
articles are quoted from the newspapers published in Tegucigalpa,
the national capital of the Republic. The first is from La Nation
of March 23, 1888:

Two years ago capitalists in the United States were considering the
project of establ'shing the business of canning beef in Honduras. Want-
ing full, acurate and trustworthy information about the Republic, its
cattle and its capacity for producing beeves, these capitalists induced
an agent of the United States Department of Agriculture to make an
examination of Honduras and its resources. That gentleman, for
years widely known as an expert in affairs relating to live-stock inter-
ests, made a thorough study of the agricultural resources of this coun-
try. His report was very favorable, and the capitalists determined to
engage in the business of canning beef here ; but since that report was
made prices of cattle have been so very low in the United States that
loeef could be canned there almost as cheaply as it could be canned here.
Yet a factory would have been put into operation here, despite that
unfavorable circumstance, if strikes among the laborers in Chicago had
not discouraged new enterprises.

The agent referred to above, Mr. E. W. Perry, of Chicago, was very
strongly impressed in favor of Honduras, his years of study of the agri-
culture of different countries enabling h'm to estimate at their true
value the opportunities offered by the until'ed valleys and hills of Hon-

dura- ,t hruppii-

.:«!>'•• tra.-t -.1 lai:.| in a liule-kn..wn p
tftm.-nt i.t OakM ! tin- :i|.|.|

ill\ <tiKli«-.l in nv.in! t<. U| n Hi.- nit. T.-SK n

: leot the Republics as well a> in Iti

i-m-r tit" th. M! ..f r.,1,,11 :m,| ,,| th.

III.- K.'pilhlir wen- .Inly OOI

.neal.-nlal.ji- I ,.-ii. -in r» the ;

rijfitlly m-i-t.-.l n pun. a ml stipulations fully pr..t.-etm>r an. I ffu
all totally acquired rights ol th<- Indian- and ..n

•'K'r.-.-.l it) l.et..n- th.- «,<.vrnment

tyimj th* «-..nt met.

•n re.vi-iv.I l.y th,- aim. -t uninti;.'

IH-S,-.. Only a few uil-1 In.lian- hti\ .• II..IIH-* th.-r.-. an.l t., th. m th.-
decree secures all th-irl.^al lix-lit-. In earryintr ..ut i

•\i-rnim-rit Mr. I'erry. nrxl tli-.<» \vh.. may I.. !,jm.

will n.-e.l the lal I mlian-. an. I ut inany ,,th.

payment for this labor mo* I-HIIL- t«. an.l .ii>tn».ute m tin- e,,mitr\ a

' ani< .nut «i eapitdl.

The lan.|-.o\,-n.,l |,\ tin- oonfa i.-u^rht an,

l« help p:iy tin- neres-.,

'•"iitrary. tX of :iiin<.\ an.-.-. e.,nt n,\ er-y an<l \

•Mplie:iti..n<. I'nti; 1-Mithi-y wen- rlaime'l I

am! ii. rs b] the neighboring friendly Bepubii.

rn-ler th.- •mulitii.ii.. <.f tin- e..nt r:i.-t wi?:

,iiii-kly Infill t.. h.-l|i th. : I H..n<lni .

deman.1- that M lar-.- ,-attle estate .-hall I..- .-t.(Mi>li.-.l .,ri th.-
ill neeessanh iniiki- a li»m«- market l.r Hoinliini-
.itr.Mi r., a« I shall IM- iiia-h- an.l n..
.in.- e..n-tnirt.-<l. -awmill-. • ,t h.-r t hm- .v,th-

:u. nt <>l ti . tin- i;.-pi,'

Tin. r.-nt that this i- the m.,-i n,

:na«li- l.\ tin- w"\« -111111. 'lit. t..i th.- I.IH-IX.M ..( pr.iiiii.tiny ii •

Mth uhi.-i,

ra§ in - It mii-t l,rin*r int« an>l <l.

:IMIII-IIM- a> | am. nnl .

' || Illipnvsil .(,,„„

thn.uifh tlli^ a^i

••I >><• put aboard a«hi|> BO

land and all entateam ibed «n it

part ol th. >

M-r-oii,l ;r ,;,,.r

printed in £ogli.-li in Tegucigalpa, and «lit<d l.v n L

HONDURAS. 53

who has for years held the position of government geologist. He
says:

The government has just concluded a contract with Mr. E. W. Perry,
of Chicago, under which he gets a tract of lands in the department of
Colon, on condition that he shall open up" in that department lumber,
stock-growing and agricultural enterprises on a large scale. This is a
wise step in that direction, as it will make that hitherto unprofitable eec-
tion one of the richest farming regions in this or any other country. It
is a section susceptible of the very highest culture. Bananas, plantains
and other fruits grow spontaneously, showing that they only need a little
care of man to turn th'em into rich sources of wealth. Apart from this,
the land is abundantly watered with healthful streams, and covered the
year round with native, succulent grasses, making it a very paradise for
cattle and horses, and with no freezes or storms of winter to disturb them.
Besides much of the land is fertile and capable of producing the maxi-
mum amount of all kinds of agricultural products. Bordering on the
ocean, there is no necessity for a railroad, which circumstance undoubt-
edly gives it a further advantage, as railroads too often take to them-
selves the best profits of enterprises, leaving the producers on?yjust
enough to encourage them to work on. But this needs no railroads to
connect it with the highest markets of the world. The broad Atlantic
touches it and invites to its shores the competing demands of the whole
of Europe and America.

These advantages assure the early and complete success of this new
enterprise ; and this success means much for Honduras. It will con-
vince the world that there are other resources than mines here, most
richly deserving the cultivation of outsiders. It will draw to us the
attention of a substantial class of capitalists. It will bring about a
diversity of industries, pursuits, and interests, without which this coun-
try can never prosper as it should. And in this respect it will be worth
far more to Honduras than any price that could have been paid for the
land. It is a building up of waste places— a planting of a garden in a
wilderness, not to be shipped away to enrich other lands, but to remain
forever as a part and parcel of Honduras.

Agriculture is the basis and supporter of all other pursuits. It is
well known that the building up of the agricultural wealth of a country
insures its most lasting good. California was a howling, dreary wilder-
ness, but the gold-hunters of '49 discovered to the world its varied
resources, and now we see it not broken and torn all over by the relent-
less tools of the miner, but dressed and smiling with richest fruits and
sweet-scented fields— a veritable garden upon the face of the earth. So
mote it be with Honduras, and God speed the day.

In its issue of April 7, La Republica, the ministerial paper,

64 HONDUl

tliuv outlined the poli, v of the imtirnal <;,.-.

to the development of .•i.irrirultiirr, and especially in rrpird to

the Perry grant:

Development of it- au'n.-ultnral and inim-ial n -sources is the Hafwt,
surest and most p<-rnian.-ntly U-m-tn.-iai of H)| m.-an< f.,r in.
prosperity, wealth nn<l ].«•«•« T..I :, n,(-

-Mb lishrd policy ..f til.- >fo\«-riimi-llt i.f ||.. i.

MH-ans In Its power the peaceful cultivation ol tin- t.

this Kepublj.- Tl)« ;ro MTIIIlli -lit Illlx ri-|M-at.-,lly . I, •«•';, r- -I tl:

tin- a^rinilf ural iii<liistry nmlcr its «-s|»

TolH-al.U-to siuvrs-tullx «.,,„, ,fc w,th :

taMfimred teate.lt to neceasary that the people oi thisooui

it'l"i'! Bt, th«- nn-th.-.N ||,IW v,, pr<.iitaM\ t,

in agric-ulturt- in thog<- ,,thcr lair's. Th<- ri»r«'r> ..f a Clio

tt:..,,<an.ls iiii.l peoplr by hiiiuln-<]s p.-ri>h
EU mop- iMt«-i!M- than is.-v.-r 1. It in H..,,,!,,,-;,
siiiniiM-r. luiv.-.-nnipelU-d pt-.,p|,. th.-r.'t.. iin.M.t man;.
tttlf atertC n-lurn for their lal.nr. Th.-y liavr in\ .-nt.-.I nia.-liin, i
can do .jui.-kly and well all the work now done r,y han-t >
have <l.-vHop,-,l tn-t>. plant-, and fruits imu-h -iip,-r;.
N i) in Honduras and I

• ml otli.T ili.im-stirati-il an
qual.ty. and vain,-. Tin- refill [S that th.- Tnit,

rtend ot th.- North, bai nation BO n.-h that it

itetreitMiry hiin.in-.u ,,f mflJiotw of dollari for which it bai

il t>'at alloth.-r natio,,., ,1,-a.ih .
and an- .-an-ful to not i-nc-p.a.-h up..n it- ri»rht-.

- throujrh th.- adoption ,,t ini|,ro\«-d s\sti-in> of airririiltur.
- ..t th.- Spanish .Vmi-riean . ountri,-s, n
I naturally rich.-r part ..t tl '.d.aresoi i

th and pou.r. h u,|| I,,. |,v tl
Wesiod above all others in tl » ami mild; ,

'ituln.-ss. inal.undaiM,- ;,nd purn
flUpply. in l.-rtiiit- -,,1 ;n K'-"»ria|.hi.-al 1.--

Hie KI-I.II).:
ern h.

iiniiK ot tl,

ful ronti-iil. the y.-i.-niMi. Dt
• d upon tl- ,,J th.-p,-op|,-oj U-M,

'"I •" - to niiik.- tlii-irhi.iii.-N on and nip

' < in/. ,,-
toed the unmount „]! riKhtaand r,

HONDURAS. 55

by the citizens of Honduras. Not a single instance has been known in
which the life, liberty and property of law abiding foreigners have not
been properly respected and protected by this government.

In pursuranue of its announced policy for fostering the agricultural
interests of the country, and following the example of other adminis-
trations here, and of other countries as well, this administration has
granted some concessions for that purpose. Of all that have been
granted none have been of greater importance, none have been more
carefully calculated to secure great and lasting benefit to the people of
all classes in Honduras, than the contract made last week with Mr. E. W.
Perry, of Chicago. By this contract he is required to cultivate and
otherwise improve a large tract of land in Musquitia. This whole
region has never produced revenue for the people of this Republic. It
is, in fact, almost entirely unpopulated, except by a few scattered fami-
lies of Indians. The rights of all these people are protected in the con-
tract intended to bring about the development of this region, which has
been for centuries an untamed wilderness, but may by the exercise of
skill, energy and unlimited capital, be made the home of thousands of
prosperous and happy Honduranians.

The full development of this enterprise will require the investment
of a vast amount of money, the employment of multitudes of laborers
and the importation of many improved animals machines, and methods.
All of these -will become permanently a part of Honduras. All
people who may make their homes on those lands become people of
Honduras; every estate, every factory, mill or shop established there,
become part of Honduras ; in fact the whole grand undertaking is an
Honduras enterprise, a part of this Republic forever.

VAI.fAlil.K WOODS AND MKIUCINAL PLA

i- a Tory incomplete list of the valuable woods and
medicinal plants found on tin- lands of Tin- Am-
Company.

Mahogany, rosewood, lignum viln-, mullx -\ ;lwood,

copaiva, liquid amber, copal, India-rubber, pii
cotton tree, live oak, cypress, rourou, tuno, sum a m
grove, ironwood, calabash, algarroba, breadfruit. orai;_
lime, myrtle, laurel, clmny— both black and while. 11
walnut, locu.vt. allspice, tamarind, cassia li-tula. di;
mesia silvestris, indigo, white locust, tobacco. <:i]>sinui;
grandillora, S. nigrum, S. esculentum, S. m.-mimoHii:
ro-um. and scores of others known in tin- art* or in n:.

of the fine woods many are unknown in th

1'niti-d States, when- they will sell

as soon as a judicious effort shall have been made to show

beauty and utility.