THE COLONY OF BRITISH HONDURAS.
THE COLONY
OF
BRITISH HOOT)TJBAS,
ITS RESOURCES AND PROSPECTS;
WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO ITS INDIGENOUS
PLANTS AND ECONOMIC PRODUCTIONS.
BY
D. MORRIS, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S.,
Director of Public Cardans and Plantations, Jamaica.
LONDON:
EDWARD STANFORD, 55, CHARING CROSS.
1883.
[All Eights Reserved.]
LONDON :
HARNISON AND SONS, PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO HEE MAJESTY,
ST. MARTIN'S LANK.
PREFACE.
AT the close of last year, at the invitation of the Government,.!
paid a short visit to the Colony of British Honduras.
The general results, as regards its flora and economic pro-
ductions, are contained in the following pages. Owing to the
facilities placed at my disposal, and the valuable assistance
kindly accorded to me both officially and privately, I was enabled
during my stay to travel over nearly one thousand miles of the
country, and to see most of its salient features.
The account given of the indigenous plants of the colony is,
however, by no means complete ; indeed, in my anxiety to deal
chiefly with those of economic value, I have omitted many of
purely botanical interest, trusting that a systematic and ex-
haustive examination of the flora of British Honduras will, at no
distant date, be undertaken under the auspices of Government.
This little work, has, therefore, no pretensions, beyond being an
attempt to give some account of the resources of the colony,
and to supply a few practical hints to those who are, or about
to be, engaged in developing them.
In England, little is known of British Honduras, and that
little not of a very flattering character.
Its climate has been maligned, its resources only partially
acknowledged, and the somewhat unsavoury reputation of
Spanish Honduras has been extended to this little country,
" which has afforded one of the most remarkable instances of
British enterprise and energy."
Vi PREFACE.
Once the home of buccaneers, afterwards, for more than a
hundred and fifty years, a mere station for cutting mahogany
and logwood, its fortunes have practically been in the hands of
a few monopolists. These, holding nearly all the laud, have
been content to get from it, in a lazy, desultory, and somewhat
spasmodic manner, such timber and dyewoods as lay within
reach of the principal rivers.
Now, however, such supplies are becoming exhausted, and as
the land monopoly has been broken by the enforced sale of
extensive tracts of forests, the colony enters practically upon a
new phase of existence.
Its ultimate destiny will depend no less upon the wisdom
and discretion of its rulers, than upon the character of the
settlers likely to be attracted to it.
My object has been to place, in as clear and as impartial a
manner as possible, the circumstances which at present obtain
in the colony, and, starting from a consideration of its soil,
climate, and vegetable productions, to indicate in what directions
it is capable of being gradually developed and enriched. I am
too deeply sensible of the results which usually follow the
extensive and reckless cutting down of tropical forests, to
advocate a wholesale denudation of crown lands in British
Honduras. I trust, therefore, the question of retaining in
permanent forest the chief watersheds of the country, as well
as wooded belts in the neighbourhood of streams and springs,
will receive the earnest and careful attention of the legislature.
With this important point well kept in view, I believe the
Government would do well to offer every reasonable facility for
the establishment of permanent plantations in the colony, and
for attracting to it an intelligent race of planters, possessing the
necessary capital and energy.
At present, several hundred thousand acres of some of the
PREFACE. Vll
finest lands to be found in any British dependency, produce an
annual export value (in mahogany) of only £50,000. This sum
is attained in Jamaica in the export value of such a " minor
product ". as oranges.
That the export value of oranges from Jamaica is equal
to that of mahogany — the great staple industry of British
Honduras — is a new and somewhat startling fact. It serves,
however, to show what a change is gradually taking place in the
development of the West India Islands by means of the fruit
trade with America.
No other group of our Colonial possessions is, geographically,
so favourably placed as the West Indies for the development
of small industries. Within three days of New Orleans, and
within seven days of New York, they may be termed the
Channel Islands of the United States and Canada, supplying
tropical fruits and raw tropical produce to a population number-
ing over fifty million souls. Within eighteen or twenty days
of England and the Continent, they have markets for the larger
and more permanent staples, placing them at any time inde-
pendent of the States, and serving to keep up their connection
with the mother country.
Wisely and generously regarded, the development of small
industries, and especially the fruit trade in the West Indies,
should lead, little by little, to the building up of a more whole-
some as well as a more permanent prosperity, than anything
which existed during the days of slavery.
The fruit trade has initiated a system of cash payment on
the spot, which is fast extending to other industries ; the result
is, that the cultivator and the planter are placed at once in
possession of means for continuing their cultural operations, and
for extending them to their fullest extent. As a case in point,
I may mention that the development of the fruit trade in
Viii PREFACE.
Jamaica is the means of circulating more than £150,000 annually
amongst all classes of the community ; and this large sum is
immediately available, without the vexatious delays formerly
experienced in establishing other and more permanent in-
dustries. Under the old system, the planter was for the most
part in the hands of merchants and agents ; he seldom had full
control of his produce, and was so restricted in his selection of a
market that he often suffered much thereby.
This new departure in the sale of West India produce is only
beginning to be felt, but its ultimate effects will no doubt tend
to such an emancipation of the planter, that these tropical lands
will, in time, become as prosperous as they are beautiful and
fair.
British Honduras, in these respects o,t least, will have a clear
start. Its magnificent lands have hitherto been untouched,
save to yield their rich store of timber and dyewoods ; its
planters will from the first have a convenient and abundant
market for their produce, and by means of the sale of early
maturing crops of fruits and vegetables, they will be able to
work with a smaller capital, and maintain themselves free from
the encumbrances which have hitherto been the bane of their
brethren in the West India Islands.
In speaking so particularly of minor products in connection
with British Honduras, I do not by any means wish it to be
inferred that the larger industries are not likely to succeed
there. Provided sufficient capital is available for the purpose,
and the labour supply is guaranteed, there is no country where
they could do better.
South of Belize River, and extending for many miles on each
side of such rivers as the Rio Grande and others, there are
extensive areas of fine land admirably suited for sugar-cane
cultivation, where the usine system especially might be adopted
PREFACE. ix
with every prospect of success. Further inland, cacao planta-
tions might cover hundreds of acres of fine, undulating country ;
while the finest coffee should flourish on the slopes and higher
lands of the Cockscomb country, and along the western
frontier.
For the general facts connected with British Honduras, I am
indebted to official papers and reports published in the colony,
as well as information kindly supplied to me by Mr. Fowler, the
Colonial Secretary, Captain Marriner, Mr. A. Williamson, and
others. To Captain Marriner, who accompanied me in my visit
to the Southern Settlements, I was greatly indebted, and it is a
source of great regret to me to find that, since I left the colony,
this able officer has lost his life on the river Hondu.
To His Excellency, Colonel Sir Eobert W. Harley, C.B.,
K.C.M.G., Lieutenant-Governor of British Honduras, I have to
express thanks for much personal kindness and for generous
hospitality.
For the drawing of the fruit of Castilloa elastica, and the
design on the cover of this little work, I am indebted to my
friend, Mrs. W. T. Thiselton-Dyer.
London, October 15th, 1883.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTEE I.
PAGE
British Honduras. Position and neighbouring States. Historical Sketch.
Constitution. Area. Boundaries. Coa^t-line. Interior. Highlands.
River system. Belize. Chief institutions. Health. Harbour.
Population. Imports, exports, and revenue. Chief industries.
Minerals. Wild animals. Bird life. Fish. Turtle. Conchs. Snakes.
Flies. Leaf-cutting ants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTEE II.
Belize down the Coast. Sibun Eiver. Manattee Bay. Mullin's Eiver.
Fruit Companies. Tracts of fine land. Communication by river '
impeded. Colston Point. North Stann Creek. Commerce Bight
coco-nuts. All Pines. Eegalia and Serpon sugar estates. Factory
for extracting oil from cohune-nuts. Old saw-mills. Labour for
sugar estates. Wages. Journey up Sittee Eiver. Scenery and
vegetation. Pit-pan travelling. Forest growth. Lands for bananas,
coffee, cacao, oranges. Hell Q-ates. South Stann Creek. Monkey
Eiver. Spaniards. Creoles. Caribs. Walize Fruit Company. Point
Ycacos. Deep Eiver. Port Honduras. Seven Hills district. Sugar
estate. Yield per acre. " Fly." Eio Grande Eiver. Toledo Settle-
ment. Ponta Gorda. Neat Carib village. Eeturn to Belize . . . . 25
CHAPTEE III.
Trip to western districts. Haul-over. Cramer's Bank. Bridge over Sibun
Swamp. John Young's Pine-ridge. Camping out. Butcher Burn's
Bank. Limestone Hills. Eich soils. Bush Travelling. G-ale Creek.
Bever Dam. Mahogany forest. Mahogany works. Castile Bank.
Prickly bambu. Mount Pleasant. Bad roads. Orange Walk.
Government lands for sale. How mahogany is cut. Trucking
mahogany. Logwood cutting. Eoaving Creek. Savannah Bank.
Warree Head Creek. Monkey Fall Savannah. Granny Creek. Mount
Hope. The Cayo. Coffee plantation. Position and importance of
the Cayo. Communication with Belize. Indian settlement at San
Francisco. To Belize by river in doray . . . . . » . . . . 40
B
Xll CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
PAGE
Flora of British Honduras. First impressions of the country. Mangrove-
trees. Characteristics of vegetation of the interior dependent on geolo-
gical features. Underlying strata. How deposited. Geological floor.
Glacial action. Icebergs. Reasons for adopting glacial theory. Pine-
ridge country. Vegetation. Pine-trees, pimento-thatch, crabboe,
haha. Distribution of pine-ridges. Use of pine-wood. White and
yellow pine. Resin and turpentine from pine-trees. How to extract
turpentine. Cohune-ridge. Cohune palm. Description : leaves, stem,
and fruit. Cohune seeds. Oil. Timber-trees. Mahogany. Value
of export. Common cedar. Logwood. Sapodilla. Santa Maria.
Fiddle-wood. Rosewood. Salmwood. Braziletto. Ironwood.
Mahoe. Numerous undetermined woods. Locust-tree. Cashaw.
Edible candle-tree. Palms. Orchids. Ferns . 53
CHAPTER V.
Cacao plant. T. angustifolia. Shade necessary. Socunusco or Tabasco
cacao. Castilloa or Central American rubber. Description of tree:
leaves, flowers, and fruit. How to collect seeds. How to raise plants.
How to tap trees. How to prepare the rubber. Use of juice of the
moon-plant. Use of alum. Preparation of rubber ready for shipment.
Yield of trees. Value. Extended use of the Castilloa tree. Shade
trees in general. Superiority of Castilloa over other shade trees.
Ceara rubber-trees. Soil, situation, and districts for the Castilloa.
Distance apart. Pruning. Returns of cultivated trees. Vanilla
plant. Found wild and in bearing. Value. Directions for cultiva-
tion. How to fertilise flowers. How to cure beans. Fibre plants.
Pita and henequin. How to establish a henequin plantation. Return
at the end of five or six years. Preparation of fibre. Value of the
industry in Yucatan. Cockspur-tree. Tococa. Habits of ants.
Provision-tree. Indigo. Arnatto. Karamani, or hog-gum. Oil of
Ben. Balsam of Tolu. Balsam of Copaiba. Guaco. Corkwood.
Manchineel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
CHAPTER VI.
Sugar-cane cultivation. Its introduction. Cost of production. Causes
of decline of sugar industry. How to be revived. Muscavado sugar.
New varieties of canes to be introduced. Banana cultivation. Hints
to cultivators. Abundant land for bananas. Present position of the
industry. Cacao. Advantages possessed by British Honduras. Nature
of land. How to start a plantation. Shade plants required. India-
rubber-tree. Liberian coffee. Market value in America. Topping
and pruning. Pulping machines. Oranges, limes, and lemons. Coco-
nuts : prolific yield. How to plant. Planting distances. Cost of
plantations. Export trade. Rice. Indian corn. Tobacco. Pine-
apples, how to cultivate. Cinchona . . . . . . . . 89
CONTENTS. XU1
CHAPTER VII.
PAGE
Nutmegs. Soil and situation. Kainfall. Curing of nutmegs and mace.
Yield of trees. Pimento or allspice. Cinnamon and camphor.
Cardamoms. Elevation, soil, and shade. Returns per acre. Black
pepper. Native peppers. Ipecacuanha : true and bastard. Variety.
from Carthagena. Ginger. Turmeric. Sarsaparilla. How cultivated
in Jamaica. Returns per acre. Oil plants. Wanglo, pindar, castor-
oil, palm-oil, and oil of Ben. Cloves. • Fodder plants. Guinea grass.
Para or water grass. Bahama grass. Natural grasses of the country.
Rain-tree. Fodder and shade. Fruit-trees. Mango. Bread-fruit.
Star-apple. Akee and Avocado pear. Mangosteen. Durian and new
fruit-trees. Food plants. Yams, sweet potatoes, beans, and cassava.
Pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons. Vegetables and salads . . . . 104
CHAPTER VIII.
Labour question. Indigenous labour: how to improve. Masters and
Servants Act. Carib. Indian. Cooly immigration. Views of Sir
Frederick Barlee. Advance and Truck systems. Local enterprise.
Crown lands. Conditions of sale. Navigable rivers. Steam commu-
nication with New Orleans, New York, and London. Railways.
Agricultural Board. Botanic Gardens. Importation and distribution
of seeds and plants. Geological Survey. Climate of British Hon-
duras. Meteorological observations. Price of food. House-rent.
Horses. Currency. Religion. Education. Hints to intending
settlers .................. 117
APPENDIX .................. 144
INDEX ........ 147
B 2
THE COLONY OF BRITISH HONDURAS.
CHAPTER I.
British Honduras. Position and neighbouring States. Historical sketch.
Constitution. Area. Boundaries. Coast-line. Interior. Highlands.
River system. Belize. Chief institutions. Health. Harbour.
Population. Imports, exports, and revenue. Chief industries.
Minerals. Wild animals. Bird life. Fish. Turtle. Conchs. Snakes.
Flies. Leaf -cutting ants.
FOR the stay-at-home Briton, no less than for the tropical
traveller, it may be pardonable to mention that the Colony of
British Honduras occupies a small portion of the Atlantic slope of
Central America. It is situated immediately to the south of the
Mexican State of Yucatan, and has, as near neighbours, the
Republican States of Guatemala, Salvadora, and that of the
Mosquito Coast, or Spanish Honduras.
It is the only portion of the mainland of Central America
where the British flag flies; and hence, in a political sense, it
has been regarded as an oasis of freedom and right, amidst
successive outbursts of rebellion and strife, which, unhappily, too
often characterises these Eepublics.
British Honduras began, some two hundred years ago, as
a logwood and mahogany-cutting settlement ; the pioneers, at
that time, apparently having no intention to make a permanent
occupation there. From the beginning, Spain regarded the
settlement as an infringement of her sovereign rights ; the
Indians resented an invasion of their lands, and made periodical
BRITISH HONDURAS.
raids upon the mahogany works and stores ; while it has been
reserved to the United States to regard the existence of this
British Colony, " which was in existence more than a century
before the Great Eepublic was dreamt of, as an infringement of
the ex poste facto doctrine, associated with the name of President
Monroe." Happily, however, Spain has wholly ceded her rights ;
Guatemala, by the treaty of 1859, has agreed to the main
boundary line of the interior ; Mexico, by a treaty of 1816, and
a further recognition in 1852, has accepted the status quo;
while the Clayton-Bulwer treaty of 1859 has fairly exempted
the Colony of British Honduras from all operations of the
Monroe doctrine.
To give a brief historical sketch, it may be added that
Honduras was discovered in 1502 by Columbus, and in 1518
Grijalva landed on the Island of Cozumel, and named the
country New Spain. In 1638, a few British subjects first
inhabited Honduras, having been wrecked on the coast ; and
in 1642 the English took possession of the Island of Euatan.
Campeachy was attacked and taken by a few English sailors in
1659. Logwood cutters settled in 1662 at Cape Catoche. The
Treaty of Madrid, 1667, stipulated that six months' notice should
be given by either party, in case of war, to give time to parties
to remove their merchandise and effects. In July, 1670, Spain
ceded, in perpetuity to Great Britain, by treaty, with plenary
right of sovereignty, all lands in the West Indies, or in any part
of America held by the English at the time (Art. vii). Logwood
establishments increased rapidly from this date, the population
of the settlement amounted to 700 white settlers, among whom
was the famous Admiral Benbow, and a creek on which he
worked bears his name to this day.
Commissioners for the Government of Honduras were first
appointed 31st July, 1745.
EARLY HISTORY.
The Treaty of Paris, 1763, required all fortifications in the
Bay of Honduras to be demolished, the right of cutting logwood
was recognised, but plantations or manufactures forbidden.
The Spaniards immediately after signing the treaty, drove the
cutters from Kio Hondu, which called forth the disclaimer
published in the London Gazette, 21st July, 1764. The
King, in 1765, gave a " constitution to the people," founded on
their ancient customs, viz., " legislating by public meetings, and
the election of magistrates annually by the free suffrage of the
people." This, it may be remarked, was the freest constitution
ever enjoyed by, or granted to, a British settlement.
Sir William Burnaby was sent to the settlement to make the
necessary arrangements, and the inhabitants were then put in
full possession of their lands and rights. Captain Cook, the
celebrated navigator, accompanied Sir William Burnaby, and
tiey codified the laws and customs of the settlement, which were
afterwards published and known as Burnaby's laws.
From 1779 to June, 1784, the settlement was hardly in
existence, almost .everything having been destroyed by the
Spaniards.
The Treaty of Peace at Versailles, 3rd September, 1783,
restored the settlement, and allowed the right of cutting logwood
between the Belize and Eio Hondu rivers, but the Baymen were
still debarred from making plantations : and Spanish Commis-
sioners were to visit the settlement twice annually to see if the
provisions of the treaty were fulfilled. This treaty apparently
waived the rights secured by Article vii of the Treaty of 1670,
for the sovereignty of the Spanish Crown is distinctly recognised ;
and in 1786 a Superintendent was appointed on a memorial from
the settlers.
On the 27th May, 1784, Don Zevallez, Governor of Yucatan,
" commissioned by the Court of Spain to make a formal delivery
BRITISH HONDURAS.
to the British nation of the lands allotted for the cutting of
logwood, delivered the same to the English Commissioners at
the mouth of the New River, agreeable to map and instructions
received from his sovereign — having given over the boundaries
and placed the proper marks and trees on the land side, as well
as executed every necessary formality for the purpose."
Additional articles to the Treaty of 17H3 were made in 17S6
at a convention held in London, whereby the right of cuttijig
mahogany was formally granted, and the Mosquito Cofrst
abandoned. The settlers from there joined the Belize settle-
ment, 1787. Since the invasion of 1798, when the Spaniaids
were repulsed, the English have held the territory by right of
conquest in addition to claims of occupation.
In 1819, the Criminal Court was established by Act of
Parliament, and Her Majesty's Superintendent was appointed
for the first time under Royal Letters Patent.
An Executive Council was appointed in 1839 to assist tjie
Superintendent.
In 1850, the inhabitants petitioned for a change in the system,
of government.
The Act of 1853 reformed and amended the ancient system cf
government, and it constituted a legislative body, consisting of
eighteen elected and three nominated members. The settle-
ment gradually grew into a recognised colony, and was so
officially proclaimed on 12th May, 1862, when a Lieutenant-
Governor was appointed in lieu of a Superintendent. The
reformed constitution, after the usual variety of struggles
incident to mixed communities, became unworkable, and the
ancient institutions of the settlement drifted into the form of
a Crown Colony Government, the old elective assembly com-
mitting suicide in 1870.
The present constitution of the colony is regulated by a local
AREA AND BOUNDARIES.
Act of 1870. By this enactment, a Legislative Council is
established, consisting of five official, and not less than four
unofficial members, to be named by the Queen, or provisionally
appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor, subject to Her Majesty's
approval. The official members are : the Chief Justice, the
Colonial Secretary, the Senior Military Officer (if of or above
the rank of Major), the Treasurer, and the Attorney-General.
The Lieutenant-Governor is President of the Council.
There is also an Executive or Privy Council, consisting of the
Senior Military Officer, the Colonial Secretary, the Treasurer,
and the Attorney-General. (If below the rank of Major, the
Senior Military Officer ranks last.)
British Honduras has a sea-board, extending almost due
north and south, of about 160 miles ; it contains an estimated
area of about 7,500 square miles. Thus the colony is about one-
third the size of England ; nearly twice the size of Jamaica ; and
almost equal to the whole of the British West India Islands put
together.
The boundaries of the colony are defined by the river
Hondu and Yucatan on the north; by a straight line drawn
from the rapids of Gracias a Dios on the river Sarstoon to
Garbutt's Falls on the river Belize, thence due north to the
Mexican frontier, on the west ; by a portion of Guatemala with
the Sarstoon Eiver on the south ; while the Bay of Honduras
and the Caribbean Sea are to the east.
Along the whole of the coast, and extending for many miles
to the eastward, are numerous coral islands, or cays, some of
which are simply covered with mangrove-trees, whilst others
are under partial cultivation. The largest of these coral islands
is Turneffe (Terra Nova), lying about 30 miles from Belize,
composed of numerous mangrove cays and lagoons, with here
and there passages for boats. To the extreme east there are
6 BRITISH HONDURAS.
Northern Two Cays, Saddle Cay, Hot Cay, and Half-Moon Cay :
the latter, about 80 miles from Belize, has a lighthouse which
gives the first intimation of the coast. Another important
light is on English Cay about half-way between the southern
point of Turneffe and Belize. Between Turneffe and the
mainland are numerous small cays, some of which are only
just visible, rendering the navigation difficult, if not dangerous.
About eight miles north-east of Belize is St. George's Cay, a small
island affording good sea-bathing, and, being well exposed to
the inspiriting influences of the trade-winds, is utilised by the
inhabitants of Belize as a sanatorium. To the south, the whole
coast-line is fringed by numberless coral islets upon which the
surf breaks with considerable force, leaving the inner waters,
however, comparatively calm. The total area of the cays is
estimated at 212 square miles.
The most northern, and next to Belize the most important,
town in the colony is Corosal, situated near the mouth of the
New River, and a depot for all the mahogany and logwood cut
on its banks, as well as of those on the river Hondu. The
coast-line from Corosal to Belize, after running due east as far
as Rocky Point, turns suddenly to the southward, with a portion
of Yucatan and Ambergris Cay between it and the open sea.
After passing Hicks Cay and the Hen and Chickens Cay, the
principal mouth of the Belize River is passed, the smaller and
more southerly mouth being that on which the town of Belize
stands. On the headland, near the latter, is Fort George, built
in 1803, as a defence to the settlement.
To the south of Belize, every river mouth or " bar " is the
scene of a settlement or small village : many of which, however,
consist merely of a few huts.
The country generally near the coast is low and only
slightly raised above the sea. In the interior, however, it is
(a)
OUTLINE SKETCH OF THE COCKSCOMB MOUNTAINS, BRITISH HONDURAS.
(HIGHEST PEAK ABOUT 4,000 FEKT.)
(a) As seen from Serpon Sugar Estate, near All Pines.
(b) As seen from the sea off Point Placentia. The low coast ranges
in the foreground.
MOUNTAINS.
greatly diversified, especially in the south, where hilly or undu-
lating country runs almost close to the sea-coast.
The general impressions of Europeans respecting British
Honduras being derived from the town of Belize, they are apt
to conclude that the whole country is nothing but a swamp,
and that the climate " is only second to that of the pestilential
coast of Western Africa." This estimate is as fair to British
Honduras as if the Plaistow Marshes were taken as typical
of England, or the Gulf Coast as typical of the United States.
Being a continental element, and lying between 16° and 18°
north latitude, the mean annual temperature is much lower
than is usually supposed. Again, the trade-winds sweeping
uninterruptedly over it, clear away all miasmic influences, and
keep the air pure and comparatively cool.
The chief highlands of the colony are situated towards the
western frontier, being composed of spurs and ridges connected
with the chief mountain zone of Central America. In the
northern part of the colony there are only isolated ridges and
domes, seldom more than about 200 feet or 300 feet high. To
the south of the Belize Eiver, the spurs and ridges from the
central range strike obliquely across the colony, being very
abundant in bold, craggy hills at the head- waters of the Sibun,
Manattee, and Mullin's Eivers, until they culminate in the
extensive slopes and high peaks of the Cockscomb Mountains.
These mountains, rising to a height of 4,000 feet, are only about
40 miles in a direct line from the coast : and from the extent
of country covered by them, as well as from their picturesque
outline, especially as seen at sunset from the sea, they fully
redeem the colony from the imputation of flatness so often
brought against it. This country to the south of the Belize
Eiver, comprising fully one-half, of the colony, has until lately
been marked in most maps as " unexplored territory : query in-
10 BRITISH HONDURAS.
habited." But owing to the energy and enterprise of Mr. Fowler,
Colonial Secretary, it has been recently traversed by a small
party of Europeans, led by himself, who, accompanied by Indian
carriers, accomplished the entire journey from Garbutt's Falls,
on the Old Eiver, to the sea-coast at Deep Eiver, in about a
month. The results of the expedition are thus tersely summed
up by Mr. Fowler : —
" The interior of the colony was found to be a succession of
valleys and hills, from 1,200 feet to 3,300 feet above the level of
the sea, and may be divided into pastoral, mineral, and agricul-.
tural districts, each of which can be fairly denned. That it was
once inhabited is proved by the ancient ruins found during the
journey, and population is only requisite to convert a desolate
waste into luxuriant homes, for the soil is rich. The climate
would be found suitable to Europeans, and the wide range
of latitude might easily be availed of as circumstances required/'
The river system of the colony is a very extensive one, and
it is chiefly owing to its rivers, which have afforded natural
highways to the interior, that the country has been so far
developed. The two chief rivers in the north are the Hondu
and the New Eivers. These both rise in the neighbourhood of
lands towards the western frontier, in the latitude of Belize,
and flow along parallel depressions in a north-easterly direction,
emptying themselves into the large estuarine expansion of the
Hondu. The New Eiver is chiefly fed by the waters of the
New Eiver lagoon and Crab-catch lagoon. On its banks are
several large mahogany works, as also the settlement and military
station of Orange Walk, about 30 miles distant from Corosal.
The most important, as well as the richest river valley in the
colony is that of the Old Eiver, sometimes called the Belize
Eiver. Its total length, from the town of Belize to the
western frontier, cannot be less than 100 miles, while one at
BELIZE RIVER.
least of its tributaries rises in the Kepublic of Guatemala. At
the junction of its branches, near the frontier, is the small
settlement, called the Cayo, which, as being the nearest station
in British territory to Guatemala, is likely to become a place of
considerable importance. Pit-pans, or shallow river boats, can
pass from Belize to the Cayo, and often by these means English
goods of considerable value are brought up and supplied to
Peten and other places across the frontier.
The upper portions of the valley of the Belize River widen
into broad expanses of rich fertile plains, some 30 or 40
miles across.
Along the whole course of the Belize Eiver there are numerous
mahogany works, or "banks," where logs are collected and
trimmed before being despatched to the depdt at Belize. Next
to the Cayo, Orange Walk (Old River) is the most important
settlement. Here, and generally in the upper portions of the
river, the banks on both sides are very high and generally
covered with umbrageous figs, the fine-leaved prickly bamboo
(Guadua), or tall, rank-growing sedges and canes. Close to
the water's edge is a beautiful white-flowered Pancratium, or
Caribbean lily. At Never Delay the banks are about 40 feet
high, composed of a yellowish clay. At Rock Dondo is a huge
mass of porous limestone in the middle of the river ; and a little
below, at Middle Station, are the upper rapids or falls which
restrict the navigation to craft drawing only a few inches of
water. The " Big Falls," a little lower down, during certain
seasons, are rather formidable rapids, which require the utmost
care on the part of loaded pit-pans to pass safely up and down.
" Two-headed Cabbage " is the name of a landing, supposed to have
been given on account of a cabbage palm having developed a
branching stem, an anomaly wrhich occurs somewhat rarely
amongst coco-nut palms. All along the banks of this river
12 BRITISH HONDUKAS.
numerous settlements are dotted about, the people evidently
looking upon it as their natural highway to the coast, as well as
their only means of procuring supplies. Below Bakers is a small
church, raised, as are most of the houses, on piles or pillars so as
to be out of reach of floods. The congregation in this instance,
being mostly river people, must come to service from far and
near, in boats. Just above Boom, where the mahogany logs are
stopped in their passage down the river, and claimed by their
several owners, there is a fine specimen of what is called a royal
marriage, amongst plants, namely, the stem of a palm invested
or embraced by that of a fig. The latter, starting probably as a
small seedling, amongst the vegetable matter accumulated at the
bases of the fronds of the palm, in process of time grows, by
means of its aerial roots, into a large tree, almost entirely covering
the stem of the latter. The fig sends out, as it grows, numerous
large, widespreading branches, while the palm, whose stem is
now completely invested by the fig, continues to grow also,
until at last a kind of composite plant is seen, partly a fig, and
partly a palm. The latter, however, as a rule, rises above the
fig, and is seen spreading its magnificent fronds, quivering and
glancing in the bright sunshine.
Some few miles below the Boom, the river divides into two
branches : one goes out directly towards the east to the sea,
whereas the other takes a sharp turn to the southward, and
passes through the town of Belize. Belize was, no doubt, in the
first instance, selected as the headquarters of the settlement,
owing to its position at the mouth of the principal river. It
certainly could not have possessed any other advantages.
Belize, the capital of British Honduras, is situated on one of
the mouths of the Old River, near Fort George, and occupies a
position on both sides of it. The name of Belize is supposed to
be a Spanish corruption of Wallace, the name of a Scotchman, a
TOWN OF BELIZE. 13
noted pirate. Or, possibly, it may be derived from the French
balise, a beacon, which might hare been erected to warn mariners
of the abode of pirates. The town is practically cut off from
the interior by numerous lagoons, one of which, however, is now
bridged. The site of the town is somewhat facetiously described
as composed of mahogany chips, and sand dredged out of the
harbour. Be .that as it may, the town is one of the brightest
and cleanest in the West Indies, and although small, is the seat
of an extensive trade, not only with the settlements in the
colony • itself, but with all the neighbouring Eepublics. The
population in 1881 was about 10,000, consisting chiefly of
Europeans (amongst which Scotch predominate), Negroes, Creoles,
Spaniards, and a few Indians.
Belize is the seat of Government, and possesses several public
buildings, the chief and most striking of which is the new
Court House, -occupying a central position, and having the
Government offices below. The Lieutenant-Go vernor's residence,
built in 1814, occupies a commanding position at one extremity
of the town, to the south ; and following the contour of the
harbour, and facing the sea, are numerous stores and residences,
which, shaded by coco-nuts and tropical trees, present a very
picturesque appearance. Owing to the dangers arising from
fires, all the buildings are roofed with iron, and lined with felt.
The two portions of the town are connected by a bridge, under
which there is a continual flow of traffic in mahogany, logwood,
and pit-pans loaded with goods, starting on their long journey-
some 100 miles — for the Cayo, on the western frontier. The
chief institutions of the town are the public hospital, maintained
solely by Government, and with accommodation for thirty-six
patients ; the lunatic asylum, with accommodation for thirty
patients; the poor-house, with accommodation for thirty-six
patients ; and the common gaol, with about seventy inmates.
C
14 BRITISH HONDURAS.
All these are under excellent management and control, and
reflect great credit on the officers in charge. The military
quarters and buildings are to the north of the town, where
they have the full benefit of the cool sea-breezes. There is a
good hotel in the town, with extensive - accommodation of a
superior character.
The houses are mostly surrounded by patches of garden, with
some fruit and shade-trees. Owing to the sandy nature of the
soil, which is impregnated with salt, and the proximity of water
to the surface, gardening in Belize is pursued under very
disadvantageous circumstances. Crabs dig up and destroy many
plants ; while -rats, attracted by the presence of coco-nuts, are
very destructive to bulbs and roots. The Oleander thrives
luxuriantly everywhere. The mignonette-tree, or henna-plant
(Lawsonia inermis), gives the air a delicious fragrance at night ;
while the flamboyante, with its mass.es of scarlet flowers, the
allamanda, the temple-flower (Plumeria alba), and numerous
ixoras brighten up and cheer what would otherwise be a mere
waste of sand and bahama-grass. Many fine specimens of the
royal palm of Cuba (Oreodoxa regia) grow in the town gardens,
as also Livistonas and thatch-palm (Thrinax). The chief
feature, however, in the landscape is the coco-nut palm, which,
with its widespreading fronds rattling in the sea-breeze, grows
luxuriantly everywhere.
From its position and surroundings, Belize might naturally be
looked upon as a very unhealthy town. Surrounded for the
most part by mangrove swamps, with perfectly level country
extending for many miles to the interior, and without any
system of drainage, except what the sandy soil and the. harbour
afford, it would appear to possess all the elements of unhealthi-
ness. From actual experience and very careful returns, however,
the health of Belize is proved to be exceptionally good; the
POPULATION. 1 5
death rate (33'0 per 1,000) being below that of Dublin, and
only slightly in excess of that of Paris and Ne.w York.
The healthiness of Belize, and of the country generally, as
Mr. Belt noticed with regard to Greytown, is no doubt due to
what appears at first sight an element of danger, viz., the perfect
flatness of the ground. " Where there are hills, there must be
hollows, and in these the air stagnates ; whilst here, where the
land is quite level, the trade-winds that blow pretty constantly
find their way to every part, and carry off the emanations of the
soil." Many instances could be given of other towns similarly
situated, possessing what, may be termed a healthy climate, for
the tropics, and evidently arising from the same causes.
The harbour of Belize is approached by a somewhat intricate
passage, amongst the coral reefs>, which abound in the offing .;
but it is generally well sheltered, and has a secure anchorage.
A project is in contemplation to extend and improve the harbour
by erecting a pier and tramway in accordance with suggestions
made )py Mr, Siccama, sent out specially for the purpose, and
subsequently approved by the Secretary of State. Should these
improvements be carried out, Belize will become an important
port in this part of the world, and greatly extend the commercial
interests of the mother country amongst the Central and South
American Eepublics. ,
The total population of the colony in 1881 was 27,452.
Of this number 375, or less than 2 per cent., were returned as
white, and 27,077 as coloured or black.
The Europeans, for the most part, are described as birds of
passage, business or duty calling them there for a time ; and
very few appear to have entertained the thought of making
permanent homes in the colony. Some American (white)
settlers in the south are, however, an exception. The bulk of
the inhabitants known as Belize Creoles are negroes, no doubt
c; 2
16 BRITISH HONDURAS.
originally derived from the West Indian Islands. They are
described as of excellent physique, ancl capable of great exertion
in the laborious work of mahogany and logwood cutting. An
attempt was made some years ago to introduce Chinese to
supplement the labour demands of the colony, but, strange to
say, they deserted en masse to the Santa Cruz Indians, who,
although they declare extermination to " los blancos," have
fraternised freely with the Chinamen. After the Creole
element, possibly the Spaniard comes next. There is here, also,
a large admixture of Spanish and Indian blood, with the usual
result, of the worst features of both races being emphasised in
their descendants. The other elements are Carib and pure
Indian. .The former is a fine quiet type of Indian : very
skilful as a sailor, but not a good cultivator. The Indian pure
and simple lives chiefly in the backwoods, and seldom troubles
the white man, except when, during the occasional raids of
Indians beyond the border, he is an object of suspicion and
dread to the white population.
The total value of the imports, consisting of cigars, malt
liquors, spirits, sugar (refined), tea, tobacco, wines, and general
merchandise was £201,811. The total value of the exports,
consisting chiefly of sugar, rum, mahogany, cedar, logwood, rose-
wood, fustic, ziricote, indiarubber, sarsaparilla, turtle, coco-
nuts, bananas, and other fruits, was £247,403. The chief
import trade of the country, amounting to about two-thirds,
is with the United Kingdom ; the next largest share' is with
the United States ; while- the remainder is divided amongst
Mexico, Jamaica, and the Central American States. The chief
export trade in timber and indiarubber is also with the United
Kingdom, while the trade in coco-nuts and fresh fruits is
almost entirely confined to the United States.
The annual revenue is £43,642, with no public debt.
CHIEF INDUSTRIES. 1?
'The chief industry of the colony is wood-cutting. The
average annual export of mahogany is about three million feet,
and of logwood about fifteen thousand tons. The cost of the
former ready for shipment is from £8 t'o £10 per thousand feet,
and of the latter from £2 to £3 per ton.
Wood-cutting operations have now been carried on for more
than 200 years, -and as a result much of the finest timber within
easy reach of the principal rivers and their creeks has been cut
down. There is, however, much fine timber still to be found
in the interior, but probably beyond the reach of rivers. Hence
it is believed that the construction of a railway will not only
advance other industries, but at the same time stimulate the
production and export of the old staples of the colony.
Out of ' an estimated extent of 1,280,000 acres of fine
" cohune ridge," or alluvial virgin soil, in British Honduras, only
some 10,000 acres, or less than one-hundredth part, is, or has
been, under cultivation.
The cultivation of fruit for the American market has lately
been started in consequence of steam communication having
been regularly established under contract with New Orleans.
Bananas, plantains, and coco-nuts are, so far, the staple articles
of export, the prices obtained being Is. 9d. to 2s. per bunch for
bananas; 3s. to 4s. per 100 for plantains; and 70s. to 100s. per
thousand for coco-nuts.
Much of the spirit of enterprise which has been developed
in British Honduras during the last five years is no doubt due
to the late Governor, now Sir Frederick P. Barlee,-K.C.M.Gr.,
who endeavoured to create new industries, afforded facilities for
the acquisition of Crown lands, and promoted the establishment
of regular steam communication with New Orleans. At the
present time, for experienced planters,. -who have already lived
in tropical countries, and especially in the East, Bjjjitish
18 BRITISH HONDURAS.
Honduras offers inducements superior, I believe, to those of
most British Colonies. There are thousands of acres of magnifi-
cent land offered by Government at an upset price of a dollar
an acre, capable of growing nearly every tropical product.
Some of these lands are either near the banks of rivers, with
easy communication with the coast, or on the coast itself.
There is an abundant market for bananas, plantains, coco-nuts,
oranges, pine-apples, and all tropical fruits in demand in
America, and regular direct communication, by means of mail
and other steafaers, with both England and the States. For
the. cultivation of sugar-cane, coffee, tea, cacao, spices, tobacco,
vanilla, and rice, British Honduras offers special advantages.
As regards mineral wealth, there has always existed an idea
in the colony, suggested no doubt by the yield of mines in the
neighbouring Eepublics, that precious stones, and especially gold,
might be found in British Honduras. About five years ago this
idea took a definite form, and steps were taken to explore the
country at the head-waters of the Sittee Eiver, and if possible
find whether gold-bearing quartz existed there, and in the Cocks-
comb Mountains. The leaders of the party, accompanied by
four Creoles, proceeded up the Sittee Eiver, took the left branch,
and found chiefly rocks of " blue and red slate, flint shingle and1
limestone." Finding the prospect in this direction so uninviting*
they retraced their steps, and then proceeded up the Main Eiver.
Taking a land journey to the westward, they found the country
very broken and rugged : " a succession of steep hills and
gulches " rendering travelling exceedingly laborious. No
indications of minerals were met with, except occasionally
huge quartz boulders in the bed of the river. Many valuable
woods, such as Santa Maria, were found in abundance; but
animal life was almost entirely absent, except in the coast-belt.
After a month's absence in the bush the party at last was com-
MINERALS. 19
pelled to return to Belize fruitless. As a bald, inaccessible range
of hills, running north and south, had been noticed at the back
ofthe Cockscombs, it wag determined to organise a second party
and approach tjiese hills from the neighbourhood of Garbutt's
Falls, striking across country in a south-easterly course. This
time the party was joined by Mr. Fowler, and an account of
the expedition has been given by him in a very graphic and
interesting manner.* In one locality a large quartz reef was
found, forming the top of a ridge, and in some places projecting
some 20 feet from the ground. Some pieces of this quartz,
on being analysed in Belize, were pronounced to be gold-bearing
quartz. In another district volcanic rock was frequently noticed,
running in dykes due north and south. " It was very hard, and
composed- of all kinds of small pieces of rock, conglomerated
into a solid mass, throughout which quartz was dispersed." Strong
indications of minerals and many specimens of ore were also
found in the neighbourhood of Deep Eiver. Although no actual
gold was found in this expedition, the formation of the country
justified the belief that it is highly probable coal, gold, or silver
may ultimately be found.. The most promising mineral district
is evidently a belt of country 20 or 30 miles broad, running
north-east, and south-west from the south of the Cockscomb
range, into the neighbouring Eepublics of Guatemala and
Honduras, and parallel to, and distant from, the coast, as the
crow flies, about 25 miles.
If the mines in the neighbouring countries were first studied,
and the nature of the gold-bearing rocks there determined, the
presence of such rocks in British Honduras would then be
* A narrative of a journey across the unexplored portion of British
Honduras, with a sketch of the1 history and resources of the Colony,- by
Henry Fowler, Colonial Secretary. The Government Press, Belize, 1879.
20 BRITISH HONDURAS.
simply a matter of observation. If, as will be suggested in a
later chapter, a geological survey of the colony is organised, on
the same lines as those so exhaustively and so efficiently carried
out in Jamaica, Trinidad, and British Guiana, there is no
doubt that its true mineral wealth would then be clearly
indicated. So far, there are, apparently, some good grounds,
for belief in the existence of gold in the quartzy reefs of the
Cockscomb country. And in other rocks, especially in the
neighbourhood of those of volcanic origin, precious stones and
fine crystals may not improbably be found.. I have in my
possession fine specimens of jaspar and other stones, picked up
in the rivers of the colony, which have been much admired ; and
I have no doubt, if the sources of these rivers Were systematically
explored, much valuable information would be obtained.
For the agriculturist, the vast deposits of limestone are of
interest as likely to yield good lime ; and the numerous caves
and caverns might yield largely bat manure, rich in ammonia
and nitrogenous compounds ' invaluable for sugar-cane. The
numerous cays might also be examined for guano and phosphates,
which, instead of being. exported to other countries, might render
the cultivated lands of the colony most productive and remune-
rative. Fine building stone and marbles of great beauty are
found in numerous sections along the southern rivers, and these
will doubtless be utilised as the country becomes more developed
and settled. Of wild animals, British Honduras possesses the
puma, or Central American lion ; the jaguar, or tiger ; the ocelot,
or spotted tiger-cat ; the coyote, a small, wolf -like fox; the peccary,
of which there are two kinds — the peccary proper, and the white-
lipped peccary, or " warree," both formidable animals when met
in droves. It is said that the jaguar will never attack warrees
when packed, but looks out for the hindermost on a run, or a
straggler. The warree has a small hole on the back, over -the
WILD ANIMALS; ALLIGATORS; BIRDS. 21
loin, which emits so powerful an odour that the presence of
the animal can be detected at a considerable distance. When a
warree is killed, the Indians immediately cut out this hole, and
generally cure the meat by drying it in the sun, thus obtaining
what is termed " barbecued pork." The tusks of the warree are
very formidable weapons : as sharp as lancets. I was fortunate
enough to see a tame warree in the neighbourhood of Orange
Walk (Old Eiver), kept by an old hunter ; as also to obtain fine
specimens of tusks. A small racoon was met in the neighbour-
hood of Mount Hope, which was killed while attacking the
poultry of my host during the night. Other animals found in
the colony are red deer, -tapir or mountain cow, the iguana, small
ant-eater, the quash, armadillo, squirrel, gibonet, and conies.
The latter are usually termed rabbits.. Alligators of large size
infest most of the inland lagoons, and afford good sport at the
out-stations. Of monkeys there are evidently several species.
The baboons make most dismal sounds in the forests : their
tones and howls being demoniacal. Along the coast the manatee
is said to be occasionally seen, although becoming more and
more rare with the attacks made upon it.
Of bird life, there is an abundance in most parts of- the colony.
The wild turkey, one of the most handsome birds in the world,
is met with, but very rarely, on the western frontier, whence I
believe a pair was lately sent to the Zoological Gardens, London.
The domesticated turkey is raised in great abundance every-
where in the colony : the birds appear to be particularly strong
and healthy here, and. free from many of the diseases which
attack them elsewhere. The curassow, the royal bird of
Guatemala, is as large as a turkey, and, as seen in the forest,
reminds one of the wild pea-fowl of the East Indies. The male
bird is black, with yellow on the side of .the head and throat ;
the female has a dull plumage, mostly brown speckled with
22 BRITISH HONDURAS.
white; both sexes have a full crest on the head, which they
erect and move at pleasure. Other birds are white egrets,
Trogon, toucans with monstrous bills, the quam, whistling ducks,
partridges, wild pigeons, &c. Parrots are very plentiful ; the most
prized for talking are the yellow-headed parrots, obtained from
Monkey Eiver and places south. Of raptorial birds, the eagle,
the "John-crow," or vulture, the osprey and hawk are well
represented.
The sea, as well as the rivers, afford an abundant supply of
excellent fish. As in the West Indies, the most prized are the
callipever, snapper, bass, mullet, grooper, and king or june-fish.
In the rivers, the mountain mullet, or tropical trout, affords not
only good sport, but is most delicate eating.
Turtle is found along the coast, and during the season turtle-
fishing is an established industry. The green-turtle is in chief
request for food, the hawksbill and loggerhead being taken for
the sake of the shell. Several fresh-water tortoises are found in
the rivers and used for food, the chief being the " hiccatee."
The king, queen, and common conch are found in the outer
cays and along shore, and the flesh of some used for food. It is
very probable that, as in the Bahamas, the shells of these might
form an important article of export, as they are largely used for
cameos ; and in the common conch is found a beautiful pale-
pink pearl of great value. The value of shells 'exported from
Bahamas is • placed at £1,200 per annum, and of pearls at
£3,000 per annum. A fine set of exhibits of these articles
were lately shown at the International Fisheries Exhibition in
London.
Of snakes, probably British Honduras has its share, in common
with most tropical countries. The number of these which are
venomous is much smaller, I believe, than is generally supposed.
Those which are known to be venomous are the rattlesnake, the
SNAKES, SCORPIONS, AND FLIES. 23
tommy-goff, or tamagasa, and the coral, snake. The bite of the
two former causes death in a few hours ; but that of the latter,
it is said, almost directly. In Mr. Fowler's trip across the
country he reports having killed seven "poisonous brutes"
during the journey. " A snake locally known as the * jumping
tommy-goff ' was the principal and most dangerous specimen
encountered ; 'but one large black snake, about 3 feet long, with
a grey, flat head, was killed, which none of us recognised."
There is a beautiful grass-green-coloured snake, known as the
whip snake, which is probably not venomous.
Scorpions, especially the small brown-coloured species com
mon in the West Indies, are plentiful, as also the tarantula
spider, which is greatly feared.
Of " flies," mosquitoes and sand-flies are as abundant on the
coast as in any country 'similarly situated-: though perhaps not
more troublesome than in Florida and many places' infested by
them. In the interior, except at certain seasons of. the year,
they are not troublesome in open places. One pest, which I have
met nowhere else, is found during certain seasons of the year
in low moist districts, which the natives call the " botlass " fly.
This is a small black fly, shaped somewhat like a bottle — hence
its name — which is only found in the daytime, but whose bite
on the hands and face is most troublesome; if not indeed veno-
mous. Its sting leaves a black mark, surrounded by a small
reddish-coloured area, which does not disappear until the skin
is worn off. " During flood tim.es the natives living in their
midst are obliged to shut themselves up in their houses, and stop
every aperture to keep out the flies." While in the upper lands
on the Mullin's River, rubber-gathering, I made the acquaintance
of these pests, which certainly, in persistence and severity, can
be compared to nothing except the land-leeches of the East
Indies, or the grass-lice (ticks) of Brazil.
24 BRITISH HONDURAS.
The leaf -cutting ant, or " wevey " ((Ecodoma), is a familiar
object in the forests, where its crowded and well-worn paths
cross and recross in all directions. This ant, so graphically
described by Mr. Belt, is a pest of no mean importance in the
colony, since, if not checked, it will soon destroy a plantation of
coffee, cacao, orange, or indeed anything in its vicinity. By its
ceaseless attacks upon the leaves of yams and fruit-trees, the
natives are often debarred from extending their small plots of
garden ground ; but as shown, in more than one instance, its
ravages are easily checked if the nest is discovered and treated
either with boiling water, a solution of carbolic acid, or anything
of a virulent nature. The carbolic^ acid in the proportion of one
pint to four buckets of water, after being well stirred, should be
poured down the burrows. Within a short time the nest is
entirely abandoned, and if the ants are not. altogether destroyed,
they move away in a wholesale migration to a considerable
distance, and seldom revisit the spot again.
Having thus far given a general sketch and description of
the colony, I will now proceed to give an. account of the places
visited by me, and of the chief points, connected .with the
economic plants and resources of the country, which came under
notice.
CHAPTER II.
Belize down the Coast. Sibun Eiver. Manattee Bay. Mullin's River.
Fruit Companies. Tracts of fine land. Communication by river
impeded. Colston Point. North Stann Creek. Commerce Bight
coco-nuts. All Pines. Eegalia and Serpon sugar estates. Factory
for extracting oil from cohune-nuts. Old saw- mills. Labour for
sugar estates. Wages. Journey up Sittee Eiver. Scenery and
vegetation. Pit-pan travelling. Forest growth. Lands for bananas,
coffee, cacao, oranges. Hell Gates. South Stann Creek. -Monkey
Eiver. Spaniards. Creoles. Caribs. "Walize. Fruit Company. Point
Ycacos. . Deep Eiver. Port Honduras. Seven Hills district. Sugar
estate. Yield per acre. " Fly." Rio Grande Eiver. Toledo Settle-
ment* Ponta Gorda. Neat Carib village. Eeturn to Belize.
WITH the approval of Government, it was decided to visit first
the settlements to the south of Belize, which were all within
convenient reach by sea and river communication. A small
schooner, the " Telegraph," was engaged ; and, in company with
Captain Marriner, Inspector of Police, we left Belize, on the
morning of the 15th November.
On account of the numerous reefs which fringe the coast,
and run almost parallel to it, at distances varying from 10 to 15
miles, the water within is so sheltered that it is generally suit-
able for navigation by even the smallest boats. These often
travel distances of 150 to 200 miles along the coast, carrying
produce to -Belize and taking back English and American goods
to the settlements. A good run down the coast, past the mouth
of the Sibun River and Manattee Bay, brought us, early the next
morning, off the mouth of Mullin's River. Near Manattee Bay,
26 BRITISH HONDURAS.
the Manattee Fruit Company has opened land under favourable
circumstances. Having landed at Mullin's Eiver we walked
through the village, at the bar, and for some distance along
the shore under the shade of coco-nut palms. On the upper
portions of the Mullin's Eiver there are two small plantations,
established for the cultivation of fruit, viz., the British Honduras
Fruit Company and the Belize Fruit Company, each with a
capital of $5,000. As in most instances along the coast, the
land within easy reach of the village had already been under
cultivation by the natives, and consequently to obtain the finest
stretches of virgin forest, it is necessary to go some distance up
the river. The Mullin's Eiver is navigable for some 25 miles'
by " doray," and as its waters for the most part are deep and
slow flowing, it affords a natural highway to the virgin lands
at the back, as well as for sending down the produce.
The land occupied by the British Honduras Fruit Company
(formerly Drake's sugar estate) is established in bananas, which
appeared to be in a thriving state. The soil is of a deep and
free loamy character, exactly suited fqr this cultivation.
Where the land was virgin forest, newly cleared, the promise
of fruit was all that could be desired.
In addition to the two fruit companies mentioned 'above,
several private persons have embarked in the cultivation of
bananas, coco-nuts, and cacao on this river, and the prospects are
eminently satisfactory. There are large tracts of land about
12 to 15 miles up the river, finer than any below; but during
the dry season the communication by river is impeded by
shallows and rapids. If this difficulty could be removed, the
whole of the Mullin's. Eiver valley, stretching to the northern
slopes of the Cockscomb Mountains, might be utilised for pur-
poses of cultivation, and an important district opened within
easy reach of Belize.
COMMERCE BIGHT AND ALL PINES. '. 27
From the mouth of the Mullin's Eiver to the southward, after
passing Colston Point, another small settlement has been estab-
lished at North Stann Creek, where bananas and coco-nuts are
being successfully cultivated. t
At Commerce Bight, a very promising coco-nut plantation,
with some 10,000 trees,-between four and six years old, has been
established by Mr. C. T. Hunter,, which is probably the largest
in the colony. In a later chapter I shall deal fully with the
nature and characteristics of the different cultivations which
came under notice1;' but I cannot help remarking here, that the
whole of the sea-board of British Honduras is eminently fitted
for the cultivation of coco-nuts, for which there is always a
ready and remunerative market. As the force of the surf is
expended on the outer reefs, little sand is accumulated on the
coast itself, which, being for the most part low and rich in
vegetable humus, affords excellent opportunities for the success-
ful cultivation of coco-nuts.
After passing the mouth of the Sittee Eiver, the next point
of interest is All Pines village, in- the neighbourhood of which
there are two large sugar estates, viz., Eegalia and Serpon.
Close to All Pines are the remains of a factory started with
the intention . of extracting oil from the seeds of the cohune
palm (Attalea cohune) ; and not far off are the works of a saw-
mill, established some years ago with the view of sawing timber
from the pitch pine, so abundant in this district. Both were
unsuccessful, possibly from want of judgment and capital as
much as from the unsuitability of the country at the time for
any undertaking requiring skilled manipulation and manage-
ment.
Eegalia sugar estate is under the management of Mr.
Eeginald Eoss, an experienced Demerara planter. It is in
excellent order, and furnished with. a very complete set of works
28 .BRITISH HONDURAS.
and buildings. The total area under canes is about 400 acres,
the chief variety cultivated being the old Bourbon cane : the
produce is shipped almost entirely as ordinary concrete sugar —
little or no rum being made.
These latter particulars, I may add, apply to nearly all the
sugar estates in British Honduras, of which there are, excluding
the Toledo Settlements, altogether at present only about six or
iseven.
Serpon estate, which adjoins Eegalia, is in many respects
similarly situated, and is managed by the proprietor, Mr.
Bowman.
The labour for sugar estates is supplied by Indians from
the neighbouring Republics, by free c6olies from Jamaica, or by
Jamaica and Belize negroes. The ordinary wages are $7 per
month, with rations (pork and flour) ; or $11 per month without
rations. The labourers are hired for twelve months at a time,
contracts being strictly regulated by a local labour ordinance,
which secures the interest of both master and servant.
The Sittee River, which rises at the foot of the eastern slopes
of the Cockscomb Mountains, is navigable probably for some
40 miles of its course; the only barriers to communication
being one or two falls (rapids), which, however, are seldom
impassable for the long, shallow boats, here called " pit-pans," so
much used for river communication.
By the kindness of Mr. Ross we were able to go about 15
miles, up the Sittee River, as far as a rapid called Hell Gates.
Here the river-bed was so narrowed by rocks that the passage
was reduced to about one-third its usual breadth, and being also
very steep, a rapid of considerable force was formed.
As the scenery and characteristics of the vegetation along
the Sittee River may be accepted as typical of most of the rivers
of British Honduras, I will treat of them here a little more
EEGALIA SUGAK ESTATE. 29
fully than I otherwise would. In the first place I may mention
that our " pit-pan," a shallow dug out without keel (and with
square ends sloping upwards almost like a butcher's tray), was
admirably adapted for going up rivers and for passing over
shallows and rapids. It was 32 feet long, 2 feet 10 inches wide
in the middle, and with low seats placed at equal distances
apart. The crew, consisting of four strong Belize Creoles, knelt
or sat close together in the bow, and paddled with their faces
looking up stream. The bowman and the steersman, the latter
also a Creole, supplied with a paddle, had full control of the " pit-
pan," and they generally agreed beforehand what course to take
in running falls and rapids, as well as, the particular channel
offering the least resistance in going up stream.
Chanting a somewhat monotonous tune, and keeping time
with their paddles, the crew in front bend to their work with a
will, and soon the "pit-pan" is swiftly sped on its journey.
After leaving the settlements, the scenery becomes essentially
tropical and luxuriant : passing now between deep, richly-clothed
banks and cliffs, which sometimes shut out the strong rays of
the sun, we suddenly emerge into open and almost level country,
with low, rush-fringed banks, dotted here and there with tall-
growing figs and the ubiquitous trumpet-tree. Further inland
there would be a " pine ridge," with its clumps of " pitch pine "
and " pimento palms," isolated by vast stretches of grassy
savannahs.
We would next pass through a densely- wooded forest, con-
sisting of mahogany, cedar, rosewood, &c., with the characteristic
vegetation of a " cohune ridge," which extending for a greater or
less distance on each side of the river would indicate the richest
land of the colony.
On the Sittee Paver, as on the Mullin's Eiver, the upper
portions of their respective valleys have magnificent tracts of
30 BRITISH HONDURAS.
" cohune ridge," which are admirably adapted for the successful
cultivation of most tropical plants. On our way up the river
we landed at a small banana and plantain plantation, opened
by Mr. Eoss, which, although planted somewhat closely, yielded
some of the finest bunches of fruit seen in the colony. Among
the bananas there were several young trees of the native rubber-
tree (Castilloa elastica), thriving well. Cacao here would find
an excellent home, and a large plantation might be established
with but a small extra expense.
As Mr. Koss has some 48 square miles of land, for the most
part adapted for the cultivation of bananas, Liberian coffee,
cacao, oranges, nutmegs, mangoes, &c., this instance alone will
serve to show what splendid investments await planters in this
country, provided they are men of energy and experience, and
possess capital sufficient to open up the land in an efficient
manner.
The river banks are clothed chiefly with melastomads and
caliandras, which form a low fringe of a shrubby character : in
most situations the wild cane (Arundo) and aquatic grasses
exist as dense, tall-growing thickets, close to the water's edge.
Here and there are fine handsome trees of wild fig overhanging
the river, and in some cases with their huge spreading branches
resting almost on the surface of the water. Other trees noticed
were, salmwood and quamwood, the latter in abundant flower,
and scenting the air for miles round. Numerous trees were
completely covered by the rattan cane (Desmonciis), which on
account of its formidable recurved spines formed an impenetrable
barrier to both man and beast.
The higher reaches of the river were bordered by tall, perpen-
dicular banks, composed for the most part of marl and clay :
these were afterwards succeeded by bold overhanging cliffs of
indurated shale, approaching almost the texture of slate, with
SITTEE RIVER. 31
here and there a bold conglomerate, or millstone grit. The
indurated shale, mentioned above, sometimes occurred in vertical
beds, which, running across the river, formed either jutting
masses, or rugged, shallow bottoms, giving rise to rapids and falls.
When horizontal, these rocks formed huge ledges reaching far
out into the river, with caves underneath.
Beyond Hell Gates, the Sittee Kiver has been but little
explored. The left branch, rising among the Cockscomb Moun-
tains, passes through a succession of hills and broken country,
well timbered with Santa Maria and Yemeri, and being some
2,000 feet to 3,000 feet high, will no doubt in the future afford
excellent coffee lands. For the present, at least, there are
abundant stretches of rich country below Hell Gates which can
be opened and established at a comparatively small cost.
On our return to Kegalia, we wished good-bye to our valued
friend and host, Mr. Eoss, and sailed from All Pines for the
south. Stann Creek, just below, has another settlement, lately
established for the cultivation of bananas and coco-nuts. The
coast all the way down, from All Pines to South Stann Creek,
Jonathan Point, False Bay, Placentia Point, and on to Monkey
River, is low, and fringed with dense mangrove swamps, with
here and there, on banks and ridges, a few villages or settle-
ments with patches of coco-nuts and small cultivations. At
Point Jonathan a good coco-nut plantation has been established
by Mr. Downer, which is now coming into bearing.
The settlements along the coast, inhabited by Creoles, Caribs,
or Spaniards, are generally surrounded, by patches of bananas,
plantains, and coco-nuts; with cassava, sugar-cane, sweet potato,
rice and wangle, to supply their daily wants.
The settlement at the mouth of the Monkey River may be
taken as a typical one for the southern districts, and although
composed of the three races mentioned above, viz., Creole, Carib,
D 2
32 BRITISH HONDURAS.
mid Spaniard, living in one settlement, each keeps to its own
distinctly marked quarter. The Creoles are generally held to
be the most troublesome to control, and they look down upon
the Caribs, who for the most part are a quiet, industrious race.
The Spaniard-speaking element (of Indian and Spanish blood)
is not so numerous in the southern districts as it is north of
Belize, and along the western frontier. Its presence here is due,
for the most part, to the fact that the proximity of the southern
settlements to the Kepublicau States of Guatemala and Spanish
Honduras makes them a convenient place of refuge for the
lawless and others who render themselves obnoxious or trouble-
some in their native country. It is interesting to notice that
the existence of a Spanish element in a village may often be
revealed by the presence of the coco-plum tree (Chrysdbalanus
Icaco), found growing near their dwellings. The fruit is eaten
fresh or prepared with sugar, when it forms a favourite conserve
with Spaniards all the world over. It is not, I believe, generally
known that the kernels of this fruit yield a fixed oil, which
might be of service in many instances, where a bland fine oil is
desired.
On the Monkey River* the largest fruit company in the
colony, viz., the Walize Fruit Company, has opened up an
extensive tract of land, and although I was unable to visit it, the
accounts given to me would indicate that it is likely to be a
great success. The company has a capital of $15,000, in shares
of $50 each. Near the mouth of the river, and for some distance
* As to the name of this river, Mr. Fowler mentions : " Well may the
river be called Monkey River, for all species of the tribe haunt its banks.
A drove of baboons surrounded the houses during the night, and the
unearthly and dismal choruses, the sepulchral tones and howls of these
animals were demoniacal, and would scare any one, hearing them for the
lirst time, in the middle of the night."
MONKEY EIVER AND POINT YCACOS. 33
up, are large swamps of white mangrove (Laguncularia race-
mosa). ' The district generally has excellent land for bananas
and coco-nuts, but with the exception of those portions bordering
the upper reaches of the river, the lands are not continuous, but
are distributed in isolated patches or cays, with intervening
swamps. Again, higher up the river, the best lands suitable for
cultivation are often cut off in the dry season by the shallowness
of the river. To obviate this, it is suggested by some, to connect
the lands with the coast by a good road; if this were done
there is no doubt the Monkey River district would become a very
prosperous one. As it is, large quantities of produce are being
raised, and the Walize Fruit Company, when in full working,
will doubtless establish an important depot here.
Below the mouth of Monkey River is Point Ycacos, on which
a small coco-nut plantation has been established by the Hon.
Alexander Williamson. There were about 2,500 young plants
put out within the last three or four years, and although growing
in rather a poor sandy .soil they were in good health.
A plantation just being established on a ridge running
parallel to the sea was in a very promising situation, being
well supplied with vegetable humus and a deep soil. In this
young plantation, rice, plantain, and cassava grew well within a
few feet of the sea ; and no doubt the return from provisions, if
systematically worked, would considerably lessen, if not indeed
entirely cover, the cost of establishing a coco-nut plantation on
this coast.
In the adjoining forest, various species of orchids were
gathered, chiefly of Epidendrum and Oncidium.
A Zamia, probably Z.prasina, called locally a "bulrush," was
also plentiful on ridges and banks near lagoons. The cabbage
palm (Oreodoxa oleracea) appears to be utilised in this district
for boarding houses, the thatch being obtained from " bay leaf"
34 BRITISH HONDURAS.
(Sabal), coco-nut, cohune, or pimento-palm. Often the slender
stems of the latter, after being cleaned, are driven into the
ground closely together, and they form an excellent stockade,
or side walls, for houses. Amongst the Spaniards, it is usual
to build the houses with square ends, but the roof is shaped
with circular ends overlapping the walls, so as to admit the air
freely, but keep out the glare and heat.
Below Point Ycacos, is the mouth of the Deep Eiver, and
a large spacious bay, with splendid anchorage, called Port
Honduras.
On the banks of the Deep Eiver, and along the shores of Port
Honduras, it is said there is the site for a thriving town, if not
the capital of the colony. It is easy of access, free from
dangerous shoals, and in the immediate neighbourhood of
magnificent lands.
Speaking of the district between the Monkey and Deep
Eivers, Mr. Fowler remarks : " The formation of the country
between these two rivers shows strong indications of minerals,
and many specimens of ore have been obtained from the
neighbouring hills. Iron, principally with traces of gold and
silver, have been found, and a hot sulphur spring bubbles up
out of the bed of the Deep River about 30 miles from the
mouth."
At the lower, or southern end of Port Honduras, is the
landing place for the Seven Hills district. Here is one of the
largest sugar estates in the colony, owned by Mr. De Brot,
and under the management of Mr. William Morison. The
cultivated portions of this estate are very prettily situated,
occupying rich sheltered glades and valleys covered by sugar-
cane, and surrounded by low rounded wooded hills. The latter
are chiefly composed of a finely laminated compact limestone,
which yields lime of good quality.
SEVEN HILLS SUGAR ESTATE. 35
The principal variety of cane cultivated is the Bourbon,
which is evidently the favourite in British Honduras, as it is an
easy cane to grind and yields well ; from its thinner rind and
superior sweetness, it is, however, very liable to depredations by
rats ; but, so far as I could gather, rats have not caused. much
mischief to canes in this colony.
About 400 acres are under canes at Seven Hills : ratoons
are only kept up to the fourth year, it being found more re-
munerative to plant after that period.
The yield per acre, ranges from If to 2 tons of sugar, the
latter being all concrete, with no rum. As this yield is from the
natural soil, without manure or special treatment, it speaks well
for the quality of land in this district for sugar-cane cultivation.
The average rainfall here is a little below 100 inches per annum ;
the present year (1882) is, however, below the average, and the
rainfall is not expected to be above 90 inches.
In riding over the estate with the manager, I noticed that
the soil was black on the surface, formed for the most part by
the decomposition of the finely laminated limestone ;' it was very
friable on the surface, with a tenacious, unctuous clay beneath ;
in some instances a quartzy ridge would appear running across
the valley, on which the canes did badly; the same remarks
apply to a few instances where peroxide of iron cropped up to
the surface and gave the soil a fine, shotty, and granular texture.
The canes on the whole, however, looked fine and healthy, and
the estate generally would compare favourably with that of any
other country.
A "fly," or rather a moth, appeared to be troublesome to
canes at certain seasons of the year. The different stages of the
" fly " are described by Mr. Morison as follows : — " About the
end of June or July, a white froth, similar to what is known
in England as 'cuckoo spittle/ or 'goat spittle,' appears at the
36 BRITISH HONDURAS.
roots of the canes, both under, and above ground. On examina-
tion, a small greenish, wingless insect is found embedded in the
froth, which remains in this state till about August, when it
matures into the 'fly.' While affected in the manner above
described, the canes become stunted in growth, but even after-
wards, with the mature insect, they are not free from injury, as
the ' fly ' attacks the leaves and causes them to be spotted and
eventually to die off. 'The lower leaves appear to wither first,
but the upper leaves are soon attacked, and sometimes so
severely, as to cause the whole to fall off, leaving nothing but
the bare cane standing. Even among canes not severely
attacked, the joints are short and poor. About the end of
September and October the ' fly ' disappears. The canes after
this time, relieved from the attacks of the ' fly/ make very fair
growth ; the joints become long and full, and they continue to
develop, up to cutting time."
To this account Mr. Morison adds that the " fly " is more
severe in damp and wet lands in lower portions of the fields
than in dry, powdery land.
I obtained specimens of the " fly " for determination, and
find it is not at all uncommon on canes in moist districts in
other parts of the world. I recommend a dressing of powdered
quicklime to the cane stools when the " froth " first appears,
and this, together with good drainage, will, I believe, effectually
deal with the evil. From this and other districts where cultiva-
tion is being carried on, I obtained samples of soil for analysis,
and I hope that the local government will be able to place the
results of these analyses before planters, in order to indicate the
special characteristics of soils in the colony, suitable for different
plants.
In the neighbourhood of Seven Hills, beyond the Eio Grande
River, is what is termed the Toledo Settlement, established by
BIO GRANDE AND TOLEDO SETTLEMENT. . 37
settlers from Louisiana, in the Southern States of America, after
the late war. ':".
The forest between Seven Hills and the Toledo Settlement,
is composed of what may be termed a characteristic " cohune
ridge." It is a natural forest composed of valuable timber trees
such as mahogany, Santa Maria, axe-master, rosewood, augusta^
salmwood, sapodilla, &c., with numerous palms. Chief among
the latter is the noble cohune palm, which forms about ten per
cent, of the forest growth. The ground generally, in the more
open parts, was carpeted with selaginellas, ferns, and shade-
loving grasses. Under dense shade the undergrowth was very
slight, and one could ride almost anywhere under the tall
canopy formed by the cohune palms and majestic timber trees.
The Eio Grande Eiver is navigable for dorays some 40 or 50
miles, and it passes through magnificent country, as yet little
known. There is no doubt that if this southern district were
thoroughly opened, the lands on such rivers as this would soon
attract attention and become the seats of thriving industries.
At the Toledo Settlement, which, as mentioned above, is
essentially American, about fourteen families settled, a few
years ago, in the virgin forest, with little or no capital. But by
undaunted courage and perseverance in overcoming the first
difficulties, they have succeeded in establishing comfortable
homesteads, and in placing under cultivation, chiefly in sugar-
cane, some 600 acres of land. The results of the experiment
are in many respects most interesting and suggestive. Although
in tropical countries, as a rule, the white man is not suited
for hard, laborious work in the sun, and it is better for him to
possess capital and to employ negroes and coolies for field
work, it speaks well for the climate of British Honduras that
the white settlers here have, by their own hands, turned a wild
tropical forest into a number of apparently rich and prosperous
38 BRITISH HONDURAS.
homesteads. Most of the settlers, at present, grow canes and
manufacture the produce into common muscovado sugar in open
pans. The quality of the sugar made is of a superior kind,
most of which is sold locally at prices ranging from 5^ cents to
6 cents per pound.
It is to be hoped, however, that the settlers will, in time,
turn attention to other and equally productive industries, such
as cacao, nutmegs, oranges, lemons, bananas, coco-nuts, ginger,
sarsaparilla, arrowroot, vanilla, black pepper, ground-nuts, and
many others, which are admirably adapted for the district, and
which can be grown as easily, and with as much certainty of
finding a market for them as for sugar.
Cacao has been already tried in one or two instances, and
the trees have done well. Cacao-trees, apparently wild, are
not uncommonly met with in the forest, so that there is no
difficulty here with regard to procuring seeds or plants. Oranges
and lemons would thrive in the more stony soils, provided slab
rock is not too near the surface. In any case, the top root of
such trees as these might very conveniently be removed, when
there would be less danger of their coming upon rock. Limes
grow apparently wild, and I have no doubt that oranges and
lemons would do equally well if once started.
Among the settlers who have established themselves here
are Mr. Wilson, at Eefuge ; the Messrs. Perrot and Mr. Paine, at
Mount Hope ; Mr. Oetzel ; Messrs. Hutchinson and Been, at
Mount Royal ; Mr. Waterous and son, at Forest House ; and
Mr. Pearce, at Forest Cottage.
In addition to cultivating sugar, some of the settlers raise
cattle, a rich pasture being naturally formed, after the forest is-
cut down and cleared.
The Toledo Settlement is connected with the sea by a
Government road, which is capable of tapping a wide district,
PONTA GORDA. 39
and affording an outlet for the despatch of produce, conveniently
and expeditiously.
Near the termination of the Government road is Ponta
Gorda, a Carib settlement of about 400 inhabitants. This
settlement has a resident district magistrate, and is remarkable
for its neat and clean appearance. This, no doubt, is some-
what due to the magistrate, Mr. Orgill, who evidently takes
care to keep it in a proper sanitary condition.
This is the most southerly settlement in British Honduras,
and about 20 miles from the Sarstoon Eiver the boundary
between it and the Eepublic of Guatemala.
Having visited all the settlements in detail, from Belize to
Ponta Gorda, we proceeded to retrace our steps to the north-
ward, and having caught the S.S. " City of Dallas " off Mullin's
Eiver, reached Belize at noon on the 22nd November.
To the outline of the southern trip given above, I would
here add that, thanks to Captain Marriner's local knowledge
and careful management, we traversed, with great convenience
and success, some 350 miles of the colony, and saw most of
its salient features within reach of the settlements.
CHAPTER III.
Trip to western districts. Haul-over. Cramer's Bank. Bridge over Sibun
Swamp. John Young's Pine-ridge. Camping out. Butcher Burn's
Bank. Limestone Hills. Rich soils. Bush travelling. Gale Creek.
Bever Dam. Mahogany forest. Mahogany works. Castile Bank.
Prickly bambu. Mount Pleasant. Bad roads. Orange Walk.
Government lands for sale. How mahogany is cut. Trucking
mahogany. Logwood cutting. Eoaring Creek. Savannah Bank.
Warree Head Creek. Monkey Fall Savannah. Granny Creek.
Mount Hope. TheCayo. Coffee plantation. Position and importance
of the Cayo. Communication with Belize. Indian settlement at San
Francisco. To Belize by river in doray.
FOR the tour through the Central and Western Districts, as
Captain Marriner's official duties . prevented his being able to
leave Belize, arrangements were made for me to accompany the
Hon. A. Williamson, who had business at Orange Walk, on the
Old Eiver. After accomplishing this, he intended to strike
across the country through San Pedro, San Jose, Irish Creek,
Indian Church, Orange Walk on the New Eiver, and so reach
Caledonian Bank and Corosal in the north, where he had
arranged to meet a schooner to bring him back to Belize.
As this route offered a good opportunity for seeing the rich
valley district of the Old Eiver, as well as the back lands to the
west and north, in the neighbourhood of the New Eiver, it was
decided that I should accept Mr. Williamson's kind offer to
accompany him, and especially as he had the reputation of being
an experienced and hardy bush traveller, well acquainted with
the country and its people.
JOHN YOUNG'S PINE-RIDGE. 41
Provided with police-horses for riding, and a pack horse to
carry our luggage and camping material, we started from Belize
about 2 P.M. on the 24th November. The party consisted of
Mr. Williamson and myself, Mr. Gillett, a mahogany cutter, my
collector, and Mr. Williamson's servant.
We took, in the first instance, the road over the Haul-over,
and crossed the town branch of the Old River by a ferry. After
passing along the new road through the swamp, we came to
Cramer's Bank, used as a cattle pen. To get to the new road
leading from Belize to the western frontier, we had to go over a
bridge three-quarters of a mile long, which carried the road over
the Sibun Swamp.
Owing to the boggy nature of the ground, the pillars of the
bridge had sunk in several places, so that the structure presented
a somewhat uneven, if not a dangerous surface, especially for
the passage of horses. By leading the animals carefully and
slowly along we managed, however, to cross the swamp without
a mishap. We then found ourselves on John Young's Pine
Kidge. It was our intention to cross the pine ridge, and to stop
for the night at Butcher Burn's Bank, on the Sibun Eiver.
Owing to rain and darkness overtaking us, we were unable to
strike the right track, and eventually had to camp out in the open.
But for the rain, sleeping out at night is nothing unusual ; but
this time we had many disadvantages to contend against, all
of which, however, were endured without a murmur, hoping that
the next day would find us well on our journey, and sheltered
from wind and rain.
Making an early start, we found the rain of the previous
night had flooded many portions of the pine ridge, and we did
not reach Butcher Burn's Bank until about 11 o'clock.
It is evident that to reach this place the previous day, we
should have left Belize early in the morning; but the heavy
42 BKITISH HONDURAS.
rain, and the difficulty in crossing the Sibun Swamp, had upset
our calculations.
The Sibun Eiver rises on the northern slopes of the Cocks-
combs, far to the south. Its mouth is near Wagner village, some
10 miles below Belize. In the interior, it passes through a
considerable extent of hilly country, with limestone rocks,
forming sharply- pointed peaks and ridges, giving a picturesque
character to the scenery. At the foot of these hills the soil is
remarkably deep and rich, and with a good water-way for
produce, and its proximity to Belize, this district will no doubt
soon attract attention.
After leaving Butcher Burn's Bank, we once more struck
across John Young's Pine Eidge, this time going due north and
making for Gale Creek, a tributary of the Old Eiver.
After travelling for some hours, during which I managed to
gather numerous orchids and seeds, we entered an old and very
much overgrown track in a cohune ridge, which was intended
to take us to Beaver Dam. After crossing with considerable
difficulty one or two swampy creeks, and cutting our way
through tangled masses of " tie-ties " and fallen trees, rain and
darkness once more overtook us, and we camped for the night
on the banks of Gale Creek. With some difficulty, owing to the
damp character of the brushwood, we managed to make a fire to
cook our supper, and although the place was swarming with
mosquitoes, and heavy showers fell during the night, we managed
to get a little rest.
We were early on foot the next morning, to make arrange-
ments for a long stage to Castile Bank and Orange Walk. The
cohune ridge through which we passed was full of numerous
orchids and aroids hanging in festoons from the trees. As most
of the mahogany had been cut some years ago, the trees left
were small and undersized, but the indications of the soil were
CASTILE BANK AND ORANGE WALK. 43
all that could be desired for most cultivations of a tropical
character.
The best mahogany is said to be found to the north of the
river Belize. In consequence of the nature of the soil in that
district, in which there is a -great quantity of limestone, the
mahogany is longer in coming to maturity: but when full grown,
it is of a harder and firmer texture than that which is found in
the southern portion of the settlement.
After following the disused track for some miles, we
eventually came out on the Old Eiver at a spot called Beaver
Dam. It may be mentioned here that numerous places in the
colony marked and named on maps are at present in existence
only as names. At one time or other they were mahogany works
or temporary depots (banks), where workmen's huts were built,
and where logs were trimmed preparatory to being tumbled into
the river, and floated down the stream. When the mahogany in
the district was exhausted the works were abandoned, the huts
in course of time tumbled to pieces, and the place eventually
would become so overgrown as to be hardly distinguishable from
the neighbouring forest. The name, however, lives in the
memories of the inhabitants, and is handed down until it
becomes a mere tradition. Such a place was Beaver Dam.
There was no vestige of a dwelling : in fact, nothing but tall, rank-
growing weeds, overtopping our horses. We pushed on parallel
to the river course, keeping on its right bank until we came to
Castile Bank. Our course was chiefly over old mahogany tracks,
where logs had been "trucked" or " slided" during the previous
season. Owing to the heavy rains of the previous week, the
track, already well worked by cattle, was simply a " bog route,"
and at every step the horses sank up to their knees in black,
tenacious mud.
At Castile Bank we found a small mahogany and cedar works
44 BRITISH HONDURAS.
in working order, with numerous logs in course of being trimmed,
or " manufactured," preparatory to being tumbled into the river.
After a slight halt for breakfast, and for drying our clothes, we
pushed on, keeping still on the right bank of the river. Soon
after, we passed through some magnificent cohune forests,
interspersed near the river's bank with the thick matted growth
of the " prickly bambu." TJiis plant is one of the most graceful
and handsome of the family ; its leaves being as fine as
asparagus, and its long sinuous stems drooping in a most
graceful manner. Seen at a distance, a vast expanse of this
bambu gives one the idea of a downy, feathery mass of green,
most attractive and refreshing. Here, however, its beauty and
elegance ends. On nearer acquaintance it develops into one of
the most formidable obstacles which a traveller can meet.
Every joint of its long slender stem is furnished with a formid-
able coterie of spines, sometimes an inch or an inch and a half long.
Where this bambu has firmly established itself — as along the
river banks — it is quite impossible to pass through it; even wild
animals avoid it, or if hotly pressed, and they take shelter there,
they are literally torn to pieces by its ruthless spines.
Our path often led over creeks running into the Old River,
and, where particularly dangerous, we had to dismount and
lead our horses across ; at other times we had to allow them
to take their own lead and get over ourselves the best way we
could.
The vegetation along the banks of the Old Eiver was of
surpassing beauty and luxuriance. As the chief objects of the
woodcutter are the mahogany, cedar, and rosewood, everything
else is left alone. Magnificent trees of the Ceiba, or silkcotton-tree,
were passed, with buttresses like those of huge castles. The first
branches were generally some 80 or 100 feet from the ground.
Above, their wide-spreading massive branches were literally
MOUNT PLEASANT AND ORANGE WALK. 45
clothed with orchids, wild pines, and a perfect garden of
parasitic vegetation. Hanging along the stems were nume-
rous " lianes," or " withes," here called " tie-ties," looking like the
festooned ropes of a ship.
Here and there we passed a space near the river bank a
little more open than others, where mahogany works had once
stood, but now lapsing fast into the original jungle. It is said that
a mahogany forest can be cut every thirty years ; hence many of
these abandoned mahogany works are re-opened after a longer
or shorter interval, and become, for a time, at least, once more
the scenes of daily toil, and the busy abode of man. Now,
however, they were silent and deserted, the mid-day calm being
only broken by the titter of bright-plumaged birds, or the soli-
tary cry of some wild animal.
In the course of the afternoon we passed Mount Pleasant,
another mahogany bank, in working order, and after crossing a
beautifully clear stream, falling over rocks encrusted with lime-
stone deposits, and beautifully margined with elegant ferns, we
entered the forest in the neighbourhood of Orange Walk, the
object of Mr. Williamson's journey.
Here we met numerous mahogany tracks, all converging
on the settlement, and just about dusk we left the forest and
entered the savannah, or pasture surrounding the settlement,
dotted here and there with the huts of the workpeople ; among
these, in an open space, stood Mr. Gillett's house, where we were
hospitably entertained for the night.
Owing to the bad condition of the roads after the late heavy
rains, and the unfavourable accounts we received of the creeks
and tracks in the neighbourhood of San Pedro, San Jose, Irish
Creek, and Indian Church, it was thought impossible to carry
out our intended trip to the north, and much to my regret we
had to abandon it. Under these circumstances, Mr. Williamson
E
46 BRITISH HONDURAS.
decided to return to Belize by boat, and get to Caledonian
Bank and Corosal by sea ; while I elected to remain up-
country, and explore the upper portions of the valley of the
Old Eiver, and, if possible, push on to the Cayo, or western
frontier station.
After one day's rest at Orange Walk, during which the plants
collected on the journey from Belize were examined and dried,
and after taking a short section through the forest for the
purpose of seeing the country towards the left branch of the
Sibun Eiver to the south, I left Orange Walk with a guide, for
the western frontier.
The valley of the Old Eiver through which we passed
gradually widened as we travelled to the westward, and nume-
rous mahogany works (banks) were dotted on each side of the
river, each having so many miles of frontage, and reaching far
into the backwoods. It appears that the land tax on mahogany
and logwood works is estimated at $8 per mile base. Having
seen one mahogany works, with the exception of the difference
in the scenery, and varying circumstances of soil and climate,
the details are much the same.
Most of the mahogany forests are in the hands of a few pro-
prietors, who, to preserve their young trees, as a rule, discourage
settling. They adopt a rude system of forest conservancy, backed
by a very strict trespass law, which entirely prevents the land
from being alienated or used as provision grounds by settlers.
This feeling, in a measure, is, no doubt, the outcome of the old
terms on which the English were permitted to hold the settle-
ment, viz., that they were debarred from making plantations, or
in any way making permanent homes in the colony.
Government land may be bought at a dollar an acre, or, if
preferred, short leases of five years are issued to persons desirous
to occupy waste lands of the Crown, not less than fifty acres, at
OPENING MAHOGANY WORKS. 47
a yearly rent of 10 cents an acre, with right to purchase at any
time during the tenancy.
When it is intended to open a mahogany works on any
part of an estate, the first step is to employ a "hunter," or ex-
perienced woodman, who spends several days alone prospecting
in the forest. After an absence, longer or shorter according
to circumstances, during which he often suffers many priva-
tions, the hunter returns and reports the number and character
of suitable mahogany-trees to be -found within easy reach of the
works, the latter being always placed at a convenient spot on
the bank of the river, where the mahogany logs can be manufac-
tured and easily tumbled into the river.
The " hunter " is paid so much for every tree which, on
examination, is found suitable for cutting, i.e., squaring 18 inches
and upwards. The next step is to open a track to it and proceed
to cut it down. Owing to the huge buttresses which many
mahogany-trees possess, a platform is sometimes erected so as
to enable the men to cut the tree above them. When lopped,
cleaned, and sawn to the available length, the log is ready to
be hauled to the works.
During the dry months of the year the logs are carried on
trucks drawn by bullocks. The truck is a ponderous frame-
work, mounted on four broad wheels about 3 feet in diameter,
with 9 inches tread, the latter being made in a most primitive
fashion by sawing pieces across from a log of Santa Maria.
During wet weather, when the ground is too soft for the trucks
to travel, mahogany is drawn on slides, or a kind of sleigh,
which passes over "skids." The latter consist of long, hard
wood posts, about 3 inches in diameter, placed across the track
about a yard apart.
Being imbedded in mud, the fresh slippery bark affords a
suitable and handy surface for the passage of the slide with its
E 2
48 BRITISH HONDURAS.
heavy load. Sometimes mahogany logs are drawn, in the manner
above described, distances of 8 or 10 miles.
Mahogany is always trucked in the middle of the night, the
cattle not being able to perform such laborious work during the
heat of the day. It is a picturesque and striking scene, this
midnight trucking.
" The lowing of the oxen, the creaking of the wheels, the
shrill cries of the men, the resounding cracks of their whips,
and the red glare of the pine torches in the midst of the dense,
dark forest, produce an effect approaching to sublimity."
At the works the logs are regularly squared and prepared
for the market.
If, however, they are likely to be chafed and injured in
transit, by going down shallow creeks, the squaring is done at
Belize, or at the river's mouth.
Trucking is generally carried on during the months of April
and May, when the ground is hard after a long period of dry
weather. About the middle of June, after the May " seasons,"
or rains, the rivers are swollen, and advantage is taken of this
opportunity to tumble the logs into the water, and float them
down to about 10 miles from the river's mouth. Here a large
iron chain, or " boom," is fixed, which stops the logs as they
float down. At this point the several owners select the logs by
their respective marks, form them into rafts, and so float them
down to the sea, and ultimately to Belize, whence they are
shipped abroad.
Logwood cutting appears to be a much simpler and much less
laborious work. After the trees, which are seldom more than a foot
in diameter, but often only half this size, are cut down, the outer
or sap wood is removed, leaving nothing but the inner dark-
coloured heart wood. When thus prepared, the logwood is
carried on trucks or " crooked " to the nearest bank, where, to
ORANGE WALK TO MOUNT HOPE. 49
prevent it from sinking, it is packed in " bark logs," or light,
buoyant cradles, capable of carrying a ton or two of logwood.
An immense train of these heavily-freighted " bark logs " is often
met with on its way down the river, or anchored at night in the
middle of the stream.
Most of the logwood is found in damp, moist districts to
the north ; but there are also many tracts to the south, where
logwood is very plentiful.
After passing Soaring Creek and Savannah Bank, we came
to Tea Kettle, where we joined once more the main road from
Belize to the western frontier. In many places, the road is so
overgrown with bush and obstructed by fallen trees, as to be
scarcely recognisable.
At length we came to a stony and somewhat hilly country
near Warree Head Creek, with a good view of extensive country
covered by a rich tropical forest.
Monkey Fall Savannah appears to offer a good site for a fine
cattle pen, with a plentiful supply of good water.
After crossing Granny Creek we reached Mount Hope, an
old settlement in an advanced state of decay, and with but few
huts remaining.
After some ten hours in the saddle, and numerous diver-
gencies from the regular track, to examine and explore the
forest, I was glad to accept a night's rest from Mr. Gillett, uncle
of my host at Orange Walk, who kindly offered every comfort
which his small house could afford.
Early next morning, leaving my collector at Mount Hope,
I pushed on for the Cayo, crossing Little Barton Creek
and Great Barton Creek, both greatly swollen after heavy
rains.
The road next went through Tiger Kun, a large mahogany
works, in a magnificent district. The forest here had fine india-
50 BRITISH HONDURAS.
rubber-trees and pimento, the latter being a tall tree, finer than
any I had ever seen before.
The woods also were fragrant with the ripe bursting pods of
vanilla, which hung in festoons from the trunks of Santa Maria
and other rough-barked trees.
The Cayo was reached about noon, and I called upon Mr.
Travers, the newly-appointed magistrate of this remote frontier
station.
One of the chief inducements which drew me to the Cayo
was to see a coffee estate about two miles beyond, under charge of
M. Vivenot. In company with the latter, whom I fortunately
met at the Cayo, and Mr. Blanconeaux, we proceeded up the
western branch of the Belize Eiver, until we came to a deep,
rich, well-sheltered valley surrounded by low wooded hills.
Here about 100 acres had been cleared and established in
coffee under the shade of bananas, with corn as an intermediary
crop. The coffee-trees, about 30,000, were from one to two years
old, planted out. Seed had been obtained from Martinique,
Trinidad, and Guatemala. As a whole, the plantation was in a
promising state ; in some cases the trees were overshaded by
bananas, and consequently the plants were weak and " spindled."
There is no doubt, also, that the ground had been somewhat
impoverished by the large crop of com (maize) which was then
being taken off.
Most of the trees about two years old were, however, bearing
their first crop, and looked as if, even at this early age, some
two or three hundredweights per acre would be yielded by them.
The plantation was well laid out, with roads and intervals of
18 feet dividing the blocks. Naturally, being a pioneering effort,
the best mode of procedure adapted to the district could not be
obtained at once ; and, again, the difficulty of obtaining labour
had hampered the undertaking and increased the expenses.
COFFEE PLANTATION. 51
I left the plantation, however, with a favourable impression
respecting the possibility of growing good coffee in British
Honduras, and I have no doubt that if Coolie labour could be
obtained, the whole of this western district would soon be dotted
over with prosperous plantations. The cost of clearing and
cleaning land ready for planting is put down at £6 per acre ;
the labourers, at present, owing to the remoteness of the district,
get from 42 to 50 cents per day.
I returned to the Cayo, or the Cay, which, from its position
nearly on the frontier line between British territory and that of
the Republic of Guatemala, possesses more importance than its
appearance and size would indicate.
It is connected with Belize by the Government road already
mentioned, and this leads over the frontier to Peten and other
towns in Guatemala. A fair amount of trade is carried on
between Belize and Peten by way of the Cayo ; merchandise
being either carried all the way by mules, or partly by river.
This little frontier station occupies a picturesque position
at the junction of the two branches of the Belize Kiver. The
principal houses are those of the magistrate, the court-house,
and the headquarters of the police, situated on the higher ground ;
while below, and extending to the point where the two rivers
meet, is an open savannah, affording pasturage for cattle, and
dotted here and there with the thatched huts of the natives.
The entire population is about 300.
With the appointment of Mr. Travers, a highly-educated
and accomplished officer, as magistrate, the Cayo is destined to
increase in importance and character, and as it is proposed to
organise a regular system of water communication by a Govern-
ment " pit-pan " with Belize, the settlement will be brought into
closer connection with the headquarters of the Government.
In returning from the Cayo I experienced very wet and
52 BRITISH HONDURAS.
uncomfortable weather, with swollen creeks and mahogany
tracks, if possible, more muddy and disagreeable than before.
My guide having disappointed me, I was fortunate to meet
with a brave little boy called "Doctor," a protege" of Mr.
Williamson's, who safely piloted me a distance of some 15
miles through rain and darkness, until we reached Mount Hope
about 11 o'clock at night.
At Tea Kettle I met Mr. Gillett, of Orange Walk, who took
me through the Indian settlement of San Francisco, and eventu-
ally to Orange Walk.
From Orange Walk I determined to return to Belize by the
Old Eiver, and making an early start on Friday morning we
reached Belize about 8 o'clock the following evening.
The numerous botanical and other notes made on this
journey will more fittingly come under a description of the
plants and general resources of the colony, and I will therefore
defer them to a later chapter.
CHAPTER IV.
Flora of British Honduras. First impressions of the country. Mangrove-
trees. Characteristics of vegetation of the interior dependent on geolo-
gical features. Underlying strata. How deposited. Geological floor.
Glacial action. Icebergs. Reasons for adopting glacial theory. Pine-
ridge country. Vegetation. Pine-trees, pimento-thatch, crabboe,
haha. Distribution of pine-ridges. Use of pine-wood. White and
yellow pine. Resin and turpentine from pine-trees. How to extract
turpentine. Cohune-ridge. Cohune-palm. Description : leaves,
stem, and fruit. Cohune seeds. Oil. Timber-trees. Mahogany.
Value of export. Common cedar. Logwood. Sapodilla. Santa Maria.
Fiddle-wood. Rosewood. Salmwood. Braziletto. Ironwood.
Mahoe. Numerous undetermined woods. Locust-tree. Cashaw.
Edible candle-tree. Palms. Orchids. Ferns.
THE flora of British Honduras, from its relations, on the one
hand, to the Continental forms of Central America, as well as
to those of the neighbouring West Indian Archipelago, might
naturally be expected to exhibit many types common to these
districts, in addition to not a few peculiar to it, on account of
the exceptional conditions of soil and climate which obtain
therein. The first impressions of a visitor to British Honduras
are associated with the almost continuous growth of mangrove-
trees, which, covering the numerous " cays," or small islands out
in the offing, have also taken entire possession of the low coast-
line on the mainland, tending to give the country, from the out-
side, a densely wooded appearance. These extensive forests of
mangrove in themselves are useful for no purpose whatever,
if we except the fact that the bark of some species is used for
tanning purposes. Where, however, through the agency of the
mangrove-trees, soil has accumulated, and land has been formed,
54 BRITISH HONDURAS.
patches or " banks " of this character form splendid localities for
coco-nut plantations, and they are being utilised in this manner,
both on the cays, as well as along the coast-line.
In the interior, the vegetation is greatly diversified ; but as
the changes in its character appear to be so closely associated
with the geological features of the country, a few remarks on
the main elements of these features may not be uninteresting.
As may be gathered from a preceding chapter, British Hon-
duras occupies a strip of country, running due north and south,
parallel to the sea, and with the high central range, or dividing
mountain zone of Central America, immediately at its back. In
general, the land rises from the sea coast, in a gentle slope
towards the west. Numerous rivers take their rise in the
central chain, and these, flowing to the eastward, form deep,
slow-flowing rivers, suitable for navigation, and forming natural
water-ways to the interior. The underlying strata, composed of
quartzy rocks, with here and there carbonaceous shales, sand-
stone rocks, and limestone, crop up in the low, detached ranges
which intersect the country to the west and south of Belize, as
well as in the steep, rugged elevations of the Cockscomb country
to the south. Judging by the nature of the rocks, and detritus
brought down by the rivers, the central chain of mountains,
forming the western frontier of the colony, is composed chiefly
of quartzy and felspathic rocks and sandstones of great age,
which have been upheaved into their present position under
circumstances similar to those which have formed their vast
extensions, the Eocky Mountains to the north, and the Andean
system to the south. The geological floor of British Honduras,
if I may use the term, appears to have been formed by the
disintegration and removal of the rocks from the central chain
in the west, and their distribution by the action of water or ice
over the lowlands to the east. It is maintained by some, that
GLACIAL ACTION. 55
large glaciers covered certain portions of Central America during
the glacial period, and the conditions induced by these are said
to account for the presence of boulder-clay in valleys and certain
hog-backed hills, as well as the transportation of large scratched
boulders, noticed in some of the countries on either side of the
central chain.* Mr. Belt states that the presence of glaciers in
Central America would afford a solution of many phenomena that
otherwise would be inexplicable. After mentioning the main
points in favour of the existence of glaciers, he adds that the
scarcity of alluvial gold in the valley of Santa Domingo, and
other places in Nicaragua, points in the same direction. Glacier
ice scoops out all the contents of the valleys, and in deepening
them does nor sort the materials like running water, or the
action of the waves upon the sea coast. As regards gold-bearing
quartz, when the denuding agent was water, the rocks were worn
away and the heavier gold was left behind, at the bottom of the
alluvial deposits ; but when the denuding agent was glacier ice,
the stony masses and their metallic contents were carried away
or mingled together in the unassorted moraines. The evidence
of glacial action, if they exist at all in British Honduras, must
be looked for in the higher mountain valleys in the west, and
possibly in those of the Cockscomb Mountains, or their spurs to
the south. If, as was supposed, ice covered the higher ranges
and descended in great glaciers only as low as the line of country
now standing at two thousand feet above the sea, then very
little of the actual surface of British Honduras would have been
subject to direct glacial action. It is, however, quite possible
that the transportation of rocks from the central chain and their
distribution over the sea bottom so as to form the foundations of
the country, may have been accomplished by floating icebergs.
* " The Naturalist in Nicaragua," pp. 259-274.
56 BRITISH HONDURAS.
Later, as the land gradually emerged from the sea, water would
accumulate in the hollows, river systems would be formed, and
the finer ddbris brought down from the interior would be con-
tinuously deposited, forming soils suitable for the growth of
plants.
Where the original quartzy rocks, in the form of a bold con-
glomerate, gravel or fine sand derived from the central zone,
appear on the surface, they give rise to extensive tracts of
undulating, or comparatively level country, known locally as
" pine-ridges," so called from the prevalence upon them of trees
of the yellow pine (Pinus cubensis).
These tracts, as may be expected, possess a shallow, poor
soil ; and they are covered only by hardy, coarse grasses, of little
value for pasturing purposes except in a young succulent state.
The pines mentioned above are dotted over the country in small
clumps or singly, giving it an open, park-like appearance.
Associated with the clumps of pine-trees is a small, slender,
fan-leaved palm, known locally as " pimento thatch " : the stem
of this palm, after being cleaned of its investing coat of fibre, is
used for fences, sides of houses, and generally, where a tough,
slender pole is required. Another common " pine-ridge " plant
in the south is the " crabboe," which yields a kind of plum or
cherry, sometimes used for food, and whose bark is used for
tanning ; as, also, the " haha," a wild fig, whose leaves are so
rough that they are an excellent substitute for sandpaper. To
the west, in the neighbourhood of Eoaring Creek, the ordinary
pine-ridge plants give place to groves of oak (probably Quercus
mrens). Some of these oaks attain great size, often measuring
50 feet to the first branches, and correspondingly large in girth.
The pine-ridges of the colony occupy slightly rising country,
generally at some distance inland from the rivers and the coast.
In the north there is a large pine-ridge running north, between
PINE-KIDGE. 57
the Hondu and the New Elvers, almost all the way from Indian
Church to Corosal. Another large pine-ridge exists to the west
of Alligator Pond, and between it and the mouth of the Northern
Eiver.
To the north of the Belize Eiver, an extensive pine-ridge
occupies the country between it and New Eiver lagoon, some
20 or 25 miles across. To the south of the river Belize, there
is John Young's pine-ridge, over which passes the road to the
western frontier, and which should also greatly facilitate the
construction of a railway in the same direction.
In the neighbourhood of All Pines, as already noticed, there
is a large pine-ridge connected by several other smaller ones, so
that a person might ride continuously over an open, park-like
country, for some thirty or forty miles. It is estimated that
about one-third of the area of British Honduras, at present
known, is composed of pine-ridge country, having the geological
and botanical characteristics above indicated.
The pine (Pinus cubensis), the chief plant of the pine-
ridges, is probably the most abundant tree in the colony ; but
the timber is used locally to a small extent only for building
purposes, owing, it is said, to the difficulty experienced in
sawing it. The wood is heavy, and, if properly seasoned, might
be very durable. Its chief use at present, however, is as fuel,
and in making torches. The latter are extensively used at the
mahogany works ; and, indeed, but for the pine torches the
hauling of mahogany, which, on account of the heat and the
flies (mosquitoes), takes place chiefly at night, could not be
carried on. For railway sleepers, the pine-wood, carefully
selected, should prove most valuable. There is an impression in
the colony that two species of pine exist on the pine-ridges,
which are distinguished as white and yellow pine, and supposed
to be characterised in the one case by rather smooth and com-
58 BEITISH HONDURAS.
pact bark, and in the other by rather thick, spongy, and rough
bark. I was, however, unable to distinguish any difference in
the trees pointed out to me as a white and a yellow pine, the
botanical characters of both being exactly the same. In addi-
tion to the utilisation of the timber, as mentioned above, and
especially by the aid of efficient steam saw-mills, other products
might be obtained from them. For instance, if properly tapped,
resin of good quality, and in large quantities, should be avail-
able ; and the wood, by distillation, might yield both turpentine
and tar. In the Southern States of America turpentine is
obtained from a nearly allied tree, viz., the pitch, or yellow pine
(Pinus australis), as follows : — " Cavities or boxes are made in
the trunks of the trees as they stand. They are made from 6 to
12 inches above the ground, and are mostly cut deep enough
into the wood to hold about a quart. From one to four boxes
are made in each trunk. The wood is hacked away above the
box, or channels are made leading to it, down which the turpen-
tine flows. When the box is full it is removed by a spoon or
ladle, and placed in barrels. The first year's flow of turpentine
thus obtained is known as Virgin dip, or Virgin turpentine.
Some of this crude turpentine is exported, but it is mostly dis-
tilled in the neighbourhood of the turpentine orchards. Oil of
turpentine, or, as it is often called, spirit of turpentine, is dis-
tilled from the oleo-resin as collected, either with or without
water. It is used in enormous quantities in the preparation of
varnishes, paints, and for various other purposes in the arts and
manufactures, as well as in medicine."
Next to the pine-ridge lands, the most strongly-marked
feature in the surface of British Honduras are the "cohuue-
ridges," which, as they contain chiefly the rich valuable soils of
the colony, deserve special notice. The term " cohune-ridge "
(Spanish corosal) is applied to the low-lying lands generally
COHUNE-RIDGE. 59
bordering river valleys, or occupying extensive tracts or basins,
as in the west and south, or at the heads of some of the river-
systems. Geologically speaking, a " cohune-ridge " has been
formed by a river valley, or depression in the quartzy ground-
floor of the country, being, in process of time, filled up by large
deposits of fine alluvium and vegetable debris brought down
from the interior by means of rivers. Hence a cohune-ridge
soil is deep, rich, and very abundantly supplied with nitrogenous
compounds, affording. splendid food for plants.
As its name indicates, a cohune-ridge has, as its characteristic
plant, the noble cohune-palm (Attalea cohune), which is one of
the noblest members of the palm family. In a cohune-ridge this
palm, in different stages of its growth, forms probably 20, and in
some cases 30, per cent, of the vegetation, the remainder being
composed either of mahogany, cedar, rosewood, sapodilla, Santa
Maria, the smaller palms, or shade-loving trees. The cohune-
palm, especially before it has formed a stem, has a magnificent
spread with its large pinnate leaves, sometimes covering an area
fully a hundred feet in diameter. In the neighbourhood of
Tiger Eun, near the public road, where there was an open
sheltered spot, a frond of this palm was estimated to be 60 feet
long and 8 feet in breadth. After the stem is formed the fronds
become much smaller, and when the palm has attained a height,
as many do, of 50 or 60 feet, the fronds are apparently not
larger than those of the oil palm (Elceis guineensis).
The cohune bears a nut growing in large bunches, and pro-
duced annually, some 2 J feet long, hanging down from near the
bases of the leaves like huge clusters of grapes — reminding one
of the old sacred representations of the ponderous clusters from
the Promised Land carried by the Hebrew spies. Each nut is
of the size and shape of a pheasant's egg, covered on the outside
by a thin layer of fibrous husk, and composed internally of a
60 BRITISH HONDURAS.
hard shell with three cells, containing as many homy oily seeds.
These seeds yield a valuable oil, which is used locally for
burning, and feeding pigs, the husk being given to fowls.
The country people extract oil from the cohune-nuts in the
following manner. When the nuts are what they term full, they
break between two stones the shell, which is very hard ; they then
pound the kernel for some time in a wooden mortar, and the
mass is put into a boiler with water, and boiled down until all
the oil, or fat, floats. They skim the oil off, fry it in an iron
pot, so as to disengage all the aqueous particles, and then bottle
it. By this simple process the average yield is one quart bottle
of oil from one hundred nuts. When in full bearing a cohune-
palm bears one or two, and sometimes three, bunches of fruit,
with an average of five hundred nuts to the bunch.
Several attempts have been made to establish an industry
in connection with the extraction of oil from the cohune-nuts,
but so far without success. The chief difficulties appear to be
connected with breaking the . hard, dense shell surrounding the
kernels, and the small proportion which exists between the
latter and the general mass of the nut. When properly pre-
pared, however, the oil is said to be superior to that of the coco-
nut, and to burn twice as long — that is, a pint of the former
is said to burn as long as a quart of the latter. Considering that
cohune oil is marketable in England " in any quantity at the
price of the finest and purest coco-nut oil," it is a matter of
regret that the scores of tons of cohune-nuts found wild in the
woods of British Honduras do not contribute anything to the
wealth of the colony.
Eeturning, however, to the characteristic vegetation of a
cohune-ridge, after the cohune-palm the most striking objects in
the forest are the majestic timber-trees, whose huge stems reach
far out of sight, and are lost in the dense canopy of vegetation
MAHOGANY AND CEDAR. 61
above. Chief amongst the timber-trees of the colony conies
the mahogany (Swietenia mahogani), which, with logwood, forms
the staple article of export. The average quantity of mahogany
shipped from British Honduras during the last five years
amounts to nearly 3,000,000 feet, of the annual value of
£30,000.
The best qualities of mahogany, as already mentioned, come
from the limestone soils to the north of Belize : those from the
south, and especially from the Mosquito Coast, being deficient
in density and fine grain, are known in England as baywood,
hence " baymen," a term often applied to the mahogany-cutters
of these coasts. Although the mahogany near the coast and
within easy reach of the principal rivers has been for the most
part cut down and shipped, there is a considerable quantity
of mahogany left in the country and still available, especially
by means of railways, to supply the European and American
markets for many years to come.
Growing with the mahogany is a member of the same family,
the common cedar (Cedrela odorata), which is in great demand
for light indoor work, and from which the fragrant boxes
for Havannah cigars are made. In the colony the trunks of
the largest trees are hollowed out to make bungays, dorays, pit-
pans, and canoes, purposes for which, on account of the light
and durable character of the wood, they are admirably adapted.
The export of British Honduras cedar for the last five years
amounts, on an average, to about 130,000 feet. Logwood, which
really comes next to mahogany in export value, is found in
rather moist lands to the north and west, where it forms immense
thickets ; but it is not characteristic of what is termed strictly
cohune land. The logwood-trees — about 15 or 20 feet high —
have some points of resemblance in appearance and habit of
growth to trees of the white thorn in England. The stems
F
62 BRITISH HONDURAS.
and young branches, at first grey, become afterwards of a dark
colour; the trunks are perpendicularly ribbed, or columnar,
and when cut down the outer white, or sapwood, is removed,
leaving only the reddish ,or dark heart-wood, which is split
into convenient logs suitable for shipment. It is claimed for
Honduras logwood that it is superior to that grown in Jamaica
and St. Domingo, and that its market value is fully 40 per cent,
higher. Amongst other forest trees of British Honduras are the
sapodilla (Sapota achras), a very handsome wood, but so heavy
that it cannot be floated down the rivers; the Santa Maria
(Calopliyllum calaba), very suitable for shingles and heavy
machine work and buildings, its seeds also yield an abundant
oil suitable for lamps; fiddle-wood (Citharexylum sp.) ; rose-
wood (Dalberyia sp.), a. dark, rich, reddish wood with fine grain,
greatly in request for cabinet purposes, but, like the sapodilla,
so heavy that it cannot be floated down the rivers, and hence
very difficult to get out in fine large logs; salmwood (Jacar-
anda sp.) ; dogwood (Piscidia erythrina) ; braziletto ( Ccesal-
pinia brasiliensis) ; ironwood (Laplacea hcematoxylo.n) ; and the
pix, or bastard Lignum vitse.
The mahoe (Paritium elatum) yields a darkish-green wood of
great value ; as also the celebrated Cuba bast, an article of com-
merce prepared from the inner layers of the bark. I obtained
numerous other specimens of very fine-grained and beautifully-
marked woods, unknown to commerce, but very abundant in the
backwoods of the colony. The following are some of the local
names of woods, which remain to be determined when good
botanical specimens can be obtained. They are: axemaster,
ironwood, cabbage-bark, pigeon-wood, turtle-bone, augusta,
candle-wood, redwood, palmalata, poison- wood, pole wood,
wynaka, bull-hoof, billy- web, grape, mountain-plum, nasex,
and half-crown. The ziricote is a beautiful wood, somewhat
BROKEN-KIDGE. 63
scarce, which has been exported from time to time in small
quantities. It has much of the appearance in its bold markings
to the celebrated calamander wood of Ceylon, and I doubt not it
would make furniture of great beauty and value.
Along the banks of rivers one of the commonest objects is the
locust-tree (Hymencea courbaril), said to yield a tough, close-
grained timber. A resin resembling gum-anime exudes from
the trunk, and is found in lumps at the bases of old trees. The
cashaw (Prosopis juli flora) also yields a hard durable wood, as
well as a gum resembling gum-arabic. The pods in Jamaica
are used as food for cattle, but they are likely to be very
injurious if eaten when partially germinated, that is, after rains.
In the Savannah, near Orange Walk {Old Eiver), there are
two or three fine trees of the edible candle-tree (Parmentiera
edulis). The fruit, like long-ribbed, soft calabashes, is eaten in
some parts of Central America, under the name of Quauhxilotl,
or Cuajilote:; but the chief use of the plant is evidently to supply
food for cattle, horses, and pigs, which greedily devour the fruit
as soon as it falls. Other trees supplying food for cattle, &c.,
are the ramoon (Tvophis americana) and the bread-nut (Brosi-
mum alicastrum), both of which keep horses, especially, in
excellent condition.
In addition to pine-ridge and cohune-ridge, there is some-
times known a district possessing a vegetation of its own, to
which the colonists apply the term "broken-ridge." This
broken-ridge country generally appears to lie on the outside,
and generally parallel to and continuous with the cohune-
ridge ; and, in fact, is an intermediate belt of vegetation coming
between it and the pine-ridge country. The trees in this
belt are smaller than in the cohune-ridge ; the undergrowth is
denser and more scrubby in character; and, generally, the
conditions indicate a poorer and less luxuriant phase of plant
F 2
64 BKITISH HONDURAS.
life, toning down more and more until it merges into the scant,
sparse vegetation of the pine-ridge country. Often, the belt of
intermediary low growth between the coast and the virgin
forests is termed broken-ridge ; but, in this case, it is one that
has probably been artificially formed by abandoned cultivated
areas, and does not occur under the conditions which obtain in the
natural state. The broken-ridge is no doubt due to a difference
in the character of the soil, which, having a slight depth only
of humus and alluvium, is able to support a less luxuriant vege-
tation than the cohune-ridge,* but a little more so than the pine-
ridge, which is almost devoid of these important elements of
plant food.
Starting from a river-bed, and traversing the country at
right angles to its course, there first comes the cohune country,
then the broken-ridge, and lastly the pine-ridge. The latter
generally acts as a watershed between the several river basins,
and the order in which the ridges come may be shown as
follows : —
Cohune I I Cohune Broken Brofcen Cohune
| River | — | — Pine-ridge — | — |
ridge | I ridge ridge ridge ridge
River
The vegetation of the cohune-ridge comprises tall-towering
timber-trees, the lordly mahogany and luxuriant palms ; while
the ground below is covered with shade-loving ferns, selagi-
nellas, and aroids. The broken-ridge has fewer, less luxuriant,
and somewhat stunted timber-trees, such as the cockspur,
abundant in prickles and thorns ; the supa, or gru-gru palm
(Acrocomia sclerocarpa), and small-leaved spiny shrubs of Randia,
Capparis, &c. In the more open spaces, coarse bromeliads, rank
* The term "ridge" is not quite applicable, as often a cohune-ridge, for
instance, is really a valley. It is more applicable in the case of pine-ridge,
where probably the term had its origin, but the terms are here used as
understood in the country.
PALMS. 67
grasses, and prickly creepers impede one's movements until, at
last, the open pine-ridge country is reached. Here, as already
mentioned, the tall (Scotch-looking) firs, or pines, are the more
striking objects, surrounded, when in clumps, by the shrubby
pimento-palms, with the crabboe and haha trees dotted here
and there. Amongst the hard, coarse grass of the pine-ridge,
small, low spreading shrubs are found, such as Pithecolobium
ligustrum and Cassia diphylla ; a few ground orchids (Hdbe-
naria and Stenorrhynchus), and small, yellow-flowered hypoxids.
Of plant life in British Honduras, there is nothing which so
impresses the traveller as the abundance and profusion of palms,
which are everywhere seen. From the majestic cohune, which
is, par excellence, the palm of the colony, down to the small,
delicate chamsedoreas, there are all gradations in size, and all
variations of form and habit. Many, such as Bactris, are
gregarious ; whilst others, such as the cohune, the pimento-palm,
and geonomas, are restricted to certain localities, where, however,
they are fairly abundant. Close along the shore, the cultivated
coco-nut is a familiar object; but not far off, forming a dense
grove, and standing almost in the brackish water of a lagoon or
river, may be seen the bastard or salt-water pimento-palm
(Bactris sp.) ; along the banks of the rivers inland another and
a taller prickly palm is abundant, known to the colonists as
" Poknoboy " (Bactris horrida), which owes its local name to an
encounter between the woodcutters and the Spaniards, in which-
the former used, with considerable effect, the stems of this palm
as pike-handles.*
The "bay-leaf palm," which is evidently only the young
* This palm is sometimes known as Pork-and-dough-boy, the latter
being the staple diet of the mahogany-cutters ; hence pork-and-do-boy, andv
poknoboy.
68 BRITISH HONDURAS.
form of the " bootan " (Sabal excelsa), is common in the broken-
ridge country. Its large, fan-shaped leaves, especially in the
young state, before it has formed a stem, are abundantly used
for thatching purposes. The " give-and-take " (Acanthothrinax)
is chiefly a cohune-ridge palm ; it is so abundantly covered with
long compound spines, about 3 to 4 inches long, that it is a
very formidable object.
The cabbage-palm (Oreodoxa oleracea) is abundant in the
lowlands, and also appears on banks of rivers in the interior,
where its tall clean stem, surmounted by a canopy of feathery
fronds, is a familiar landmark. Oreodoxa regia appears to be
confined to Belize, where, probably, it is an introduced plant.
In the cohune-ridge proper, the silver-thatch (Tlirinax
argentea), big-thatch (Sabal mexicana), and the monkey-tail
(Euterpe edulis) grow in cool, moist situations under the shade
of tall timber-trees, where their finer habit is in marked
contrast to that of the ampler and more expansive cohune. As
already hinted, the supa, or gru-gru (Acrocomia sclerocarpa),
disdains the confined air and moist soil of the forest, preferring
the more exposed and drier, though poorer, situations of the
broken-ridge, where its somewhat swollen and prickly grey
stem towers above everything. Second only to the formidable
spines of the bambu are the recurved or hooked spines of
Desmoncus, a climbing palm, which, forming an impenetrable
mass hanging from the branches of the highest trees, often bars
the progress of the traveller.
Of the small palms belonging to the genera Chamwdorea and
Geonoma there are numerous species, forming a large percentage
of the undergrowth in the cohune-ridge. One, called by the
negroes " no-give-massa," from its fine twig-like stem, has
evidently been used in former days for purposes of discipline
not recognised at present. Chamcedorea Ernesti-Augusti, with its
OECHIDS. 69
partially pinnate fronds, and simple, unbranched spadix, is often
not more than 3 feet high when in fruit. Other species are
C. elegans, C. humilis, C. desmoncoides, and C. graminifolia.
C. tenella is doubtfully present ; but, if it were, British Honduras
would possess not only the most majestic of pinnate- leaved
palms, but also the smallest of known species.
To most people in the colony, as well as to their friends
at home, orchids, so easily cultivated, and yet so bright and
beautiful in flower, are of great interest. British Honduras
cannot boast of orchids equal in profusion, in delicious fragance,
and in brilliant colours, to those of New Grenada, Quito, and
Peru ; but in many species attractive to the eye, as well as
in delicacy of fragance, the country possesses many representa-
tives. The two commonest orchids in the colony are Schom-
burgkia tibicina and Epidendrum bicornutum. These cover the
trunks of trees in dense masses, both along the coast, where
they are exposed to the salt spray, as well as some places inland.
Both have strong fleshy and somewhat hollow stems, and flower
profusely. Possibly the handsomest orchid in the colony is
Brassovola Digbyana, very common on logwood-trees in swamps
in the north, but rare elsewhere. Another species (Brassovola
caudata) is very common in the neighbourhood of Belize, and
in dry places in the north. Oncidium and Epidendrum, are the
more widely distributed genera ; but Gongora, Cliysis, Maxillaria,
Cycnodes, Catasetum, Mormodes, Coryanthes, and Dichcea are also
well represented. Two species of Epidendrum (E. corJileatum
and E. fuscatum), confined chiefly to the hills in Jamaica, are
found here at sea-level. Also Pleurotkallis tribuloides, found at
4,000 feet in Jamaica, is met with at sea-level at Point Ycacos.
On the stem of pimento-palms in the pine-ridges the somewhat
rare and very handsome G-aleandra Baurii flowers after the
autumn rains; while hanging from the forks of the crabboe-
70 BRITISH HONDURAS.
trees are the peculiar long, insect-like tresses of Cycnoches Egerto-
nianum. On a calabash-tree near Orange Walk (Old Eiver),
masses of a small Oncidium (not more than 2 inches in height,
with flowers fully an inch in diameter) were found covering the
branches and giving the tree quite a bright yellow tint. On
trunks of trees in the river below the Big Falls, a fine plant of
Oncidium cebollda was found, as also 0. lanceanum, in full flower.
In the pine-ridges the terrestrial Habenaria and Stenorrhynchus
were common.
From the abundant shade found in the cohune-ridges, as
also from the abundance of water and moisture in the air and
soil generally, it may be readily supposed that ferns are very
widely and extensively distributed. There would appear to be
only one species of tree-fern (Alsophila), and that chiefly
confined to the south ; but in such genera as Asplenium,
Aspidium, Nephrodium, Polypodium, Acrostwhum, Cheilanthes,
Pellcea, Pteris, Anemia, and Adiantum, there are numerous and
widely-distributed species. Of scandent forms, such as Lygo-
dium, there are two or more species found hanging in festoons
over trees on the borders of the forest. Gleichenias cover
exposed banks and ridges; anemias are abundant on rocky
ledges ; while several handsome species of Adiantum (A. tene-
rum, A. tetrapkyllum, &c.) are found in the limestone hills of
the interior. With the latter, in deep shade, is Selaginella
erythropus, carpeting the ground with its feathery, fan-shaped
fronds.
It would be impossible to describe satisfactorily the rich
profusion and abundance of plant life as seen in the Central
American forests. Each tree, with its huge branches covered with
orchids and bromeliads, and its trunk festooned with climbing
aroids and tresses of ferns and club-mosses, is a botanic garden
in itself. Tall, slender palm-stems, " great broad-leaved heli-
PLANT-LIFE. 71
coniae, leathery melastomse, and succulent-stemmed, lop-sided,
flesh-coloured begonias " — these, with the fine feathery branches
of the bambu, make up a picture which can be seen and enjoyed
only in tropical lands, but which can never be adequately
described.
CHAPTER V.
Cacao plant. T. angustifolia. Shade necessary. Socunusco or Tabasco
cacao. Castilloa or Central American rubber. Description of tree :
leaves, flowers, and fruit. How to collect seeds. How to raise plants.
How to tap trees. How to prepare the rubber. Use of juice of
the moon-plant. Use of alum. Preparation of rubber ready for
shipment. Yield of trees. Value. Extended use of the Castilloa
tree. Shade trees in general. Superiority of Castilloa over other
shade trees. Ceara rubber-tree. Soil, situation, and districts for the
Castilloa. Distance apart. Pruning. Returns of cultivated trees.
Vanilla plant. Found wild and in bearing. Value. Directions for
cultivation. How to fertilise flowers. How to cure beans. Fibre
plants. Pita and henequin. How to establish a henequin plantation.
Eeturn at the end of five or six years. Preparation of fibre. Value
of the industry in Yucatan. Cockspur-tree. Tococa. Habits of ants.
Provision-tree. Indigo. Arnatto. Karamani, or hog-gum. Oil of
Ben. Balsam of Tolu. Balsam of Copaiba. Guaco. Corkwood.
Manchineel.
ALTHOUGH the fact does not appear to be generally known,
one, if not more, species of the cacao plant, producing the cacao
nibs of commerce, is a native of British Honduras. In the
forests along the banks of the Rio Grande and in the neigh-
bourhood of the Toledo Settlement, and again in the forests on
the western frontier, near the upper portions of the Belize
River, cacao-trees are found wild in the woods, with their
stems covered with flowers, and often loaded with fruit. The
trees which came under my notice in the south were probably
forms of the same species (Theobroma cacao), which yield the
best kinds of Trinidad cacao; but in other instances the
characters approached more nearly to T. angustifolia, which is
supposed to be a distinct species, and under cultivation in
TABASCO CACAO. 73
Guatemala. This last is no doubt the Tabasco cacao of the
Atlantic slopes of Central America, which is probably iden-
tical with the celebrated Socunusco cacao of the Pacific slopes.
The wild trees in the forest grow under the shade of large over-
hanging trees in deep soil, and in rather moist situations. That
cacao-trees, even under cultivation in the plains, require per-
manent shade, is very clearly indicated by the circumstances
under which the wild trees are found. The cacao-tree never
appears to such advantage, or thrives so luxuriantly, as when
it occupies a cool, moist situation, in deep, well-drained soil ;
thoroughly sheltered from strong winds, and with moderate
shade above. The Socunusco cacao, grown in the province of
that name on the Pacific, is supposed to be the best cacao
known, and little, if any, of it finds its way into foreign
markets. This cacao is supposed to have been reserved, from
time immemorial, for the use of the Eoyal Court at Mexico :
and the drink or beverage prepared from it was highly appre-
ciated by the Mexicans, with whom it was held with religious
veneration. As the trees have the same habit and character-
istics as those of Caracas cacao, derived from the class of Cacao
criollo, the trees in British Honduras will, no doubt, be found
to be the yellow-fruited variety of that highly esteemed plant.
In Forastero cacao (the class of cacao chiefly under cultivation
in Trinidad and Grenada), the yellow varieties are supposed to
yield finer and better cacao than the red ; and if these charac-
teristics obtain in the Cacao criollo class, then we have in
the Tabasco or Socunusco cacao of Central America, which, as
shown above, is also a native of British Honduras, the finest
quality of cacao which can be grown.
In the woods the fruits are smaller, probably, than they
would be if the trees were under cultivation ; but if any
difficulty were experienced in obtainiDg sufficient quantities of
74 BRITISH HONDURAS.
seed in British Honduras, they might be obtained from
Guatemala, or from Tabasco, or any districts on the mainland
known to possess this particular variety. In a subsequent
chapter I shall deal, particularly, with the methods to be
pursued in establishing a cacao plantation ; and point out the
kind of land and the localities best adapted for it.
Next to cacao, the most interesting plant found wild in the
forests of British Honduras is the indiarubber-tree, called by
the natives "Toonu." This tree (Castilloa elastica), a member
of the bread-fruit family, and whose produce is known in com-
merce as Castilloa, or Central American rubber, should become,
in course of time, one of the most important cultivated trees in
the colony. The large and increasing demand which arises for
indiarubber for all kinds of appliances in arts and manufac-
tures renders the production of this article an industry of great
value. The original supplies of indiarubber, derived from
various trees growing wild in tropical forests all over the world,
are likely, at no distant date, to fall far short of the demand ;
and hence these supplies will require to be supplemented, if
not, indeed, to be replaced, as in the case of Cinchona barks,
by the produce of trees under cultivation. The Toonu in
British Honduras is found in most of the cohune ridges of the
country, and especially along the banks and in the valleys
bordering Mullin's River, Sittee River, and the Rio Grande, in
the south; as well as along the Sibun River and the upper
waters of the Belize River, in the west. The tree is very
abundant in some places, although daily becoming scarcer in
the immediate neighbourhood of settlements. It grows to the
height of about 40 to 50 feet ; has a thick, clean stem, about
2 feet in diameter at the base, and in habit of growth much
resembles a bread-fruit tree, to which, indeed, as mentioned
above, it is closely allied. The leaves are large, oblong in
INDIARUBBER-TREE.
shape, and clothed, especially in the young state, with a dense
coat of hairs. The flowers appear in February or March : they
are moncecious — that is, have the male and female in different
flowers on the same tree. The fruit, of a brownish-green colour
when ripe, has very much the appearance of a raspberry flattened
or depressed, about an inch in diameter ; the numerous seeds
being massed together and enclosed in papery capsules, covered
with a brown tomentum. When
taken out of the husk the seeds
are of a whitish colour, about
as large as castor-oil seeds,
and evidently soon lose their
vitality. The best way to col-
lect the seeds, which ripen in
May or June, would be ,to
gather the fruits, just before
they burst, and to spread them
out for a few days under shade.
When intended to be shipped,
the seeds should be packed in
earth and carefully fastened down. To establish plantations, the
seeds might, in the first instance, be planted in open nurseries,
or in boxes or beds, raised some 4 or 5 feet above the ground, so
as to be beyond the reach of ants and mice. The plants thus
raised might be transplanted at the end of twelve months, and
put out in their permanent places in the field. Where, however,
seed is abundant, and ants and mice are not likely to destroy
them, two or three seeds might be planted out at once, "at
stake " as it is called, in the same manner as recommended for
cacao. In this latter case, if all three grow, one strong plant
might be left, and the other two either transplanted to supply
vacancies or destroyed.
FKUIT OF CAST1LLOA ELASTICA, WITH SEED.
76 BRITISH HONDURAS.
The Castilloa rubber-tree is fit to be tapped for caoutchouc,
or the elastic gummy substance produced by its milk, when about
seven to ten years old. The milk is obtained at present from
trees growing wild, by men called rubber-gatherers, who are
well acquainted with all the localities inhabited by the Toonu.
The proper season for tapping the trees is after the autumn
rains, which occur some months after the trees have ripened
their fruit, and before they put forth buds for the next season.
The flow of milk is most copious during the months of October,
November, December, and January. The rubber-gatherers com-
mence operations on an untapped tree by reaching with a ladder,
or by means of lianes, or tie-ties, the upper portions of its trunk,
and scoring the bark the whole length with deep cuts, which
extend all round. The cuts are sometimes made so as to form
a series of spirals all round the tree ; at other times they are
shaped simply like the letter V, with a small piece of hoop-iron,
the blade of a cutlass, or the leaf of a palm placed at the lower
angle to form a spout to lead the milk into a receptacle below.
A number of trees are treated in this manner, and left to bleed
for several hours. At the close of the day, the rubber-gatherer
collects all the milk, washes it by means of water, and leaves it
standing till the next morning. He now procures a quantity of
the stem of the moon-plant (Calonictyon speciosum), pounds it
into a mass, and throws it into a bucket of water. After this
decoction has been strained, it is added to the rubber-milk, in
the proportion of one pint to a gallon, or until, after brisk
stirring, the whole of the milk is coagulated. The masses of
rubber floating on the surface are now strained from the liquid,
kneaded into cakes, and placed under heavy weights to get rid
of all watery particles. When perfectly drained and dry, the
rubber cakes are fit for the market, and exported generally in
casks. In Spanish Honduras, and other places in Central
HOW TO PREPARE RUBBER, 77
America, instead of the juice of the moon-plant, a solution of
alum is used to coagulate the milk ; but it is said that the in-
judicious use of alum tends to make the rubber hard and brittle,
and to depreciate its value. As, however, it is desirable to place
both methods before planters, in order to lead them to carry on
experiments, and to prepare the rubber in the most economical
and expeditious manner possible, I quote the following, which
appeared in the columns of the Colonial Guardian, published at
Belize : —
"EXTRACTION AND PREPARATION OF INDIARUBBER. — The milk
of the indiarubber-tree is obtained by making longitudinal
incisions on the bark. It must then be strained through a
fine sieve to free it from minute portions of wood and other
impurities, and placed into a cask standing upright. After
remaining for a short time in this receptacle, a quantity of rain
or spring water, double the quantity of the rubber milk, is to be
added thereto, and strained through a piece of brown cotton
into another cask. More water — equal in quantity to that
already added — should be thrown into the cask, so that there
should be four parts of water to one of rubber milk. This
mixture is to be allowed to remain in that cask twenty-four
hours, after which the indiarubber floats at the top of the liquid.
The water may then be carefully drawn off by removing the
spigot from the lower end of the cask, and watching to stop the
flow as soon as any indiarubber begins to pass. This is easily
ascertained by observing, accompanying the blackish water
which flows from the cask, small, long, and thin threads of rubber.
"When all the dirty water shall have been removed from the
cask, other four parts of clean water to one of the rubber are to
be again added, and after twenty-four hours the same operation
is to be gone through with. The remaining liquid should then
be placed in small receptacles, with little spigots through which
G
78 BRITISH HONDURAS.
the remaining water is then to be drawn off. After this, add to
every 100 pounds of the now purified rubber milk a pint bottle
full of a solution containing one ounce of alum dissolved in hot
water.
"The new rubber must be well stirred; and as fast as
coagulated lumps appear, they are to be carefully removed from
the liquid and shaped into a ball ; this is to be then put in a
press and all the remaining water squeezed out of it. After
being removed from the press the rubber is to be placed in the
shade, to await its turn for being packed up, to be sent to a
foreign market."
A large tree of Castilloa, say 2 feet in diameter, is said to
yield eight gallons of milk when first cut. Each gallon of milk,
in the proper season, will make about two pounds of rubber.
Hence a tree of this size will give a return of sixteen pounds of
rubber, of the value of $10.
In British Honduras, the rubber-gatherers are supposed to
require a license before they can tap trees on Government
lands; but, practically, there are no restrictions placed upon
them, and trees of all ages and sizes are ruthlessly bled, many
of which, I fear, never recover. While in the colony I was
fortunate enough to meet with an intelligent rubber-gatherer,
on Mullin's Kiver, with whom I spent some time, making obser-
vations on the habitats and characteristic of the trees, as well
as the methods pursued in tapping them. A fine piece of
rubber, prepared by this man with the use of the juice of the
Calonictyon, was brought away with me, and is now deposited
in the museum of the Eoyal Gardens, Kew.
Having thus described the Castilloa rubber-tree and its use,
I would now mention that this tree, which grows very fast, and
gives a safe and sure return, is capable of being rendered of the
greatest value to planters, not only in this colony, but every-
CULTIVATION OF RUBBER-TREES. 79
where in connection with the cultivation of bananas, cacao,
Liberian coffee, oranges, and other shade-loving plants. In most
countries, planters are obliged to have permanent shade- trees
for their plantations ; and generally the trees used are worthless
except as shade-trees. For instance, in Trinidad the recognised
shade-tree for cacao is the "immortelle" (Erythrina umbrosa),
a tree whose only merits are that it is a rapid grower, and very
common in the districts suitable for cacao. The wood, however,
is so brittle that large branches, or even trees, are broken off in
strong winds, causing serious havoc among the cacao : this tree
is also a surface feeder, and sends its long sinuous roots all
through the plantation, robbing the cacao-trees of the sustenance
which they so much require. The planters in Trinidad are,
therefore, gradually discarding the immortelle as a shade-tree,
and adopting others more suitable. In other places, the trum-
pet-tree (Cecropia peltata) is used to shade cacao and coffee,
whilst some adopt the jack-fruit tree, the hog^-plum, or the rain-
tree (Pithecolobium samari). Neither of these trees can, how-
ever, compare with the Castilloa rubber, either in quickness of
growth, in shade-giving properties, or in the return which it is
likely to give the planter, year after year, if properly treated.
Hence this Central America rubber combines all the conditions
desired in a tropical shade-tree, and on this account deserves the
earnest attention, not only of planters, but of all those who have
it in their power to extend or promote its cultivation through-
out our tropical possessions.
As I mentioned before, supplies of indiarubber are, year by
year, falling short of the demand ; and it will soon become a
serious question where we are to obtain the immense quantities
of this important vegetable product which has become so
essential an element in all our industries. This subject has
received some attention ; and Mr. Clements Markham, who did
G 2
80 BRITISH HONDURAS.
so much to introduce the quinine-yielding plants to India, has
also advocated the extended cultivation of rubber-plants. The
authorities at the Eoyal Gardens, Kew, with their accustomed
interest in the welfare of our colonial possessions, have procured
rubber seeds and plants, and distributed them far and wide, for
the purpose of establishing them under cultivation ; but many
of the rubber-plants thus distributed are not such as can be
easily cultivated under ordinary circumstances. For instance,
the Para-rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) will only grow in swamps
or estuarine banks, places quite unsuitable for an European to
live in. The Landolphias, and other shrubby climbers, require
such special conditions and attention that I fear they will not
commend themselves for general adoption. The true india-
rubber-trees (Ficus elastica) and their allies do not appear to
thrive and yield commercial rubber except in Bunuah and
other warm, steamy countries, and they are seldom planted
elsewhere, except as ornamental shade-trees. There remain,
therefore, only two important rubber-plants on our list, and
these are the Ceara rubber-tree (Manihot Glaziom\ yielding the
Ceara scrap of South America, and the subject under notice, viz.,
the Castilloa rubber-tree of Central America. The Ceara rubber-
tree, being a spurge-wort (EuphorlnacecE) ,has a tendency to form
large tuberous roots, almost like those of the Cassava plant, and
these, being near the surface, tend to impoverish the soil and de-
stroy any hopes of growing other plants near it. This tree, also,
does not become large enough, nor strong enough, to afford high
shade for cacao-trees : and lastly, the rubber is not so abundant,
nor does it command such high prices, as that derived from the
Castilloa tree. Hence, under these circumstances, I am led to
recommend, very strongly, the adoption of this Central American
rubber, as the best tree for all tropical plants requiring shade,
and also as the best rubber-tree, which, all round, offers the
VANILLA. 81
most favourable inducements to the planter to undertake its
cultivation. The Castilloa tree grows in deep loamy or sandy
soil, is a deep feeder, striking its roots far into the ground, and
not exhausting the surface soil ; again, it grows with wonderful
rapidity, soon forming a large, handsome shade -tree ; and lastly,
it gives a return in rubber within eight or ten years, when most
other trees do not mature for some twenty or thirty years.
In a cacao plantation, the rubber-trees may be planted at
40 feet apart, or one tree between every third tree of cacao.
When young the lower branches fall off naturally, and by a
little subsequent trimming and pruning the trees might be so
trained as to give the requisite shelter and shade, while at tne
same time there is a clean stem for facilitating the extraction of
the rubber.
If rubber-trees are planted in cultivated areas, as shade-trees
for cacao, Liberian coffee, oranges, &c., as mentioned above, the
return from them at the end of eight or ten years would
average, at least, about £1 sterling per tree, or at the rate of
£25 per acre. This return might be repeated in about five
years by the same trees, and continued, at certain intervals, as
long as the trees lasted.
The Vanilla plant ( Vanilla planifolia) is also a native of
British Honduras ; and fine masses of it are found in the forest,
hanging down from the trees, which, when the fruit is ripe, diffuses
a fragrance perceptible at a considerable distance. If only these
pods were gathered " when full," as planters term it, that is,
before they begin to turn yellow, and properly cured, a con-
siderable trade might be made in them. Being an orchid, the
flowers of the vanilla have a wonderful appliance, which requires
the presence of an insect to fertilise them. That this insect
is present in British Honduras is abundantly proved by the
numbers of bunches found on the wild plants. At present
82 BRITISH HONDURAS.
these bunches are simply allowed to rot on the vines and run to
waste. Vanilla is a valuable spice, which in some countries, as
in the Isle of Bourbon, where it has been successfully introduced
and cultivated, forms a valuable article of export. Well-cured
vanilla-pods fetch as high as 30s. per pound. The following
directions for establishing vanilla from cuttings, and curing the
pods, have been lately published by the Botanical Department,
Jamacia; and I quote them as applicable, in every respect, to
the circumstances of British Honduras : —
" VANILLA. — This is a vigorous, soft-stemmed vine, the cured
fruits of which are the valuable vanilla-beans of commerce.
If cuttings are taken, their upper ends, or portion to appear
above ground, may be readily determined by examination of
the base of the attached leaf, in the axil or upper face of which
is a small growth-bud.
" Cut the stem with, say, three or four joints, at one-fourth
of an inch below the basal node or joint ; then place the base of
each cutting shallowly in prepared soil, against the bole or trunk
of a rough-barked, low-branching tree, as, for instance, calabash;
or on a low-trellised frame 3 to 4 feet high, the supports of
which should be unbarked logwood, yoke or calabash.
" If the insect which fertilises the flowers of this orchid, in
its natural habitat, is not present, in order to secure a crop of
fruit it is necessary that the flowers should be artificially ferti-
lised. This may be easily accomplished as follows :
" In the flower is a central white column, at the summit of
which is a detachable cap or anther, which if touched on the
lower front edge with a sharpened pencil or knife blade will
adhere to the implement. The pollen masses contained in the
anther must then be made to lightly touch the viscous (sticky)
disk situated on the front of the column. Each flower must
be so treated at or about noon of the day on which it opens.
FIBRE-YIELDING PLANTS. 83
" To cure vanilla-beans gather when full : steep for about two
minutes in boiling water and place in flannel to dry in the sun.
When perfectly dry, place them the next day on plates of iron
or tin, anointing once or twice with sweet oil, to keep them soft
and plump. Complete the curing process by exposing them
carefully in the sun for several days. When quite cured they
should have a uniformly rich brown colour, and the full frag-
rance of this valuable product/'
Of plants yielding fibre there are two, natives of British
Honduras, which are cultivated to a great extent in other
countries, and in no country more successfully than in the
Mexican State of Yucatan, on the northern frontier. The first
of these fibre-plants is the pita, or silk grass (Bromelia pita\
abundant in the forests in the west, where it covers extensive
tracts of country. The other plant is the sisal hemp, or henequin
(Agave ixtli), the fibre of which is exported from Yucatan to the
annual value of £100,000.
Both these plants might be 'cultivated on the land in the
northern territory, and Corosal might become the centre of
a large fibre industry. A henequin plantation might be
established even in dry, poor soils, unsuited for anything else,
and bring a large return on the outlay. The Agave is easily
propagated by root-suckers, which are removed from the parent
plant when about 18 inches high. They take about five or six
years to mature, and after that period the leaves may be cut
twice a year for twenty years, each cutting yielding about
fifteen leaves per plant. The preparation of the fibre is
accomplished by means of a very simple machine obtained
from the United States, which removes the pulp and cleans the
fibre at the rate of one leaf per minute. After passing through
the machine the fibre is simply dried in the sun, and then
baled ready for shipment. The Textile Record (American) states
84 BRITISH HONDURAS.
that the " essence of the henequin trade is its certain and
abundant profit. The fibre costs the planter, by the time that
he has it in the bale, about two-thirds of a cent per pound. The
freight charge per pound to New York is three-quarters of a cent.
Adding commissions and incidental expenses, the total charge
on each pound sold is close upon one-and-a-half cent, and the
selling price per pound is from five to seven cents. In the
English market the price of sisal hemp is about £30 per ton."
In the neighbourhood of the settlements in the south a
common tree is the " cockspur " (Acacia spadicifera), which
derives its name from the fact of its being armed with formid-
able curved spines, about 2 inches long, produced in pairs at
the base of each branch and leaf. The spines on examination are
found to be hollow, and probably have been excavated by a
colony of small ants which have established themselves there.
Critically noticed, a small aperture is seen on the side near one
end of a horn, through which the ants pass in and out. The
other horn, although hollow, has no aperture on the outside, and
as the inside partition between the two horns has been removed
the ants have snug and safe quarters which can be very easily
defended. During the wet season all these horns are filled
with ants, which keep guard over every portion of the plant, and
especially against the aggressions of the leaf-cutting ants. As
the " cockspur," being an acacia, has numerous glands frequented
by the ants, they are not only securely housed but are pro-
vided with a bountiful supply of food. Another plant which is
used by ants for nests is Tococa coriacea, a common Melastomad
in the neighbourhood of Belize. The leaf-stalks below have a
kind of bladder or pouch attached to them, divided longitu-
dinally into two compartments. The ants avail themselves of
these cavities and utilise them, as in the case of the hollow
processes of the cockspur, as nests. It is remarkable how regu-
DYES AND GUMS. 85
larly and consistently the glands of the tococa and their colony
of small black ants are associated together. Every pouch on
every plant that was seen was occupied by ants, and " if the leaf
was shaken ever so little, they would rush out and scour all
over it in search of the aggressor."
The Provision-tree (Pachira aquatica) is a common object
along river banks and moist places : the fruit is round, about
the size of a child's head, and contains numerous large chestnut-
like seeds, sometimes used for food by the natives, during times
of scarcity.
Indigo (Indigo/era anil) appears to be indigenous to the
colony, and widely distributed. Its cultivation does not, how-
ever, offer any hope of becoming at present a remunerative
industry, owing to the competition of the numerous aniline and
other artificial dyes obtained from coal-tar.
The Arnatto (Bixa orellana) grows freely near the settle-
ments, and its seeds, which yield an orange or yellow dye for
silks and for staining cheese, might easily become an article of
export. Near Regalia Estate I noticed a handsome-foliaged tree
covered with red flower-buds, known locally as " waika," or
chewstick. This tree (Symphonia globulifera) is the source of
Karamani resin (Hog-gum of Jamaica) which in British Guiana is
collected from among the roots of old trees. It is of medicinal
value, besides being in demand in the arts. The supple-jacks,
or tie-ties, common in the woods, include Paullinia sorbilis,
the pounded seeds of which yield the Guarana bread of Brazil.
This bread is sold in the form of rolls or sticks, and used both
as food and medicine. The horse-radish tree (Moringa
pterygosperma) is naturalised in the neighbourhood of Belize ;
the young seed pods are sometimes used as a vegetable in
curries, or pickled. The root is pungent like horse-radish, and
properly prepared may be used as a vesicant. The oil
86 BRITISH HONDURAS.
abundantly derived from the seeds, although good, does not
appear to be so valuable as that derived from another species
(M. aptera), which is said to yield the true oil of Ben. Amongst
trees of medicinal value that yielding Balsam of Tolu
(Myroxylon Toluifera) deserves special mention. It is a large
handsome tree found in the interior, which yields, by incision
into the wood, a balsam used in medicine as an expectorant and
stimulant. " Tolu lozenges are well known as a remedy in
allaying coughs." Balsam of Copaiba is yielded by several
species of Copaifera, one of which, probably C. officinalis, is
native of British Honduras. The balsam as it flows from the
trees is very thin and colourless, but soon becomes thicker and
assumes a yellow tint.
The Guaco (Mikania guacd), a composite twiner with
cordate leaves and large panicles of pale lavender-coloured
flowers, is one of the commonest plants on the outskirts of woods
and along road- sides ; the leaves are used as a febrifuge and
authelmintic, but the chief interest connected with the plant is
on account of its being supposed to be a powerful antidote for
the bite of venomous serpents. " So strong is the impression of
the powerful medicinal virtue possessed by guaco that no Indian
ever traverses the dark and dense forests without carrying a
portion of it in his pouch."* The Naseberry or bully-trees, as
noticed before, are abundant in the forests : and from one, if
not more, an elastic gum is furnished which is imported into
New York from Mexico, under the name of Chicle gum, for use
as a masticatory.
The Fustic (Madura aurantiaca) is one of the most valuable
trees of Central America, as its timber yields a yellow dye.
The Corkwood, or alligator-apple (Anona palustris), bears a
* See "Journal of the Society of Arts," January llth, 1857.
POISONOUS MANCHINEEL, 87
narcotic and probably a poisonous fruit, very similar to the Sweet-
sop, which should be carefully avoided. It is said to be eaten by
alligators as it drops [into the water, and hence its name. The
wood, which is known as corkwood, is used for lining boxes,
stopping bottles, &c. From the Zamia, or " bulrush," so abundant
along the sea-shore and banks of rivers, a starch, similar to what
is known as wild sago starch in the West Indies, might be
made in considerable quantities. Among the forest-trees one
bearing acacia-like leaves, and rough, leathery moniliform pods,
probably a species of Piptadenia, is of interest on account of
the use to which the seeds are sometimes applied by the
Indians. After being roasted they 'are pounded and mixed
with powdered lime, and made into a kind of snuff which
is said to produce " a peculiar kind of intoxication, almost
amounting to frenzy." Reference has been made above to the
poisonous qualities of the alligator apple, but these are as nothing-
compared with those of the Manchineel or Manzanillo-tree, so
common in the West Indian Islands — hence the town of
Manchioneal in Jamaica — and in most parts of Central America.
In British Honduras the Manchineel (Hippomane Mandnella)
is confined to dry ridges near the sea-shore, and it is by no
means a common tree. " The virulent nature of the juice of
the Manchineel-tree has given rise, in the Western Hemisphere,
to nearly as wonderful stories as those associated with the upas
tree in the Eastern." Admitting that its virulent powers have
been exaggerated, there can be no doubt, however, that the juice
exuded by this member of the spurge worts (Eupliorbiacece)
possesses a considerable amount of acridity : and it is capable of
producing very painful if not deadly symptoms, if incautiously
brought into contact with cut surfaces, or taken into the system.
(See also Dr. Seeman's Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S.
" Herald.")
BRITISH HONDURAS.
The Carapa (C. quianensis), possibly an introduced tree,
possesses a large fruit, containing numerous oily seeds, which
eventually split into five pieces. The bark is said to be used
as a febrifuge. The timber, known in Guiana as crabwood, is
in request for cabinet-making and for masts and spars of
vessels. By pressure the seeds yield a liquid oil, known as
carap-oil or crab-oil, suitable for burning in lamps. Another
tree whose bark is supposed to possess febrifugal properties
was brought to my notice by Mr. Fowler, who described it in the
following words : — " This tree, called by the Indians Capoche,
appears to be the natural cinchona of this country, for it is used
for fevers and has a bitter taste. The tree is very scarce. The
Indians make cups from the wood for the purpose of water
being steeped in them, which is given to children for fever and
also as an anthelmintic. There is another tree, called Cromanty,
more common ; the bark is thicker and has the same character-
istics, but is not so highly prized as the capoche." Unfortu-
nately, so far, no flowers or fruit of this latter tree, which is
probably a member of the Lauracece, have been obtained.
Another plant mentioned by Mr. Fowler, a tie-tie, or vine
(Menispermacew), is used by the Indians to stupefy fish. They
pound it in a mortar, dam up a pool and then throw the pounded
mass into the water. In a short time any fish in the pool come
to the surface in an unconscious state, and so are easily caught.
It is much to be desired that good specimens, including flowers
and fruit, of these and many other plants known to be used by
the natives of Central America, be forwarded for identification,
and that the specimens be accompanied by full and clear
descriptions of the purposes to which they are applied.
CHAPTER VI.
Sugar-cane cultivation. Its introduction. Cost of production. Causes of
decline of sugar industry. How to be revived. Muscavado sugar.
New varieties of canes to be introduced. Banana cultivation. Hints
to cultivators.' Abundant land for bananas. Present position of the
industry. Cacao. Advantages possessed by British Honduras. Nature
of land. How to start a plantation. Shade plants required. India-
rubber-tree Liberian coffee. Market value in America. Topping
and pruning. Pulping machines. Oranges, limes, and lemons. Coco-
nuts : prolific yield. How to plant. Planting distances. Cost of
plantations. Export trade. Eice. Indian corn. Tobacco. Pine-
apples, how to cultivate. Cinchona.
AMONG the most important plants now under cultivation in
the colony, possibly sugar-cane, bananas, and coco-nuts take the
leading place.
The present position of sugar-cane cultivation may not
compare favourably with what it was a few years ago, both
the number of estates, as well as the area actually under canes,
having greatly diminished. According to Mr. Fowler, " The
cultivation of the sugar-cane was introduced into the colony by
the Yucatecans, in 1848, who crossed the border on being ex-
pelled by the Indians from the southern part of Yucatan. The
success they achieved was remarkable, and the northern district
of the colony became the scene of many small nourishing plan-
tations. The American Civil War caused some Southern planters
to become settlers in the colony, and the attention of proprietors
in the colony was drawn to the subject, when a large amount of
capital was embarked in sugar plantations.
90 BRITISH HONDURAS.
" Twelve large estates were started, involving an outlay of
capital of £300,000. Only five are now in working order, and
two of the largest of these are in the market.
" Keliable experience proves that sugar can be easily produced
here for about £10 per ton, and at the rate of two tons to the
acre. One planter informs me that on actual experiment one acre
of picked canes yielded four tons of drained sugar. No artificial
manure is required, nor any drainage, beyond mere surface drains,
and hardly any cultivation beyond a couple of ploughings to
clean the canes. Canes ratoon for ten or twelve years without
deterioration, and instances have been quoted to me of some
cut for this year's crop that have been ratooning for twenty
years. From all I have been able to gather on the subject I
think it can be demonstrated that well-managed estates in the
colony have been able to pay their way, and persons judiciously
managing their own estates have been able to make a good
general living out of them, besides adding to a reserve fund, or
reimbursing a fair portion of the purchase-money, within a very
short time, even under recent adverse circumstances affecting
the sugar trade. Whether estates can be continued with the
same results will of course depend upon the state of the market,
and steps taken to counteract the operation of sugar bounties,
without which it is considered by those most competent to
judge it will be impossible to grow sugar to a profit in any
British colony."
Possibly one of the chief causes of the decline of sugar
estates in this colony, is attributable to the uncertainty of the
labour supply, and to the competition which must ensue (in years
when mahogany and logwood are fetching remunerative prices)
between mahogany cutters and the planters.
When mahogany and logwood are commanding higher prices
the greater proportion of the available labour supply of the
SUGAR-CANE. 91
colony can easily be drawn off from the estates by the higher
wages offered on mahogany works.
If the suggestions offered by me under the head of labour
supply are adopted, and East India coolies are systematically
introduced by Government, there can be no hindrance to the
regular working of sugar estates on account of the competition
of mahogany works. Coolies are unfitted for the heavy work
of mahogany and logwood cutting, and consequently the whole
of this class of labour will be available for the planter.
In connection with the class of sugars exported from the
colony it might be found an advantage to make Muscavado
rather than concrete sugar, as the demand for the former is
more extensive and more regular.
With regard to the cultivation, I would suggest that a
regular supply of new canes be introduced to the colony, as the
continual culture of the same kind on the same land must, in
time, result in a deteriorated plant, with a lower yield per acre.
At present it would appear that the Bourbon cane is exclu-
sively cultivated.
As in all other sugar-producing colonies, with varying condi-
tions of soil and climate, it may naturally be expected that more
than one variety of cane is required to enable the planter to
obtain the best results with the means at his command. I
have every confidence that the establishment of nurseries of
new canes, such as the Lahina of the Sandwich Islands, the
Salangore, the ribbon and Java cane of Louisiana, and numerous
other rich and hardy canes, would afford planters an opportunity
for testing their merits, and of, eventually, greatly increasing the
returns of their plantations.
As far as I could judge of the quality and nature of the soil,
there is no reason to doubt that sugar-cane cultivation will be
as profitable in British Honduras as in any other British colony.
92 BRITISH HONDURAS.
For success, it is necessary to observe, as I have mentioned
above, that the labour supply is adequate to the wants of the
planter ; that good and popular classes of sugar are made, and
that judicious and systematic management is combined with
high culture of canes, suitable to the nature and character of
the soil and climate of each district.
The exports for 1881 in connection with this industry in-
cluded 3,577 gallons of rum, of the estimated value of £665 16s.;
and 1,902 tons of sugar, of the value of £37,836. The present
area under canes is estimated at 2,300 acres.
Bananas. — Owing to the regular fortnightly communication
by mail steamer between British Honduras and New Orleans,
a large demand has arisen for bananas, coco-nuts, oranges, pine-
apples, and various other fruits for the American market. At
present, next to sugar, bananas would appear to be occupying
chief attention in the colony, and provided a convenient and
regular market is found for the produce, planters have every
prospect of finding the cultivation a profitable one.
The chief points to which I would draw attention in connec-
tion with the cultivation of bananas are : —
1. That bananas should only be cultivated on rich, deep,
loamy soils, in well-sheltered situations, and within easy reach
of shipping facilities.
2. That on virgin soil, as indicated in the last paragraph, the
plants should not be placed closer than 18 or 20 feet each way :
due regard being had to the character of the plants to follow the
bananas, viz., whether cacao, Liberian coffee, oranges, lemons,
coco-nuts, &c.
3. That when the stools have ratooned heavily and produced,
say at1 the end of the third year, some eight to ten stems, only
four or five of these should be left to produce fruit, the remainder
being cut high up or bent down so as not to cause excessive
BANANAS. * 93
bleeding from the stool : this treatment will result in keeping
the stool in good vigorous state of health and tend to produce
large saleable bunches.
4. That as soon as possible, and especially after the stools
have borne a crop or two, careful moulding of the stools with
manure, rich surface soil and decayed stems, will tend to keep
them bearing for a longer period, and save the exhaustion which
must follow heavy cropping.
.The profits on banana cultivation would appear to range
from £12 to £15 per acre, after the lapse- of eighteen months.
The cost Of establishing a plantation, including the price of land
(at a dollar an acre), will not exceed some £8 per acre until
the first crop is reaped.
As I have already mentioned, there are some thousands of
acres of splendid land suitable for banana culture in this colony,
which offer every inducement to experienced tropical planters
to settle down and reap the returns which must inevitably
attend the judicious and careful culture of this fruit. Practi-
cally, the export trade in bananas has arisen since steam com-
munication was established with America. The export in 1880
was 8,958 bunches of bananas, of the value of £700 ; in the
next year, namely, 1881, it had risen to 22,229 bunches, of the
estimated value of £1,469.
cacao. — Independently of the profits arising from the culti-
vation of bananas themselves, the planter has other inducements
before him, whicli must always be borne in mind in case the
present demand for bananas fails, or communication with the
United States becomes irregular or -is completely cut off. I.,
for instance, some of the profits arising from the sale of bananas,
and the shade they afford, are judiciously utilised for establishing
plants of cacao, Liberian coffee, coco-nuts, oranges, lemons, &c.,
the value of the land will be considerably increased ; and if at
H
94 BRITISH HONDURAS.
any time the bananas fail (as I believe they must eventually, in
even the best lands,, after the lapse of a few years), the planter
will have his cacao or other plants well established, and lie will
be independent of the precariousness of a market or regular
steam communication, and find himself with a permanent culti-
vation yielding regular crops of an article in demand all the
world over.
These remarks apply more especially to cacao than any
other plant.
For detailed particulars respecting the cultivation of this
plant I would commend planters to a little pamphlet prepared
tor the Government of Jamaica, which gives such plain and
practical hints on the subject that I need not dwell upon them
here.*
It may be accepted as a statement of general application
that where bananas will grow and thrive, cacao will probably do
the same. In other words, land that will grow bananas well, is
almost sure to grow cacao well also.
To this I might add for British Honduras, that where cacao
grows wild in the woods, and thrives without any care and
attention, it is much more likely to thrive where it has good
soil, free from competition with other plants, and where every-
thing is done to give it the sole strength and richness of the
soil.
The cacao seeds, or plants, as the case' may be, on an
established banana plantation, should be planted exactly midway
between the stools of the bananas, so that they will ultimately
stand at about 16 to 18 feet apart. If seeds are planted, the
ground should first be dug deeply in spaces about 18 inches in
* " Cacao : How to Grow and How to Cure it." London : S. W. Silver
& Co , 67, Conihill.
CACAO CULTIVATION. 95
diameter, and three cacao seeds planted at equal distances of
not less than 8 inches apart (at the apices of an equilateral
triangle), and covered with about an inch of fine rich leaf-mould,
or very fine friable soil. To keep the soil cool and rnoist a little
banana trash may be placed over the spot till the seeds have
germinated. Care should be taken not to plant the seeds too
deeply nor to cover them with hard, clayey soil. In such cases
there is great danger of the seeds rotting in the ground before
germination. If the seeds are fresh and good, they ought to
show above ground in about seven or eight days.
When the seedlings treated above, have grown to about
8 inches high and developed four or five leaves, the strongest
may be left in its place; the other one or two, as the case may
be, can be transplanted to supply vacancies, or to plant up other
portions of the plantation.
As the cacao-trees grow up, the bananas should be gradually
thinned year by year, so as, eventually, to leave the plantations
fully established with the cacao plants.
In addition to the shade of the bananas it may be necessary
for the young seedlings to have some other shade.
About the same time that the cacao seeds are planted, seeds
of chillies, stems of cassava, or some other shade plants, sjiould
be put close around them, so as to shelter the young plants in
case the banana shade does not fully cover them.
Again, for permanent shade for the cacao trees when fully
grown, it is customary in some places to plant some large trees
such as the guango, hog-plum, trumpet- tree, &c. These are
generally necessary in hot lowland districts, and no cacao walks
can be said to be complete without them.
In British Honduras I would recommend for a permanent
shade-tree the free use of the " Toonu," or rubber-tree (Gastilloa
dastica), already described. Seeds of these trees should be
H 2
96 ' BRITISH HONDURAS.
planted at the same time, or, if possible, before the cacao, and so
arranged that a shade-tree will come in between every third
cacao-tree.
A cacao plantation should be in full bearing about the
seventh year. After that, its management is simple and easy,
and requires less labour than almost any other cultivation of
equal value.
Siberian coffee.— As for cacao, so with this important low-
country plant, it is very desirable to plant it at first under the
shade of bananas. This large-beaned coffee is a native of the
West Coast, of Africa, and its chief economic value is based on
the fact that it will grow in the plains 'at sea-level, where the
preliminary expenses in the acquisition and clearing of land are
naturally much lower than in the interior, where also labour
is cheaper and more plentiful, and where the difficulties and
expenses' of transport are considerably reduced. These charac-
teristics give Liberian coffee advantages not only over its con-
gener the Arabian coffee, but also over almost any cultivation
requiring the same capital and attention.
The market value of Liberian coffee is not so high as some
of the best classes of Arabian coffee. The last sales of this
coffee in the American market have realised 90s. per cwt. This,
as compared with 100s. to 120s. (or even, for the best Jamaica
coffee, 140s.) per cwt., does not necessarily involve a lower
return for the planter. From the adaptability of the Liberian
coffee to cultivation in the plains, and from its more robust and
prolific character, and from the generally more economic treat-
ment to which -it is amenable, it is quite possible that its culti-
vation will prove even more remunerative than the high-priced
varieties of the Arabian coffee.
Again, the fact that the American market is so favourable
to this large-beaned and prolific coffee, gives its cultivation in
LIBERIAN COFFEE. 97
British Honduras all the aspects of a thoroughly sound invest-
ment.
With regard -to establishing plantations of this coffee, the
same steps may be taken as for cacao, with the exception that
the Liberian coffee-trees may be placed at 10 feet apart, each way.
They may be " topped," to keep them within reach of pruners
and pickers of crop, at about 5 feet 6 inches. By " topping "
the trees are encouraged to throw out strong lateral branches
(primaries) ; but owing to the height at which the first primaries
of Liberian coffee are thrown out, it is evidently not advisable
to top too low.
With regard to pruning Liberian coffee, the same general
principles apply to it as to the Arabian coffee.
The several portions of the tree cannot have too much air
and light, and a system of pruning that will remove .useless
growths (gormandisers), and direct the energies of the plant to
the production of fruit, must be, in the end, most beneficial and
successful.
Trees of Liberian coffee come into bearing in the third year ;
crops of at the rate of about 3 or 4 cwt. per acre should be
gathered in the fifth year, with a maximum return from the
tenth year.
• For pulping Liberian coffee a very useful hand-pulper has
been especially invented by Messrs.' John Walker & Co.,
Colombo, Ceylon. It is said to pulp at the rate of ten bushels
per hour, and to cost, complete, £18.
Another machine adapted for hulling this coffee in the
" cracknel " state, that is, after the cherries have been simply
dried in the sun (without pulping), is highly recommended by
Mr. E. S. Morris, of Philadelphia, who has taken a great per-
sonal interest in the development of the coffee industry amongst
the negroes of the Liberian Republic.
98 BRITISH HONDURAS.
If the hulling machine were adopted, there would be no
necessity for the use of water or for expensive works, arid much
time would be saved in the preparation of the coffee for the
market.
oranges, Limes, and Lemons. — Next to bananas, these fruits
are in regular demand for the American' market, and they may
be cultivated in the same land as bananas with great facility.
These plants do not, however, require much shade ; in fact, when •
too much shaded by bananas, they become weak and sickly, and
seldom mature into heavy-bearing trees. Oranges should be
put out at about 20 feet apart. Plants may be conveniently
raised from seed in boxes or beds raised some 4 or 5 feet above
ground, so as to be beyond the reach of ants, rats, mice, and
other noxious animals, so common in tropical countries.
The export of oranges from Jamaica, chiefly to the United
States, during the year 1882, amounted to more than thirty
millions, of the estimated value of £33,700.
coco-nuts. — As already mentioned in the account of my visit
to the southern settlements, many plantations of coco-nuts are
being established in the colony ; but there is no reason why the
whole of the sea-board of British Honduras should not be
covered by extensive groves of this valuable and hardy palm.
The general appearance and prolific character of the trees which
came under my observation in the neighbourhood of Belize, on
the outer cays, and near the southern settlements, surpass
anything I have ever seen. I was informed by an experienced
planter that trees in good condition come into bearing in the
fourth year, that they bear heavily at the sixth and seventh
years, and that a good coco-nut palm in bearing in British
Honduras is of the annual value of $3.
Many of the trees noticed near the settlements had
evidently, when young, been simply placed on the surface, and
ORANGES AND COCO-NUTS. (J9
not planted deep down where the roots could have firm hold of
the ground : hence they were leaning over against each other,
and many 'had been completely overthrown by strong winds.
In hot, sandy soils, young coco-nut plants should be placed
in holes (at the bottom of an inverted cone) 3 feet wide and
3 feet deep in the centre ; if possible, a small quantity of manure
or good surface soil should be mixed with the sand and placed
at the bottom of the pit. If the weather is very dry, the young
plants require to be well " mulched," i.e., covered round with
trash, vegetable debris, or leaf-mould, and regularly watered
until they are fully established.
Where the soil is deep and rich, and the land cool, the same
care and attention are not absolutely necessary, but in every
case I would recommend that the young plants be placed in'
holes sufficiently deep to allow the roots to have firm hold 'of
the ground, and thus be able to withstand, strong winds.
With regard to the distance's at which coco-nuts should be
planted, due regard must be had to the character of the soil and
the probable growth of the trees. *
It is better to plant too widely than too closely. Distances
of say 21 feet are much too close for British -Honduras, and as
a rule it would be better to fix the distance at 28 to 30 feet
for average soils, and 33 feet (half a chain) for rich, good
soils.
Where trees are planted too closely, they are drawn up into
long feeble stems, and bear poor crops, the individual nuts being
small and light. The mistake of too close planting can only be
rectified by taking out ' every other tree, when, again, they will
stand at such wide distances apart, that a great portion of the
land will be wasted.
A coco-nut plantation in Jamaica, well established and in
full bearing (say at the end of eight years with sixty trees to
KM) BRITISH HONDURAS.
the acre), may be safely assumed to be worth at the rate of £10
per acre.
The cost of establishing a coco-nut plantation in that island,
including all expenses until it comes into bearing, do not amount
to more than? £8 per acre.
The export of coco-nuts from Jamaica, and chiefly for the
United States, in 1880, reached a maximum of over six million
nuts. These were of an estimated value of £20,000.
With regular steam communication with America, there is
no doubt that all the coco-nuts that could be grown in British
Honduras, would find a ready market in . the States. At the
time of my visit as much as $28 per thousand were offered for
coco-nuts on the spot, by the mail steamer-; none, however,
could be had, and the steamer had to return to New Orleans
practically empty ; in fact, neither bananas, oranges, nor coco-
nuts could be had to the extent required.
The export of coco-nuts from British Honduras for the last
six years has shown a remarkable development, and is as
follows : —
1876 381,000.
1877 604,000.
1878. [ 698,000.
1879 .. ' .. ... 919,000.
1880 1,623,000.
1881 6,047,160.
The values of the shipments in 1881 are placed at
£6,047 16s.
Rice. — Although upland rice is grown to some extent in the
colony, and about 240 acres are returned as under this cultiva-
tion, there is no doubt a much larger area, especially in all
logwood districts, 'could be placed under this important cereal.
With the increase in the number of cooly labourers, the local
RICE AND MAIZE. 101
demand for rice must exceed the supply ; indeed, at the present
time, rice is being imported to the extent of some two thousand
bags. If it is accepted as an axiom- that " wherever mahogany
will grow, there every tropical product will nourish, and where-
ever logwood grows there you can produce the finest rice," then
British Honduras should produce rice, not merely enough for its
own wants, but to supply the whole of the West Indian Islands.
Indian corn. — Maize (Zea mays), or Indian corn, may be
looked upon as the staple food of the Indians and Caribs, who
make it into tortillas, or thin cak.es baked upon gridles. The
cultivation of maize is probably one of the oldest upon the
Americali continent, the Indians having been found engaged in
it at the period when the New World was discovered.*
Combined with bananas and plantains, or as a catch crop
with oranges, cacao, and other plants of a permanent character,
maize may be grown to a very large extent.
Although some 7,000 acres are returned as under cultivation
of maize, the whole of the produce is consumed in the colony,
none being at present exported.
* " In Central America, the bread made from the maize is prepared, at
the present day, exactly as it was in ancient Mexico. The grain is first of
;dl boiled along with wood ashes, or a little lime ; the alkali loosens the
outer skin of the grain, and this is rubbed off with the hands in running
water ; a little of it at a time is placed upon a slightly concave stone, called
a metlate, from the Aztec metlatl, on which it is rubbed with another stone,
shaped like a rolling-pin. A little water is thrown on it, as it is bruised,
and it is thus formed into paste. A ball of the paste is taken and flattened
out, between the hands, into a cake about 10 inches diameter, and -^ inch
thick, which is baked on a slightly concave earthenware pan. The cakes
so made are called tortillas, and are very nutritious. "When travelling, I
pref erred them myself to bread made from wlieaten flour. When well
made and eaten .warm, they are very palatable." — The Naturalist in Nica-
ragua, p. 56. • .
102 BRITISH HONDURAS.
Tobacco.— Tobacco is raised in small quantities by Indians
and Caribs, but not nearly sufficient to meet the demands of the
colony. In 1880, 62,004 pounds of tobacco were imported for
local consumption.
The introduction of the best kinds of Havana tobacco seed
from Cuba, and the settlement of a few Cubans, would no doubt
give this cultivation an important impulse.
The light fiHe soils along banks of rivers are admirably
adapted for tobacco, which, if well cured, might compete with
that grown in any country.
pine-Apples. — Little attention appears to be directed as yet
to the cultivation of this finest West Indian fruit, although land
of a very suitable character is found near most of the settle-
ments. The soil should be a fine gravelly loam, free from clay
and perfectly drained. The plants, consisting of suckers from
older plants, may be put out at about 3J feet apart, care being-
taken to keep them free from weeds, and give the land, in dry
weather, a dressing of decayed leaf-mould or rotten turf ; animal
manure, unless very old, and in fact reduced to black earth, is
not suitable for pine-apples, and should be carefully avoided.
In rather moist lands, pines may be .planted in ridges with
drains between ; but in hot dry soils, after a preparatory trench-
ing of the whole surface, pines maybe planted on level land.
The best kind's to cultivate for .export are the Black Antigua,
Black Jamaica or Cow-boy, Ripley, Charlotte Rothschild, Smooth
Cayenne, Scarlet or Cuban Pine, and British Queen.
cinchona. — At present, with the highlands, i.e., above 3,000
feet, quite unexplored, it is doubtful whether cinchona can be
placed amongst plants likely to succeed in British Honduras.
On the occasion of my late visit, I was pointed out a tree at
Government House supposed to be cinchona. This, however,
was a plant of Barringtonia speciosa, a native of the East Indies.
CINCHONA AND TEA. 103
It is possible that the Eed Bark (Cinchona succirubra) may
thrive on the higher slopes of the Cockscomb Mountains, but
for the present, at least, with so many other valuable and more
convenient industries, that of cinchona does not demand
immediate attention.
Tea.— One kind of tea suitable for warm, steamy plains, viz.,
the Hybrid Assam, would thrive in .many of the interior parts
of the colony. The chief difficulty would be. in fermenting,
rolling, and firing the tea, so as to gain such prices in the
market as would remunerate the planter.
An experienced planter from India or Ceylon, with a few
coolies, would be able to start, the industry, which, I doubt not,
if it supplied only the local demands, and those of the neigh-
bouring Republics, would prove commercially a success.
CHAPTER VII.
Nutmegs. Soil and situation. Rainfall. Curing of nutmegs and mace.
Yield of trees. Pimento or Allspice. Cinnamon and camphor.
Cardamoms. Elevation, spil, and shade. .Returns per acre. Black
pepper. Native peppers. ' Ipecacuanha : true and bastard. Variety
• from Carthagena. Ginger. Turmeric. Sarsaparilla. How cultivated
in Jamaica. Returns per acre. Oil plants. "Wangle, pindar, castor-
oil, palm-oil, and oil of Ben. Cloves. Fodder plants. Guinea grass.
Para or water grass. Bahama grass. Natural grasses of the country.
Rain-tree. Fodder and shade. Fruit-trees. Mango. Bread-fruit.
Star-apple. Akee and Avocado pear. Mangosteen. Durian and new
fruit-trees. Food plants. Yams, sweet potatoes, beans and cassava.
Pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons. Vegetables and salads.
Nutmegs. — The cultivation of nutmegs is likely in every way
to be successful in British Honduras, with its deep, rich alluvial
soil on banks of rivers, and so admirably sheltered in most cases
from strong winds.
The nutmeg- tree will not, however, thrive in a sandy soil,
but prefers a deep, loamy, red, or friable soil; and while it
requires a warm, humid atmosphere, and a plentiful supply of
rain, it is very impatient of stagnant water near the roots.
Again, " a spot selected for a nutmeg plantation cannot be too
well sheltered, as high winds are most destructive to the tree,
independently of the loss occasioned by the blowing off of fruit
and flower." The nutmeg-trees may be planted in suitable
districts, as indicated above, at about 25 feet to- 30 feet apart ;
when first put out, the plants require to be well shaded, and if
the weather be dry, to be watered regularly for a week or ten
days.
It would not be advisable to establish nutmeg plantations in
NUTMEGS AND PIMENTO. 105
the hilly or mountainous portions of the colony, or in districts
with a mean annual rainfall of less than 60 to 70 inches.
With regard to the preparation of the produce for the market,
the nuts, after being thoroughly dried in the sun, cannot be too
soon sent to the market. But with the mace (the aril of the
nutmeg) it is otherwise. The latter must be kept until it has
assumed a rich golden colour, which it does only after a lapse
of several months. Eed blades, that is, fresh mace, are looked
upon with suspicion, and seriously affect the sale of the produce.
With regard to the yield from nutmeg-trees established
under favourable circumstances, in Jamaica, trees at six years
old give a return of about 1,500 to 2,000 nutmegs per annum.
With trees say at 30 feet apart, and allowing one- third to be
male or barren .trees, this would give a return of 1,500 x 30
= 45,000 nutmegs per acre.
Taking an average of 90 nutmegs to the lb., the return
in cash value would, be 500 Ibs. of nutmegs, at, say, 2s. per lb.,
equal to £50 per acre.
In the Botanic Gardens, Trinidad, the yield per tree, net, in
the market has been over 20 Ibs. (at 90 to the lb. this would
be 1,800 nutmegs), with an average price of 2s. 2d. per lb.
during the year. The value here per acre is at the rate of £60
per annum.
In both the above instances, it is only fair to mention that
the calculations have been based on a comparatively small
number of trees. The average yield over a large area, of say
40, 50, or 100 acres, would be correspondingly lower, but, even
under any circumstances, it is evident that where suitable 'and
favourable circumstances exist, as I believe they do in British
Honduras, a nutmeg plantation is likely to be a very successful
and remunerative undertaking.
Pimento. — Trees of this well-known spice plant, as already
106 BRITISH HONDURAS.
mentioned, are found in considerable numbers in the backwoods
of the colony.
Whether it will prove advantageous to cultivate this spice
in British Honduras remains to be seen. -In Jamaica, the
present system of establishing a pimento walk, is to allow a
piece of land in the neighbourhood of pimento-trees to become
Overgrown with bush, which, in the course of time, is found to •
contain numerous pimento seedlings, grown from seeds devoured
by birds and deposited there. When the plants are a certain
size the bush is cleared, and the pimento-trees allowed to grow up.
With so many and so profitable objects, already at hand, I
believe it is not advisable at present to take up this industry.
It is strange that although pimento-trees grow in many other
places besides Jamaica, the whole of the supply for the world's
markets is obtained from this one island.
The demand for pimento, which is- said to be used chiefly.
in the preparation of Russian leather, or, more probably, in the
manufacture of liqueurs and cordials, would appear to be not
increasing, and in some years the prices obtained are so low
that they will not cover the cost of picking -the crop.
cinnamon and camphor. — These plants, essentially East Indian,
have not yet been cultivated in the West Indies on a commercial
scale.
• The tree yielding cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) is.
thoroughly naturalised in Jamaica, where the bark is in general
use amongst the peasantry, as a stomachic and a condiment.
It is -not, however, exported, and it is doubtful whether it
can be prepared by unskilled labour, so as to obtain remunera-
tive prices.
The tree yielding camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) is fast
growing, and likely to do well in British Honduras. It is already
plentiful in many parts of the West Indies.
CINNAMON AND CARDAMOMS. 107
" The camphqr of commerce is prepared from the wood by
boiling the chopped branches in water, when after some time
the camphor becomes deposited, and is purified by sublimation."
The wood of the tree is sometimes used for making cabinets for
the preservation of articles liable to injury by moths and
insects.
cardamoms. — For the higher lands, at elevations of 1,500 feet
to 2,000 feet, this spice plant could be tried with every prospect
of its cultivation being attended with success.
All that is necessary for this cultivation is, to underbush a
suitable piece of forest, felling a tree here and there to let in a
certain amount of air and light.
The cardamom plants, having much the habit of wild ginger,
may then be put out at distances ranging from 6 to 8 feet
apart. They require little cultivation beyond keeping the
ground clear of rank-growing weeds. The flowers and fruit,
the latter being small straw-coloured pods about half-an-inch
long, are generally produced close to the ground, the wide-
spreading panicles resting on the litter of fallen leaves and
vegetable debris. The only preparation necessary with the crop
is to collect the pods w.hen ripe, and dry them in the sun,
when they are ready for the market.
The return per acre from cardamoms is variously estimated
at from 100 to 170 Ibs. of cardamom pods, worth 3s. to 4s.
]>er Ib. Seeds of cardamoms can be obtained in quantities
from Ceylon and Southern India (Malabar).
Black Pepper. — In many portions of the west and central
districts, I came across vines of an indigenous pepper, closely
resembling the ordinary black pepper of commerce. The aroma
of the seeds, and indeed the general appearance of the plant,
reminded me strongly of. this valuable East Indian spice plant.
I have little doubt that the true black pepper could be grown
108 BRITISH HONDURAS.
in British Honduras in warm, moist situations, and with the
necessary shade.
The plant is a climber, which easily attaches itself to rough-
barked trees, of which many are common in the colony. The
flowers — inconspicuous, and borne on long slender spikes — are
followed by numerous reddish-black berries, which, when dried
in the sun, become the familiar pepper-corns of commerce.
ipecacuanha.— The true ipecacuanha of commerce is not a
native of British Honduras, as commonly supposed. The plant
passing under that name is the bastard ipecacuanha, or " Eed
Head " (Asclepias curassavica). Indian ipecacuanha is the
produce of Tylophora . asthmatica, a common plant throughout
peninsular India, the island of Ceylon, and some parts of
Mauritius.
The true ipecacuanha, is the produce of Cepliaelis ipecacuanha,
a half-shrubby perennial, growing under shade of trees, in hot
moist forests of Brazil.
A variety of this species has lately been found in Cartha-
gena and New Granada, which is a larger and more robust plant
than that from Brazil. This is now under trial in Jamaica, and
it is probable that it will prove more amenable to cultivation
than the Brazilian form, which, strange to say, has never been
successfully treated on a large scale, even after some fifty
years of experimental trial.
Ginger. — This plant (Zingiber officinarum) I noticed growing
well in the neighbourhood of Mullin's Eiver, but 'in rather
indifferent soil. Perhaps no plant requires richer or finer soil
than this spice, and there is no plant which exhausts it sooner
and more thoroughly.
Its cultivation should be confined to the rich backwoods.
I can hardly, however, recommend it on a large scale.
Turmeric. — This is a medicinal and tinctorial substance
SARSAPARILLA AND OIL PLANTS. 109
obtained from the root of Curcuma longa, an East Indian plant
belonging to the same family as the ginger. The powdered root
forms one of the chief ingredients in the preparation of Indian
curry-stuff, or curry-powder, to which it imparts its yellowish
hue.
Plants of turmeric can easily be obtained from Jamaica,
where it is completely naturalised in the warmer portions of the
island.
sarsapariiia. — Fine specimens of this valuable medicinal
plant were met with wild, in the woods of the western districts,
and I have no doubt that if systematically cultivated it would
prove very remunerative.
It has much the habit of the common yam, and requires
similar treatment.
In Jamaica, the plants, mostly seedlings, are put out at
about 20 feet apart, and trained to stakes or trellises.
They begin to yield crop, consisting of the roots washed and
dried in the sun, in about two or two-and-a-half years.
The first crop is said to yield as much as 20 Ibs. of dried
roots per plant ; the second 30 to 40 Ibs. per plant.
At the present price of sarsapariiia, the gross return is
estimated at 30s. per plant, or per acre at about £50.
It may be mentioned that most of the sarsapariiia exported
from British Honduras is obtained from the neighbouring
Republics. There is, however, no reason, whatever, why a large
trade may not be developed from sarsapariiia, partly collected
from wild plants in the woods, as well as from plants under
systematic cultivation. Plants are easily raised from seed,
which is abundant during certain seasons in the woods.
on Plants. — Among the numerous class of oil plants for
which the colony is adapted mention might be made of the
wanglo (Sesamum orientate), which is already cultivated to a
I
110 BRITISH HONDURAS.
small extent among the settlers ; pindar-nuts (Arachis hypogcea),
a productive plant in light sandy soils ; cro ton-oil-tree (Croton
tiglium), a common East India plant ; castor oil plant (Ricinus
communis), already a common weed near cultivated areas ;
physic nut (Jatropha curcas), which yields a valuable medicinal
oil; the African oil-palm (Elceis guineensis) ; the butter-tree
(Hassia butyracea), a native of Bengal ; and the horse-radish-
tree, or oil of Ben tree (Moringa pterygosperma), a very free-
growing and hardy tree, common in the West Indies.
Cloves. — This tree, yielding the cloves of commerce, has not,
I believe, been tried in British Honduras, but it is very probable
that it will grow well in free, well-drained soils and in sheltered
situations, similar to those recommended for nutmegs. The
portions of the tree which form an article of commerce are the
dried calyces, or flower buds. After being gathered, these are
prepared for shipment by smoking on hurdles covered with
matting over a slow fire to give them a brown colour. The
process is completed by further drying in the sun. The best
kind of cloves are obtained from Penang, Bencoolen, Amboyna,
and Zanzibar.
Fodder Plants. — At present, owing to the vast extent of
uncleared forest land, fodder plants, such as good grasses, are not
abundant in the colony. It is true that the vast stretches of
land called "pine ridges" afford extensive pasture lands of
rather coarse herbage for cattle and sheep, but for horses
especially, it is very advisable to extend the cultivation of
guinea grass (Panicum jumentorum), which appears to be
admirably adapted to the colony. The water or Para grass
(Panicum larbinode) has been introduced by some planters from
Demerara, and for damp situations, quite beyond the reach of
cultivated areas, it is an abundant and useful fodder plant. It
is, however, very undesirable to introduce it anywhere where
FODDER PLANTS. Ill
sugar-cane, bananas, coffee, corn, and cacao are likely to suffer
from its prolific and wide-spreading habits.
When once it has established itself in canes or bananas, it is
almost impossible to eradicate it, as the smallest joint will grow.
Bahama grass (Cynodon dactylori) is already well established
around Belize ; it appears to thrive well in light, sandy soil.
It does not, however, form an important fodder plant, at least
in the localities indicated above.
The pastures, commons, or fields, in the neighbourhood of
settlements, are easily formed after the forest is cut down by the
natural grasses of the country.
Chief amongst these is Paspcditm distichum, a wide-spreading,
broad-leafed grass, which forms a close turf much liked by cattle.
This grass is well adapted for permanent pastures, and if kept
clean and not too severely grazed, it will yield a regular supply
of valuable fodder.
So far as I could learn, little attention is paid in the colony
to the cultivation of good fodder plants, and consequently exten-
sive areas are devoted to the feeding of a few cattle, when under
careful management one-third of the area would suffice.
It is a well-known axiom that to plant profitably, grazing
(that is, the scientific treatment of grasses) should go hand
in hand with sugar-cane growing, with bananas, oranges, and
indeed with every tropical culture. For keeping horses and
cattle in good condition on a small area, at the least possible
expense ; for supplying manure for gardens, nurseries, and fields,
and, indeed, for the general work of the cultivator, nothing is
likely to prove so profitable as a paddock of good rich-growing
guinea grass, and clean, well-kept fields of the natural grasses of
the country.
While on the subject of fodder plants, mention might be
made of the Quango (Pithecolobium saman), a tree already
I 2
112 BRITISH HONDURAS.
established in the southern parts of the colony. This tree is a
very desirable one near houses and outbuildings, as it both gives
a grateful shade, and yields large quantities of pods, with a sweet
pulp, which are greedily eaten by cattle.
For roadsides, cattle yards, and open spaces near sugar
works, where shade is desired, no tree is more suitable or more
profitable as a fodder plant than this.
Among the fruit-trees already in the colony, the Mango
(Mangifera indica) is possibly the more widely distributed of any,
especially at Belize and the settlements. The quality of the
fruit is, however, not good; and many very valuable kinds
might be introduced from Jamaica, Martinique, and Trinidad.
In addition to supplying local demands, this luscious fruit might
be exported to New Orleans, where there exists a large demand
for it. It may be as well to mention, that grafted or layered
plants of Mango are far preferable to seedlings : indeed it is only
by grafting or layering that the choicest East Indian varieties
can be propagated with certainty and success. The stocks for
grafting may be seedlings from the ordinary mangoes of the
country, which, for convenience of working and transit, may be
established in bambu pots. Where mangoes do not bear, root-
pruning is the best treatment.
The Bread-fruit, as in most West Indian colonies, is thoroughly
established in British Honduras, where it affords a valuable and
nutritious food. One very remarkable Bread-fruit-tree grows
above the bridge in the town of Belize, equal to, if not finer than,
anything seen in the West Indies. The best varieties of the
Bread-fruit are propagated by root-suckers, as the fruits them-
selves are seedless. As a shade-tree for plantations the Bread-
fruit is invaluable.
The Star-apple (Ghrysophyllum cainito) does not appear to
have been established here. This is a very highly-esteemed West
TEOPICAL FRUITS. 113
Indian fruit, which would, no doubt, thrive well in most of the
river-side settlements.
The beautiful Akee (Blighia sapida), originally brought from
the West Coast of Africa by slave ships, is now a common tree
in the West Indies, and I noticed several fine specimens in
Belize. The eatable portion of the fruit is the white spongy aril
in which the jet-black seeds are partly immersed. This, when
cooked, after carefully removing the stringy substance between
the lobes, approaches the character of a custard, and is highly
esteemed in most tropical countries. " Salt-fish and Akee " is a
standing planter's dish in Jamaica.
The Avocado, or Alligator-pear (Per sea gratissima), is a well-
known vegetable, rather than a fruit, which might be extensively
cultivated, both for home use as well as for exportation. There
are two well-marked varieties — the green and the purple, the
latter, from its larger size and finer flavour, being generally
preferred in the West India Islands. The edible portion of the
fruit is the firm pulp, enclosing the single large seed, which
possesses a buttery or marrow-like taste, and hence called
" subaltern's butter:" The popular names of this fruit are sup-
posed to have been derived from the Mexican term " ahuacatl " ;
the Spaniards corrupted this to "avocado," which means an
advocate; and the English still further to "alligator-pear."
A quantity of very superior oil, useful for illuminating and
other purposes, may be obtained from the pulp by expression,
samples of which were lately sent from Jamaica to the Inter-
national Exhibition at Amsterdam.
The Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) would find a congenial home
on the rich lands at the western frontier ; and, both on account
of its prolific character as a fruit, as well as for the sake of its
abundant foliage, used in many countries as food for cattle,
it might be very well tried. The much-prized Mangosteen
114 BKITISH HONDURAS.
(Garcinia mangostana), first in beauty and flavour amongst
tropical fruits ; the unique-flavoured Durian (Durio zibethinus),
as well as the luscious Cherimoyer of Peru (Anona cherimolia),
are also fruits which might be successfully introduced to the
colony, and tend to improve the comfort and wealth of the
inhabitants. In dry, well-drained situations to the south of
Belize, the grape-vine ( Vitis vinifera) is doing remarkably well,
and its cultivation might be greatly extended. Among other
fruits which might be cultivated are the Bhel (<£Sgle marmelos),
an East Indian fruit of an exquisite flavour and perfume, which
is a specific in most tropical countries for dysentery and diarrhoea;
the different varieties of Granadillas, Sweet-cups, Water-
melons, &c., obtained from Passion flowers ; the best qualities of
Guavas ; the Jew-plum (Spondias dulcis) ; the Para, or Brazil
nut (Bertholletia excelsa) ; the Sabucaja nut (Lecythis zabucajo}\
the Ginep (Melicocca bijuga) ; the best varieties of Papaw ( Carica
papaya)-, the Tamarind (Tamarindus qfficinalis); the best culti-
vated varieties of the Naseberry (Achras sapota) ; the Wampee
(Cookia punctata); the Date-palm (Phoenix dactylifera) ; the com-
mon Fig (Ficus. carica); the Olive (Olea eruropea), and many
other sub-tropical and tropical plants of economic value.
Of food plants proper, the chief, as already mentioned, is the
Maize or Indian corn, which is raised in sufficient quantities for
most local demands. On mahogany works, however, the work-
people's rations contain nothing raised in the country; but
consist, chiefly, of American pork and flour, made into " dough-
boys " and " slap-jacks," both- of which might, in a great measure,
be replaced by native supplies of yams, sweet potatoes, cocos,
pumpkins, bread-fruit, red and white peas (beans), cassava,
gungo or pigeon-peas, &c. Of yams (Dioscorea) there are under
cultivation, the -negro yam, afou, white or buckra yam, and
cassada yam. These require a warm, dry soil, on newly-cleared,
FOOD PLANTS. 115
rich forest land, and in such situations they yield in large
quantities. The negroes of the West Indies live almost entirely
on this nutritious esculent, and care for little else when they can
get it. The sweet potato (Batatas .edulis) will grow in all its
varieties, abundantly, in British Honduras, and at all elevations,
from sea-level to the highest lands of the interior. Cocos
(Colocasia esculenta) might be utilised as shade-plants in young
cacao plantations, and thus bring in a return sufficient to pay
a portion of the working expenses. The same might be said
of the cassava plant (Manihot utilissima), which, both as a
vegetable and in the form of cassava bread, forms one of the
staple foods of many races. The cassava plant is easily propa-
gated by joints of the stem buried in the ground, and these,
planted around a young cacao, Liberian coffee, nutmeg, or orange
seedling, would give the shade so necessary to them in hot, dry
districts, as well as a return in food-stuff, equal to about £5 to
£8 per acre. What are called the red and white peas — really
varieties of haricot beans — are freely grown in tropical countries,
and form a most nutritious and valuable food. None of these
plants are cultivated in British Honduras to the extent they
deserve; but I am hopeful that when planters have carefully
considered the wonderful advantages they possess, and have
become fully convinced of the numberless resources within their
reach, they will not be slow to take advantage of them.
All kinds of pumpkins, cucumbers, marrows, and melons
should grow on the rich, well-drained soils of the interior ; care
being taken to plant all these, as much as possible, in freshly-
broken land, to avoid the numerous diseases to which they are
liable. A member of this family, the chiote or chocho (Sechium
edule), might be introduced from Jamaica, where it is a hardy,
self-sown climber, bearing nearly all the year round a fruit larger
than a pear, covered with soft prickles. It is boiled (or par-
116 BRITISH HONDURAS.
boiled and fried) and eaten as a vegetable, and resembles a
vegetable marrow. Tomatoes, for which there is a great demand
in the States, might be grown to any extent, ai-d if shipped
during the winter months they would command very remune-
rative prices.
Of ordinary vegetables, such as cabbages, peas, beans, parsnip,
carrots, beet, artichoke, and onions ; and of salads, such as lettuce,
radish, chillies, eschalots, and endive, every garden around a
planter's house might produce supplies, equal to those of any
tropical country. I was much struck, during my visit, by the
entire absence in the colony of any attempt to keep up a
vegetable garden, or indeed to raise many plants of everyday
use, even in the neighbourhood of the best houses. With the
introduction of new plants, and it is hoped with the more widely-
recognised feeling that the land is capable of being rendered
amenable to culture and productive at a very small outlay, this
neglect will give place to greater activity, and to a desire to
make the country, not merely a passing sojourning place, while
engaged in amassing wealth, but a home, surrounded by all the
appliances and comforts of civilised life.
CHAPTER VIII.
Labour question. Indigenous labour : how to improve. Masters and
Servants Act. Carib. Indian. Cooly immigration. Views of Sir
Frederick Barlee. Advance and Truck systems. Local enterprise.
Crown lands. Conditions of sale. Navigable rivers. Steam commu-
nication with New Orleans, New York, and London. Eailways.
Agricultural Board. Botanic Gardens. Importation and distribution
of seeds and plants. Geological Survey. Climate of British Hon-
duras. Meteorological observations. Price of food. House-rent.
Horses. Currency. Eeligion. Education. Hints to intending
settlers.
ONE of the first questions, which the pioneer and planter has
to deal with in a new country, is that of labour. In British
Honduras, with a small indigenous or native population, the
great bulk of the labourers required to develop the country
must necessarily be attracted from outside.
Before, however, discussing the circumstances attending the
importation of labour it might be advantageous to consider the
present labour resources of the colony, and in what respects
they are capable of being utilised and improved.
The Belize Creoles, of African descent, but with an admixture
of Spanish and Indian blood, are a strong, powerful race, admir-
ably suited to the heavy labour of mahogany cutting, which,
indeed, they prefer to that of ordinary tillage. They are charac-
terised by a random recklessness as regards the future, with,
however, a keen sense of keeping up the regular Christmas
orgies in Belize, when their engagement in the bush has expired.
The Creole labour is probably only sufficient to maintain the
mahogany and logwood cutting industries of the country in
their present position ; but during the times of depression, when
118 BRITISH HONDURAS.
the market value of mahogany and logwood is low, a large pro-
portion of the indigenous Creole labour is thrown out of employ,
and at such times, it is available for felling forest and clearing
land, operations for which it is specially adapted.
The so-called Spaniards of the colony, consisting chiefly of
Ladinos and Mestizos, are, as the names indicate, a mixed race,
partly Spanish and partly Indian.
They form an increasing portion of the population, and come
to British Honduras from the neighbouring Eepublics to the
west and south, viz., Guatemala, Spanish Honduras, and Mosquito
Coast, or from Yucatan in the north. Those from .the latter
country are generally small in stature and light coloured ;
whereas those from the south are dark coloured and generally
finer men. It is probable that many of these men, especially
from the south, are fugitives from justice, and only remain in
the colony long enough to allow of their safe return when
political and other troubles have passed away.
There are several Carib settlements in the colony, which
furnish a fine race of men and women capable of turning their
hands almost to anything. The men are admirable sailors, and
they are of essential service in navigating the numerous water-
ways of the country and in carrying produce to Belize.
The Carib women principally supply the local markets with
yams and starch.
The Caribs are naturally timid and shy, and, as mentioned
by Mr. Fowler, "their ambition is to be left alone, and live as
their forefathers have lived before them ; if disturbed or annoyed
they simply move to another place."
Although a number of Caribs work occasionally with Creoles
on mahogany works, it is doubtful whether any appreciable
labouring population can be recruited from this source.
Of pure Indians there are some small settlements in the
LABOUR SUPPLY. 119
colony, as at San Francisco, near Orange Walk, Old Eiver, and in
the north ; but most of those engaged as labourers on sugar estates
are Spanish Indians. Of these the Waikas, from the Mosquito
Coast, form an important element. They are small, wiry men,
unsuited to the heavy labour of mahogany- cutting, but of quiet,
plodding habits, which, combined with the lower wages demanded,
render them an important element in the labour market. There
is no doubt that if a fair and encouraging system of immigration
were organised with the Mosquito Coast, and especially, if the
passages of labourers to and fro were guaranteed, the Waikas
would oflme to Belize in much larger numbers.
Of labourers indigenous to the colony or introduced from
the immediate neighbourhood, there would appear, according
to the above remarks, to be four classes, viz., the Belize Creole,
the Spaniard, the Carib, and the Indian. Of these, possibly,
the latter is the only class capable of being considerably
increased.
Of labourers imported from other parts, but chiefly from the
British West India Islands, there are two classes, viz., the West
Indian Creole (negro), and time-expired Coolies. The greater
number, if not, indeed, the whole of the individuals composing
these two classes, are introduced by private means from Jamaica
and Barbados, attracted no doubt by the offer of free passages
and higher rates of wages.
Both the Creoles and the Coolies are well adapted for field
work, and they easily fall into the ways of the country.
According to the census of 1881, there were resident in the
colony 834 persons (probably all labourers) returned as natives
of Jamaica; this shows an increase of 408 on the number
returned in the census for 1871.
Of natives of Barbados, the number returned for 1881 was
204, which, compared with 230 returned in 1871, shows a slight
120 BRITISH HONDURAS.
decrease in the number of persons of Barbadian birth still
resident in the colony.
The Coolies, working chiefly on the sugar estates, are for the
most part time-expired Coolies from Jamaica, who, having been
originally introduced by the Immigration Department of that
island, are at liberty, at the end of five years, to return to India
or to remain in the West Indies as labourers on their own terms.
Of such Coolies at present in British Honduras, there are about
200 engaged on sugar estates and small plantations ; and as the
colony has a good name amongst this class of labourers it is
probable the number will increase.
Captain Marriner, who has very obligingly given me a
memorandum on the labour question in British Honduras,
remarks : — " . . . The rate of wages in this colony is high
in comparison with other parts of the West Indies, but it varies
very much in different districts. The Creole, the Spaniard, and
the Carib get from $7 to $12 a month, in addition to rations,
or $15 to $18 a month without rations. The rations consist of
4 Ibs. salt pork and 7 quarts of flour a week.
"The Indian and Cooly will work for $11 a month and find
himself, or $4 a month with rations.
" In all cases tools and implements are found by the employer.
"There is a special Act of Legislature, called 'The Master and
Servants Act,' peculiar to the colony, under which all labourers
hire. Many of its conditions are considered hard and severe
upon the servant ; but it is also binding on the master. Most
of the labourers know what they have a right to, and they
get it.
" There is another matter, peculiar, I believe, to this colony,
and that is the advance system.
" Under the ' Master and Servants Act,' above mentioned, a
labourer cannot be hired for more than twelve months. The
COOLY IMMIGRATION. 121
hiring season is about the end of the year, December, and it is
carried out almost entirely in Belize, the chief town of the
colony, so that both employer and employed flock to Belize in
large numbers towards this time. The labourer wants money
to buy clothes, and a few articles necessary for him to take with
him to his new engagement in the bush, as well as a little spare
cash to enable him to enjoy his brief holiday in town. The
employer makes the agreement between himself and his servant
more binding on the latter, by getting him at once into debt
to his master ; this is done by giving the servant, on his hiring,
from two to six months' wages in advance ; much, if not all, of
which is spent in the various stores and grog shops of the town.
" The Carib and the Creole do well for mahogany works, and
sometimes the Spaniard, but they, and certainly the Indian, with
the Cooly, are best suited for the lighter work in the field ; and
if there is to be more agriculture in this country, there must be
more labour, and if it can be procured at a cheaper rate than now
prevails, so much the better. . . ."
There is no doubt that for a regular and satisfactory supply
of labour, the colony must ultimately depend upon arrangements
being made, with the Government of India, for the importation
of Coolies, on the same terms as they are now supplied to
Demerara, Trinidad, Grenada, and Jamaica. This would put an
end at once to the labour difficulty, and afford a reasonable
guarantee that there would be no loss to capitalists under any
circumstances, that might arise, with regard to the demands for
mahogany and logwood cutting.
Coolies might be obtained from India at the rate of, say. £15
per head, of which the repayment would be spread over the five
years during which their engagement lasts. During this time
the wages would be fixed at the rate of Is. per day, all things
included. For light field work in the tropics, the Cooly is an
122 BRITISH HONDURAS.
invaluable worker. Demerara, Trinidad, and Grenada, without
Coolies, would never have attained their present prosperous con-
dition.
And what has been done in these colonies, with Coolies, may
likewise be done in British Honduras, which, from the richness
of its natural resources, would eventually become one of the
most prosperous British possessions in this part of the world.
Sir Frederick P. Barlee, speaking at a late meeting of the
Eoyal Colonial Institute, was, however, of opinion that Cooly
labour was not actually required, at present, in developing the
resources of the colony, and expressed an opinion that " there is
no real difficulty in British Honduras procuring such labour as
it requires. I am sure," he said, " there would be small difficulty
in getting labour from the United States, where the price of
labour is not much in excess of that in the colony. Again, at
St. Thomas and the islands adjacent to it, there is an ample
supply of labour available, and at the Bahamas there is also a large
number of the labouring population unable to procure remunera-
tive labour, who would be glad to find their way to British
Honduras on reasonable terms. I am glad to have the oppor-
tunity of stating these things, for they are facts ; and I am sure
that people who will take the trouble to invest their money in
the colony will find themselves repaid over and over again."
The advance system, to which reference has been made above
by Captain Marriner, is evidently most objectionable, and per-
nicious in its tendencies, and doubtless in time it will be abolished:
It has arisen and gradually grown from the peculiar circum-
stances incidental to the solitary and remote life of most of the
mahogany-cutters, who, having only one holiday in the year,
are determined to " keep Christmas " in accordance with the old
customs of the settlement. If all employers were to combine,
and if all hired on the same plan, and resolutely set their faces
ADVANCE SYSTEM. 123
against the advance system, it might be abolished within a very
short period. There is no doubt that the system places the
labourer more completely in the power of the employer, and it
may have had its uses amidst the lawlessness of former days ;
but there can be no justification of its use at present, and its
continuance as an institution connected with the employment of
labour in the colony is to be greatly deplored. Associated with
the advance system', and indeed an integral part of it, is the so-
called truck system, which requires, or at least encourages, the
labourers totake a portion of their wages in goods from their
employer's store. When in the remote woods of the interior,
with no stores within some thirty or forty miles, the employer
must naturally supply the labourers with necessary food and
tools; but under every circumstance,, and especially in the
neighbourhood of settlements, it would be far better to pay the
workmen in cash once a fortnight or once a month ; and allow
them to make their purchases wherever they please. The
nocking to Belize at Christmas-time of nearly every one connected
with the mahogany works, tends to foster the spirit of dissipation
and recklessness which characterises the mahogany and logwood
cutter ; but unless hiring-places are established at different
places in the colony, and recognised by a mutual arrangement
between the employer and employed, it is difficult to break
through an old-established custom ; and the more so, that to
many it is an absolute necessity to visit Belize, at least once or
twice a year. For the most part, I believe, employers in the
colony treat their workpeople fairly and honestly ; and it is
with no desire to reflect upon them that exception is taken to
systems which they did not create, but which, nevertheless, are
quite inconsistent with the spirit of liberty and personal free-
dom, to which they, no less than their workpeople, lay claim as
the birthright of Englishmen.
124 BRITISH HONDURAS.
As indicating that the residents in the colony have strong
faith in its capabilities and prospects, and are prepared to invest
their savings in it, four small companies have been organised for
the acquisition of land, and the cultivation of fruit for the
American market. As mentioned in the account of my visit to
that locality, two of these companies are established on the
Mullin's Eiver, namely, the British Honduras Fruit Company,
with a capital of $5,000 ; and the Belize Fruit Company, also
with a capital of $5,000. The larger Walize Fruit Company, with
a capital of $15,000, is on the Monkey River ; while the Manatee
Fruit Company is established on Soldier Creek. With careful
management and favourable seasons these undertakings have
every prospect of success ; and, as already they have large areas
under cultivation in bananas, the returns with this early
maturing and prolific crop should yield handsome returns on
the capital invested. I regard these local efforts as most favour-
able indications of the energy and spirit of enterprise which
characterise the people of British Honduras, and as also of the
strong faith which they have in the land of their adoption.
The extent of land in possession of the Crown is very large
in the south, where the chief unopened forest-lands lie. In the
north the Crown has hardly any land. The Crown lands lie
south of a line drawn from the Sibun River to Garbutt's Falls ;
and, with the exception of a few lots on lease or already sold,
include the rich lands on Indian Creek (Sibun River), Manattee
River, Mullin's River, the upper lands on the North Stann Creek
and Sittee River, embracing the Cockscomb country, as well as
a large extent of back-lands in the interior on the frontier, as
far as the river Temash. Naturally the coast lands, and those
within easy reach of the rivers, are being taken up first ; but,
including all Crown and private lands, there are probably over a
million acres of fine cohune-ridge, or alluvial virgin soil, in
CONDITIONS OF LAND SALES. 125
British Honduras, of which, according to a late return, only
some ten thousand acres, or less than one-hundredth part, is, or
has been, under cultivation. The Crown lands are offered at
" not less than one dollar an acre ; " and private lands are no
doubt also available at moderate rates.
Under an Ordinance, No. 8 of 1879, Crown lands in British
Honduras may be obtained from Government under the following
conditions : —
" Town lands shall be offered by public auction at an upset price to be
recommended by the Surveyor-General of Crown Lands, and approved by
the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, and may be put up either by order of
the Lieutenant-Governor, or upon the application of some person who
shall at the time of making such application deposit 10 per cent, of the
upset price. Such deposits shall, if no advance on the upset price be made,
be considered as part payment on completion of purchase ; an amount
equal to 10 per cent, on the purchase -money shall be paid on the fall of
the hammer when lands are put up for sale by order of the Lieutenant-
Governor. In every case the balance shall be paid within thirty days from
the day of sale, and in default thereof the purchaser shall forfeit his
purchase-money and also all right of title to the land.
" Bural or country lands shall be sold without auction at not less than
one dollar an acre ; and the minimum acreage of rural sections shall be
live acres, but any land so shut in by private lands or other bounds as not
to contain five acres, may be sold at such rate as the Lieutenant-Governor,
on the recommendation of the Surveyor-General of Crown Lands, may direct.
"It shall be lawful for the Lieutenant-Governor to issue licenses for five
years to persons desirous to occupy waste lands of the Crown, in sections
not less than fifty nor more than five hundred acres, for purposes of cultiva-
tion or improvement, at a yearly rent of 10 cents an acre, with right to
purchase* at any time during the tenancy, or such licenses may be renewed
by the Lieutenant-Governor.
"A location ticket will be issued to persons authorised to occupy any
portion of Crown Lands, which will be exchanged for a grant on the block
of land being surveyed. No costs of survey will be charged, but a. uniform
fee of five dollars will be charged for every deed of grant, and a fee of one
dollar for recording the sam'\
K
126 BRITISH HONDURAS.
"Application to purchase or lease should be made to the Surveyor-
General of Crown Lands, or at the offices of the paid magistrates in the
rural districts, at whose offices forms of application can be had ; and a
deposit of one dollar is required to accompany an application to purchase,
and two dollars and a half on an application to lease.
" Persons already occupying Crown Lands may obtain grants or leases
of the same upon such terms as may appear to the Lieutenant-Governor
just and reasonable, provided His Excellency sjiall see fit to grant the
same after taking all the circumstances into his consideration."
The chief carrying work of the colony is effected by water by
means of dug-outs, called, according to their shape, pit-pans,
dorays, and bungays ; the former are restricted to the rivers,
while the two latter are much used along the coast. As
indicating the excellent river system and means of transit
afforded by the natural water-ways of the colony, I quote the
following table from the Honduras Almanack (Wilson), 1880: —
NAVIGABLE DISTANCE UP RIVERS.
Hondu .... .navigable from its bar towards source, 60 miles.
New Eiver ... '60
Old River
Sibun
Manattee
Mullin's
Sittee
120
30
16
16
16
North Stann Creek ., „ „ 18
Sarstoon .... „ „ „ 10
The rivers smaller than these are all navigable, for a few
miles from the bar.
Steam communication by Royal Mail steamers, which connect
Belize and New Orleans, by a fortnightly service, has proved a
wonderful stimulus to fruit culture. The contractor is bound
to give preference in the purchase of fruits and other products
to those grown within the colony, provided the prices and
MAIL AND STEAMER COMMUNICATION. 127
quality are equal to what might be obtainable outside the
colony.
The mail communication between Europe and British Hon-
duras is carried on, vid New York, by the Atlantic steamers,
from Liverpool; thence by train to New Orleans, where the
mail steamer for Belize is authorised to await the arrival of the '
English mails.* British Honduras is included in the Postal
Union, and the usual rates of postage are in force. Locally, the
postage is twopence and one penny, according to distance. News-
papers, of which there are two (The Belize Advertiser and Colonial
Guardian), are carried locally free of postage. Erom London to
Belize, vid New York and New Orleans, the mails generally
take eighteen to twenty days ; passengers might also accomplish
the journey within the same time. Through tickets are issued
from New York to Belize per rail and contract steamer, including
sleeping car, for £19; this, with £18 for the passage from
Liverpool to New York, will make the total journey from
England to Belize cost about £37.
Direct communication between London and Belize (calling at
Nassau and Jamaica) is effected about once a month by the
London line of steamers (Messrs. Scrutton, Sons & Co., 9, Grace-
church Street, London). The cabin passage is about £25 ; and
rates of freight from 35s. to 70s. per ton.
Between Belize and Philadelphia, Warner & Merritt's line
of steamers sail once a month, calling also at Livingstone, Hon-
duras, and the Bay Islands. Communication by independent
steamers and sailing vessels is being organised between British
Honduras and many ports in other parts of the States, and
* Particulars of this service may be obtained from P. Leckie & Co.,
34, Lime Street, London ; Macheca Bros., 129, Decatin Street, New
Orleans ; and P. Leckie & Co., Agents, Belize.
K 2
128 . BRITISH HONDURAS.
especially in the interest of the fruit trade. At present the
shipping facilities are ample for the requirements of the colony ;
and the demand for fruit is greater than the supply.
Telegraphic communication, by means of La Compagnie du
Telegraphe Sous Marine de L'Ame'rique Centrale, is in course of
being effected, which will land cables and construct telegraphs
in or through the colony, connecting it with the island of Cuba.
The colony has guaranteed a payment of £1,000 annually for
twenty years, as the proceeds of telegraphic despatches sent
from and received in the colony, so long as the cable is in
working order.
Until the direct cable is established, telegrams to Belize, and
British Honduras generally, should be sent to New Orleans, to be
forwarded by the next contract mail steamer to Belize.
The water-ways of British Honduras, though so extensive and
so largely utilised, require to be largely supplemented before the
rich virgin lands on the upper portions of the Sibun and Belize
Eivers can be adequately worked. -Not only this, but the
natural supplies of valuable woods which first attracted notice,
are becoming partially exhausted in the immediate neighbour-
hood of the rivers, and they can only be brought down to the
coast by means of railways. Hence the question of a railway,
which in the first instance is intended to run through the valley
of the Old or Belize Eiver, is being warmly taken up in the
colony, and its construction is expected to give a great incentive
to agriculture, as well as open up new fields for the older
staples. From a recent notice in The Colonies and India I find
that—
" The general idea is to construct a railway from Belize westward to
the Guatemala frontier, and thence through Peten, Coban, &c., to the
capital, Guatemala City, where, besides the area within the colony, it will
open up immense commercial, agricultural, and mineral fields.
EAILWAYS. 129
" So far as the colony itself is concerned, the proposal is to build a
railway from the town of Belize, running south of the Belize or Old Biver,
through Crown lands, to the boundary of Guatemala, in the direction of
Garbutt's Falls, thus opening up virgin forests, abounding in all the
precious woods, &c., already mentioned, the produce of which can be
brought to market only by means of a railway. The revenue derivable from
this trade would be very large.
"A grant of land three miles on either side of the line is intended to be .
given to the constructors of the railway, embracing a total area of 384,000
acres. Of these lands it is proposed that the railway shall give free grants
to actual settlers of alternate blocks of as much as they can bring under
cultivation, reserving the other alternate blocks for sale in open market.
" The estimated length of the line is 100 miles. The gauge will be 3 feet,
and the proposed capital of the company will be £500,000, in 5,000 shares
of £100 each. The proposal has been generally approved by the Colonial
Government, and has, we believe, been submitted to the favourable
consideration of the Secretary of State for the Colonies."
One of the chief wants of the country, next to the solution of
the labour question, is to obtain due supplies of seeds and plants
for establishing large areas under cultivation. Of bananas,
plantains, and coco-nuts, there is an abundant supply of
"suckers" and seeds always available in the colony, The
valuable rubber-tree, cacao, vanilla, sarsaparilla, and many other
plants, are found wild in the woods, and but little care and
attention is needed to procure seeds or plants. But for nutmeg,
cloves, tea, cardamoms, best kinds of oranges, limes, lemons, fine
seed of tobacco, plants of cinnamon, camphor, black pepper,
ipecacuanha, ginger, turmeric, oil plants, fodder plants, and the
numerous choice and valuable fruit-trees which I have
suggested for the colony, there should be a well-organised
system adopted, either by means of an Agricultural Board or
Botanic Garden, which should give special attention to their
introduction and distribution. I believe an Agricultural
Board was intended to be formed in 1879, in accordance
130 BRITISH HONDURAS.
with the report .of a Select Committee of the Legislative
Council.
This Committee felt that with such a fertile soil available on easy terms,
energy and industry on the part of the inhabitants are all that are now
requisite to grow fruit in large quantities, with every prospect of profitable
returns.
At the same time the Committee were sensible of exceptional circum-
stances which had militated against the cultivation of the soil from the
earliest history of the colony ; and recognised the desirableness of some
steps being taken to assist cultivators in the absence of experience and
knowledge of the subject on their part.
To carry this out in a practical and satisfactory way the Committee
suggested the formation of an Agricultural Board, with an annual grant.
The duties of such a Board were to be to procure all necessary information
relating to products adapted to the soil and climate, and suitable for avail-
able markets, and disseminate such information gratuitously and as widely
as possible.
Simple directions for the cultivation of the several products might also
be printed separately or in small pamphlet form and distributed freely.
Seeds and plants might be procured, through the instrumentality of this
Board, with a view to obtaining the best species or introducing new
products into the colony.
Although this report was adopted, and an Agricultural Board
appointed, it does not appear that any practical results
followed.
It is much to be desired that this Board, with a small annual
grant, should be revived, and that it. be connected with a
government department, and submit an annual report on its
operations. Such a Board would require a depot either at
Belize or at one of the southern settlements, where some plants,
especially those of a delicate nature, might be raised from seed,
and where others not capable of immediate distribution might
be stored. Where the distribution by seed is practicable, it
should always be adopted ; but as most of the valuable objects
BOTANIC GARDENS. 131
enumerated above are obtainable only as plants, there must of
necessity be a small garden, with sheds and beds, properly laid
out, to receive these plants, and to< take care of them until fit
for removal.
With regard to the dissemination of general knowledge re-
specting the cultivation of economic plants, this might be very
effectively done by means of clearly-worded pamphlets and cir-
culars, supplemented by short notices in the Official Gazette, and
in the local Almanack.*
There are, at present, numerous works and periodicals devoted
to the interests of tropical agriculture, which should find a place
on the table of every planter, as well as be included in any
public library that may exist in the colony. A list of useful
books for planters is given in the Appendix.
I have already suggested that, as soon as possible, a small
Botanic Garden should be established, which, for its cost and
utility, will be found, after all, the most economical, as well as
the most effective means of carrying on the work sketched out
for the Agricultural Board. Such a garden would soon become
an institution of great importance and utility, and, as in most
colonies, prove most acceptable to the people.
If the railway were formed, connecting Belize with the rich
back-lands on the Old Eiver, the garden might be established
some few miles out of Belize, so as to afford facilities for
* One of the best and most comprehensive of current periodicals is the
Tropical Agriculturist, published by Messrs. A. M. & J. Ferguson, at the
Observer Press, Ceylon (A. & J. Haddon, Bouverie Street, London).
This contains original articles and letters bearing upon most tropical plants ;
as, also, a large summary of valuable information connected .with the
industrial application of plant products. Other periodicals, such as the
Planter's Gazette, Gardener's Chronicle, Colonies and India, &c., treat on
colonial economic plants, and often afford valuable hints to planters.
132 BRITISH HONDURAS.
shipping plants from Belize to the southern settlements, as well
as supply the demands of planters on the Old River. Being
near to Belize, and in close communication with the head-
quarters of the Government, the institution might be more easily
supervised. It would also be conveniently at hand to receive
plants on arrival from other countries, and place them under
immediate treatment.
In the absence of railway facilities at Belize, the Botanic
Garden might be established at Mullin's Eiver, and only a few
miles inland, where there would be good facilities for receiving
and shipping plants.
A Botanic Garden, by showing practically the best methods
for the treatment and propagation of plants, by training natives
and others in the art of gardening, and in the management cf
nurseries, in diffusing information respecting the treatment of
the diseases of plants, as also in saving large sums too often
wasted in new countries in worthless experiments, would prove
most valuable. All that would be required at first would be a
small plot of ground for experimental cultivation, and a nursery ;
the establishment might grow as the resources of the colony are
more fully developed, until at last it might become a recognised
institution, contributing largely to the wealth of the colony, and
fostering every effort to promote its welfare and prosperity. The
initial expenses of a small garden such as I recommend would
be about £500 per annum, including the superintendent or
manager's salary, and the necessary labour.
Until a trained gardener arrives in the colony, it would be
well to continue to make collections of all its indigenous plants
and have them carefully examined and described. I trust that
my recommendations, under this head, which have been already
submitted to the Government, will be adopted. There are
doubtless numerous valuable plants still to be found in the
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 183
woods of the interior, and these only await the systematic efforts
of the collector, and the determinations of science, to render
them available for the general welfare of the country.
Another important step which might tend to develop the
resources of the colony is a careful survey of its chief geological
features. As to what the scope of such survey should be,
reference may be made to the Memoirs of the West India
Geological Survey, already completed for Jamaica, Trinidad,
and British Guiana. In addition to testing for minerals and
ores, and in critically examining the nature and characteristics
of the rocks, a geological survey would bring scientific know-
ledge and research to bear upon the chief economic resources of
the soil, and point out their chemical constituents. In fact, a
geological survey of the colony is now one of its chief wants,
and provided its finances can bear the expense (which, however,
might be spread over several years), the results, apart from find-
ing gold and silver, cannot fail to prove most valuable and
suggestive.
I brought with me numerous samples of soils from British
Honduras, with the intention of having them analysed ; but the
permission to incur the expenses did not reach me in time to
include the results in this work. The general characters of the
soils, however, were of a most promising character.
The climate of the colony, as well as that of Belize, has been
already incidentally discussed in course of the previous pages.
The general conclusions arrived at will, I believe, point to the
fact that, either through ignorance or prejudice, the climate of
British Honduras, taking the colony as a whole, has been greatly
maligned.
That the legislature of British Honduras has a firm belief in
the healthiness of the colony is shown by the fact that a local
ordinance, referring to the registration of jnedical practitioners,
134 BRITISH HONDURAS.
lias a preamble somewhat as follows : — " Whereas, owing to the
salubriousness of the climate of British Honduras, there are few
inducements for medical men to settle therein, it is hereby
enacted," &c., &c.
Quoting from the Honduras Almanack (1882). the character-
istic features of the climate of British Honduras during the
greater part of the year are a most equable temperature, with
strong easterly breezes in the summer months or dry season,
an absence of rain for three or four months from the end of
January, and in the winter months cold northerly winds, which
are generally dry and bracing, and land winds, fortunately not
continuous, which usually bring a good deal of moisture from
the neighbouring collections of water, and much rain. Exposed
to the full influence of the trade-winds, the whole coast may be
considered as unexceptionally healthy during their continuance,
while the temperature does not vary more than six or eight
degrees during the twenty- four hours. The atmosphere is dry :
indeed it would be difficult to point out any place in the West
Indies in which the humidity is so inconsiderable. The dew
which falls at night is almost imperceptible, and it is only
where the country is high and in close proximity to hills, that
the dews may be considered noticeable. During the rainy
season, the commencement of which is variable, there are some-
times short periods of calm, in which, although the temperature
is not appreciably heightened, the feeling of heat is great, but
fortunately these calms are of rare occurrence and short duration.
The rainfall is variable, but from observations extending over a
period of eighteen years, th'e general average for a year is found
to be between 75 and 80 inches.
Europeans form but a small part of the population of British
Honduras, but sickness of every kind prevails to a much smaller
extent among them than in the black population. The principal
CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 135
diseases affecting them are intermittent and remittent fevers
and liver affections, and these are generally of the mildest
description. The climate is such that a healthy European will
undergo as much fatigue and exposure without being affected by
it as he would in his own country ; and where ordinary care is
taken, a moderately good constitution may resist the effects of
climate for a long period of years without experiencing even the
smallest degree of sickness. The mortality among them is small,
and, apart from special causes, they can show a degree of healthi-
ness equalling, if not surpassing, that of their own country.
Some years ago, white troops were regularly stationed here, and
although the sanitary arrangements for soldiers in those days
were very different from what they are now, they enjoyed good
health, and perhaps they were never stationed anywhere in any
of the colonies, more particularly in the West Indies, where the
sickness and mortality among them were so little. In the
beginning of 1867, when the troublesome raids of the Indians on
our frontier took place, the detachment of white artillery which
accompanied the expedition against them underwent, equally
with the black troops, the fatigues ©f long marches through dense
bush and virgin forests, with probably less discomfort, and
certainly with much less sickness afterwards, than was com-
plained of by the black soldiers.
The diseases which affect the coloured population are similar
to some of those affecting the blacks of other colonies in the
West Indies, but there is an absence of many of the most serious,
as typhus and typhoid fevers, small-pox, scrofula and leprosy.
Epidemics are very unfrequent, and are not of that terrible,
sweeping nature which characterises epidemics in the West
Indies generally. Within the memory of the oldest inhabitant
small-pox has only prevailed once, viz., in the year 1856 ; and
in the years 1860 and 1869 there were a few sporadic cases of
136
BRITISH HONDURAS.
yellow fever, confined principally to the white population. For
men who have already had experience in tropical countries,
there is nothing in the climate of British Honduras which they
have to fear. The fact already alluded to, namely, of the
existence of a settlement of white emigrants from the Southern
States who have established comfortable homes at almost sea-
level, and turned, by their own hands, a wild tropical forest into a
number of rich and prosperous plantations, sufficiently indicates
the general healthiness of the country. Writing of this settle-
ment in 1878, Lieutenant-Governor Barlee remarks, that although
some five or six families have lived here for a period of nine
years, not a single death has occurred among them, nor any illness
other than of a temporary nat re.
From a very careful series of returns prepared by the medical
officer of health (Dr. Hunter), and his colleague (Dr. Muir), the
following table has been compiled.
MEAN HEADINGS OF METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS AT BELIZE FOR
THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
Reading of Barometer,
Means of
Thermometer, Means of
Rainfall.
Year.
i
d
4
«
V
,1
,
9J
t|
1
§
m
1
a
bO
a
bp
s
bo
i
13 :*
O >
o-
c
S|
§|
1878
29-92 ! 30-35
29-75
0-60
88 -22
71-37
16 -85
84-92
76-56
8-36
146
105-48
1879
30-04
30-38
29-80
0 -58
89 -50
60-00
29-50
83 -25
74-00
9-25
174
1U "24
1880
30 -03
30-32
29-70
<>-i;:i
90 -50
61-00
29-50
83 -50
71-50
12-00
126
77-74
1881
2989 30-02
29-75
0-27
90-50
62-00
28-50
83-65
74-07
9-58
147
91-46
The annual mean temperature at sea-level is 79'5° Fah. ; in
the interior it is considerably lower. For instance, at Orange
Walk (Old River) in November last, at 6 a.m., the thermometer
often stood at 67° Fah. ; and sometimes, especially during the
prevalence of cold northerly winds, I have no doubt it would
fall much lower.
COST OF LIVING. 137
As regards the prices of the ordinary articles of consumption,
bread and rice sell at 3d. per pound ; beef, rather tough, 6d. to
9d. per pound ; pork, with a good supply, Qd. to 9d. per pound ;
mutton, rather scarce, Is. per pound ; turtle, plentiful, Qd. per
pound ; fish, abundant and good, about \d. per pound ; fowls,
poor, 2s. each ; turkeys, cheap and good, 3s. each ; ducks, scarce,
2s. each. General retail shopping, either in dry goods or
preserved provisions, can be done in Belize on a slight advance
of prices in England and the States ; in many cases articles
can be bought in Belize of better quality and cheaper than in the
West India Islands ; while the large and well-built stores " are
exceptionally well furnished with all kinds of goods."
House-rent, in Belize and the larger settlements, ranges from
25s. to £6 per month, according to position and accommodation.
Horses, chiefly raised from Spanish breeds, are moderately
cheap ; a good strong pony, admirably suited for threading the
bush-tracks and mahogany-truck paths of the country, and
crossing creeks, may be had for £25. Bullocks and mules are
chiefly used for draught purposes, horses being reserved for
lighter work and riding.
It would appear that all the money of the neighbouring
Republics is current in Belize : for Mexican, Guatemalan, and
American dollars pass, side by side, with English shillings and
half-crowns. Gold is seldom seen. As there is no Bank in the
colony, great inconvenience is often felt in keeping and dis-
bursing large sums ; as, in the absence of gold and paper money,
they usually consist of a wonderful assortment of silver coin.
The principal and official language of the colony is English.
The negroes speak Creole-English, so well known in the West
India Islands; the other elements speak Spanish, which is not
Castilian ; Maya, the chief language of the Indians ; and Carib.
As regards religion, there is no established Church; the
138 BRITISH HONDURAS.
clergy being for the most part supported by their respective
congregations. The Church of England is included in the
diocese of Jamaica. The majority of the people, arising no
doubt from the Spanish element, were returned in the census of
1871 as Eoman Catholics. The numbers being : Eoman Catholics,
15,000, Protestants 9,000. In the latter were included members
of the Wesleyan and Baptist congregations, as -well as the
Church of England.
The schools in the colony are generally connected with the
religious denominations, and superintended by the clergy. By
a late return, two schools are Church of England, ten Eoman
Catholic, ten Wesleyan, and one Baptist. The teachers are
granted certificates according to merit, and receive a certain
amount of Government aid.
Before closing this chapter, it may be well to mention, that
the men most likely to succeed in a new country like British
Honduras are those which have already had some experience in
a tropical country, and are able to bring some capital with
them. As I mentioned lately in a paper read before the Eoyal
Colonial Institute —
" For the last thirty or forty years, the tide of emigration, as regards
tropical planters, and consequently the flow of capital, has steadily set to
the eastward, and thousands of men possessing means and energy have
settled on the Nilgiris, on the slopes of the Himalayas, and on the moun-
tains of Ceylon, to cultivate tea, coffee, and cinchona. More recently
they have gone still further east, to Perak, Johore, Sumatra, and
Borneo.
"Now, however, that the dreadful coffee-leaf disease has induced so
depressing an influence in all Eastern countries ; and whilst Englishmen
are contemplating investing their capital in countries not under British
rule, and in places so remote and so little accessible to the chief markets of
the world, it seems not inappropriate to consider what lands, what
facilities for culture, and what returns on capital, the West Indies — within
some eighteen days of England, and in close and easy communication with
CHARACTER OF INTENDING SETTLERS. 139
the vast markets of Europe and America — have to offer the pioneer and
the planter."
I have no hesitation whatever in stating, from my knowledge
of the East Indies, that British Honduras, in the surpassing
richness of its soil, in its wonderful facilities for the growth of
numerous tropical plants, and in its proximity to, and close
connection with, the large and increasing markets of the United
States and Canada, possesses advantages unequalled in any
country in the East Indies ; and, especially in those, such as
Perak, Johore, and Borneo, where all the difficulties and draw-
backs of native rule are increased by remoteness from suitable
markets.
Men who have served a cadetship on a good estate in Ceylon
or Southern India, and who are unable to invest in these countries,
would do well to .consider the prospects offered them in the
West Indies. With a capital of from £1,500 to £2,000, a good
banana plantation might be established in British Honduras,
which should bring in a return within some eighteen months of
planting. Concurrently with bananas, coco-nuts, cacao, Liberian
coffee and spices might be planted, and eventually a good
property established of a permanent and remunerative character.
With a large capital, say of £5,000 to £8,000 (and land at a
dollar per acre), a sugar estate might be started ; and the
numerous other products gradually grouped around it for the
more complete utilisation of the land, as well as for supplement-
ing the resources of the planter.
For young men who have had no previous experience of a
tropical country, it would be very undesirable for them to go
out to British Honduras, unless they have made previous
arrangements to place themselves for a year or two under the
control of an experienced planter. Such men require to become
acquainted with the ways of the country, and with the manage-
140 BIUTISH HONDURAS.
ment of labour ; as also to become inured to the climate and the
somewhat rough and hard life of the pioneer in new lands. So
that, apart from what knowledge they may have of the principles
of agriculture, and of the cultivation of tropical plants, it is very
important that new men should spend some time in the colony,
and become 'thoroughly acquainted with it, before they invest
their money.
If such men were to place themselves under experienced and
successful planters, such as the managers of Eegalia, Serpon, or
Seven Hills Estates, and make arrangements to spend, say,
twelve or eighteen months in learning the details of estate life,
they would at the end of that time be in a position to invest their
capital to the best advantage, and be prepared to undertake
the management of their own property with every prospect of
success.
I would be inclined to place £1,000 as the lowest sum a man
should have to embark in fruit-growing in British Honduras.
Many, already established in the colony, have started on much
less, but they have had the advantage of local knowledge and
experience to guide them. During the first year of a cadet's
life, his expenses will probably be £120 to £150. He has to
maintain himself for another year or two before any returns
come in from his plantation : this will bring up his expenditure
to some £350 ; and at the lowest calculation a plantation of fifty
acres of bananas, with a small house for the manager, and some
huts for the labourers, cannot cost less than £500 to £600.
Hence it would appear that £1,000 is about the lowest sum
required. It would be more advantageous to possess £2,000, as,
in addition to bananas, coco-nuts might also be planted, which,
as they require some five or six years to mature, should be put
out during the first year of the planter's operations.
The great want of the colony would appear to be not merely
HINTS TO SETTLERS. 141
capital or labour, but a class of trustworthy and capable head-
men or foremen to control and teach the ordinary Creole or
Indian. The early history of the country has been unfavourable
to the development of agricultural pursuits, and hence hardly a
man in the colony is acquainted even with the most elementary
principles of planting. The European manager or proprietor
must therefore be prepared to teach and train his men, and give
close and constant attention to every detail of estate work. Hence
a man with a good practical knowledge of planting, acquired in
other tropical countries, is the more likely to succeed in British
Honduras ; and next to him the young, able-bodied cadet, who is
content to wait and to pick up his experience little by little
under an older man, until he is qualified to embark on his own
account.
The man without capital is evidently not required in British
Honduras at present ; in fact, there are no salaried appointments
to which he could be appointed, and I would advise such to try
the older and more settled colonies.
To men who have already been in the tropics it is needless
to say much as regards the nature of the outfit most suitable
for pioneering work in a new country. For cadets, the case is
different. As a rule, young men arrive in the tropics with number-
less things for which they can have no possible use. Either they
bring out an elaborate outfit, composed entirely of fine, well-
made clothes and thin boots, which the first day in the jungle
will irretrievably spoil ; or they come out booted, and spurred,
and armed in such a fashion that they appear like amateur
brigands. The chief requisites of a young planter are rather
light, well-made boots, capable of keeping out wet, care being
taken that they are not too heavy; a good pair of leather
leggings, made to strap, not button ; and a knicker-bocker suit —
with or without a waistcoat — of tweed or cheviot. Two or
L
142 BRITISH HONDURAS.
three, or even four sets of these, with a good riding suit of
whipcord, would be invaluable for everyday use, supplemented
by a good waterproof coat, soft wideawake hat, and a solar
helmet. As regards other clothes, each person should be guided
by his own tastes and resources. For town wear, gentlemen in
the tropics usually dress as in England in July and August :
thin tweeds, light or dark in colour, are veiy serviceable, as also
blue serges.
For river travelling or camping-out, a good waterproof rug,
an ulster, or warm wrap, a mosquito net, a hammock, a useful
gun, a machete or cutlass, a compass, and a few canteen utensils
are most valuable. One of Davis's colonial saddles, with com-
plete fittings, are essential where riding is not a luxury, but often
the only means of travelling from place to place. For most
other things, possibly the local stores are as advantageous as
those in Europe ; for if the risk of loss and damage is added
to the expenses of agency, freight, insurance, and customs dues,
the difference in price is not very great. Moreover, the colonial
store possesses the advantage of supplying goods exactly suitable
to the requirements of the country, and of placing them at the
disposal of the planter in large or small quantities, as he may
require them. For underclothing, fine flannel shirts, with loose
easy collars, are the best for everyday wear, with a good supply
of print and white shirts for evening or town wear. Drawers
are looked upon by some as essential to keep out ticks and sand-
flies ; while a cholera-belt, or a strip of flannel worn round the
loins, is decidedly useful when exposed to extremes of tempera-
ture and heavy rains, incidental to a planter's life. It is hardly
necessary to state that although generally the weather along
the coast is warm, there are periods of extreme cold felt in the
interior, due to the cloudless skies and the rapid radiation of
heat, when warm wraps are essential.
SEASONS. 14o
A very important element in the outfit of a tropical planter
is a small medicine chest, containing a few of the most suitable
remedies for cases of emergency likely to arise in the jungle.
Speaking from my own experience of life in the tropics, there
is nothing so generally useful and so likely to supply exactly
what is required in the way of medicines as Kirby's " Miniature
Dispensary," which is a small and very portable medicine chest
costing only some 20s. Each chest is supplied with plain direc-
tions, or a guide to proper remedies for common ailments, acci-
dents, and emergencies, and by means of this convenient addition
to one's luggage I have been able to treat immediately the
ailments of myself or my servants, which might have become,
by delay, very serious. For the information of persons intend-
ing to go out to the tropics I may add that the "Miniature
Dispensary" can be obtained from Messrs. H. & T. Kirby
& Co., 14, Newman Street, Oxford Street, W.
The best time of year to arrive in British Honduras would
be in the cool weather, after the October rains, and during what
are generally termed there the winter months. Being entirely
within the northern tropics the seasons follow in the order of
those of England, with the exception that there are no well-
defined differences, except in the matter of slight coolness,
between summer and winter. A West Indian winter is still a
time of bright sunny weather, a little tempered, however, by north
winds, which render the early mornings and evenings quite
cool. If the rains are not delayed, the months of November
and December are the best to land in and begin life, as river
travelling is easy and pleasant. For bush work it is better to
choose the dry weather of February, March, and April, when
riding through any portion of the colony is practically easy, and
camping out unattended by many of the discomforts of the wet
season.
APPENDIX.
List of Books and Serials suitable for Tropical Planters.
BOOKS.
The Treasury of Botany : a Popular Dictionary of the Vegetable Kingdom.
Longmans & Co., London.
Encyclopaedia of the Industrial Arts, Manufactures, and Commercial
Products. E. & F. N. Spon, London.
The Tropical Agriculturist. Porter, London.
Tropical Agriculture. Simmonds, London.
Notes on the Sugar-Cane and the Manufacture of Sugar in the West Indies.
Anderson, Trinidad.
The Practical Sugar Planter. Wray, London.
New Commercial Plants, with directions how to grow them. Six numbers.
Thomas Christy, F.L.S., London.
Chocolate and Cocoa : Growth and Culture, Manufacture, &c. Hewett,
London.
Cacao : How to Grow and how to Cure it Morris, London.
The Coffee Planter of St. Domingo. Laborie, London.
Coffee Planting in Southern India and Ceylon. Hull, London.
The Coffee Planter in Ceylon. Sabonadiere, London. .
Vanilla : its Cultivation in India. O'Conor, Calcutta.
Tropical Fibres : their Production and Economic Production. Squier,
London.
Liberian Coffee : its History and Cultivation. Morris, Kingston, Jamaica.
The Cultivation of Liberian Coffee in the West Indies. Nicolls, London.
On the Cultivation of Coffee, Cardamom, Rubber-yielding Plants, &c., &c.
(See Ceylon Observer Press Series of Handbooks). Haddon & Co.,
London.
APPENDIX. 145
SERIALS.
The Tropical Agriculturist. Monthly Magazine. Ferguson, Colombo,
Ceylon ; Haddon & Co., London.
Pharmaceutical Journal and Transactions. Monthly Record. London.
The Journal of the Society of Arts. Monthly Magazine. London.
The Technologist : a Monthly Record of Science, &c. London.
The Sugar-Cane : a Monthly Magazine. Manchester.
Agricultural Gazette of India. Calcutta.
The Planter's Gazette. Fortnightly. London.
The Gardener's Chronicle. Weekly. London.
The Colonies and India. Weekly. London.
For special information on British Honduras see : —
An Almanack of British Honduras for the year 1883 : an annual publica-
tion compiled in the Colonial Secretary's Office, and printed at the
Government Printing Office, Belize.
A Narrative of a Journey across the Unexplored Portion of British
Honduras, with a short sketch of the History and Resources of the
Colony. By Henry Fowler, Colonial Secretary. Belize, 1879.
On the History, Trade, and Natural Resources of British Honduras. A
Paper read before the Society of Arts by Mr. Chief Justice Temple.
Journal of the Society of Arts, January llth, 1857.
Planting Enterprise in the West Indies. A Paper read before the Royal
Colonial Institute, 12th June, 1883, by D. Morris, M.A., F.L.S.,
F.G.S. Proceedings of the Royal Colonial Institute. London :
Sampson Low & Co., 1883.
British Honduras : An Historical and Descriptive Account of the Colony
from its settlement, 1670. By Archibald Robertson Gibbs. London :
Sampson Low & Co., 1883.
INDEX.
Acacia spadicifera, 84.
Acrocomia sclerocarpa, 68.
Acrostichum, 70.
Adiantum, 70.
Admiral Benbow, 2.
Advance system, 122.
Agave ixtli, 83.
Agriculture, 10.
Agricultural board, 129.
Akee, 113.
Allamanda, 14.
ADigators, 21.
Alligator-wood, 86.
All Pines, 8, 27.
Ancient ruins, 10.
Anona palustris, 86.
Ants, leaf-cutting, 24.
Area of colony, 5.
Armadillo, 21.
Arnatto, 85.
Arundo, 30.
Asplenium, 70.
BABOONS, 21.
Bactris horrida, 67.
Bahama grass, 14.
Baker's, 12.
Balise, 13.
Balsam of Tolu, 86.
Bambu, 11, 44.
Bananas, 16, 26, 92.
Barlee, Sir Fred. P., 17, 122.
Bay of Honduras, 3, 5.
Baymen, 3, 61.
Beaver Dam, 42.
Belize Creole, 13, 15, 115.
harbour of, 15.
health of, 15.
river, 3, 5, 6, 9.
town of, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14, 41.
Big Falls, 11.
Birds, 21.
Bixa orellana, 85.
Blanconeaux, Mr., 50.
Blighia sapida, 113.
Boom, 12.
Botanic gardens, 131.
Boundaries, 1, 4, 5.
Brassovola, 69.
Bread-fruit, 111.
Bread-nut, 63.
Broken-ridge, 63.
Bromelia pita, 83.
Brosimum alicastrum, 63.
Brot, Mr. de, 35.
Building stone, 20.
Bulrush, 34, 87.
Burnaby's laws, 3.
Butcher Burn's Bank, 41.
CABBAGE PALM, 11, 34.
Cacao, 72, 93.
Calonictyon speciosum, 76.
Calophyllum calaba, 62.
Campeachy, 2.
Camphor, 106.
Candle-tree, 63.
Capoche, 88.
Carapa, 88.
Cardamoms, 107.
Caribs, 16, 32, 118.
Caribbean lily, 11.
sea, 5.
Cashaw, 63.
Cassava, 115.
Cassia diphylla, 67.
Castile Bank, 42.
Castilloa elastica, 74, 81.
Castor oil, 110.
Caves, 20.
Cay, Ambergris, Half -Moon, Hen and
Chickens, Hicks, Hot, Northern
Two, Saddle, St. George's, 6.
Cayo, 5, 6, 50.
148
INDEX.
Cays, 20, 53.
Cedar, 16, 61.
Cedrela odorata, 61.
Ceiba, 44.
Central America, 1, 9.
American rubber, 74, 81.
range, 9.
Chamoedorea, 68, 69.
Chief Justice, 5.
Chinese, 16.
Chocho, 115.
Chrysobalanus, 32.
Chrysophyllum cainito, 111.
Church of England, 138.
Cinchona, 102.
Cinnamomum, 106.
City of Dallas, 39.
Clayton-Bulwer treaty, 2.
Climate, 9, 10, 133, 135.
Cloves, 110.
Coast, 6, 9.
Cockscomb mountains, 8, 9, 18.
Cockspur, 64, 84.
Coco-nut palm, 11.
cultivation of, 98.
Coco-nuts, 13, 14, 16, 27.
Coco-plum, 32.
Cocos, 115.
Coffee, Liberian, 96.
plantation at Cayo, 50.
Cohune-palm, 59, 60.
Cohune-ridge, 37, 58, 60.
Colonial secretary, 5, 10.
Colston Point, 27.
Columbus, 2.
Commerce Bight, 27.
Conriiissioners, 2, 4.
Conch, 22.
Conies, 21.
Constitution, 3, 4.
Cook, Captain, 3.
Coolies, 28, 120.
Copaifera officinalis, 86.
Coral islands, 5.
snake, 23.
Corkwood, 86.
Corosal, 6, 10.
Cost of living at Belize, 137.
Coyote, 20.
Cozumel, 2.
Crabboe, 56.
Crabs, 14.
Cramer's Bank, 41.
Creoles, 13, 32, 115.
Criminal court, 4.
Croton oil, 110.
Crown government, 4.
lands, 124.
Curassow, 21.
Curcuma longa, 109.
Cycnoches, 70.
Cynodon dactylon, 111.
DEEP EIVEE, 34.
Deer, 21.
Desmoncus, 30, 68.
" Doctor," 52.
Don Zevallez, 3.
EAGLE, 22.
Egret, 22.
Elective assembly, 4.
England, 5, 9.
English cay, 6.
goods, 11.
Epidendrum, 69.
Eriobotryajaponica, 113.
Europeans, 9, 10, 13, 15.
Euterpe edulis, 68.
Executive council, 4, 5.
Expeditions, 18, 19.
Exports, 16.
FALLS, Big, 11 ; Garbutt's, 5.
False Bay, 31.
Ferns, 70.
Fibre plants, 83.
Fiddle-wood, 62.
Fig-trees, 11, 12.
Fish, 22.
Flamboyante, 14.
Flies, 23 ; bottlass, 23.
Flora, 53.
Fly on sugar-cane, 36.
Fodder plants, 110.
Food plants, 114. '
Fowler, Mr., 9, 19.
Frontier, 5. 9, 10, 11, 13.
Fruit companies, 26, 124.
cultivation, 17, 113.
INDEX.
149
Fruits in general, 114.
Fustic, 16, 86.
Galeandra, 69.
Gale Creek, 42.
Gaol, 13.
Garbutt's Falls, 5.
Garcinia mangostana, 114.
Geological survey, 20, 132.
Geology, 54.
Gibonet, 21.
Gillett, Mr., 41, 45, 49.
Ginger, 108.
Glacial action, 55.
Gold, 18.
Government, 4, 5 ; lands, 4, 6, 125.
Governor, Lieutenant, 4, 5, 13.
Grasses, 110,111.
Guaco, 86.
Guarana, 85.
Guatemala, 2, 5, 11, 19.
Guinea grass, 110.
Habenaria, 67.
Haha, 56.
Half-moon Cay, 6.
Harbour of Belize, 15.
Health of Belize, 15.
Hell-gates, 28.
Hevea brasiliensis, 80.
Highlands, 9.
Hints to settlers, 139.
Hippomane Mancinella, 87.
Historical sketch, 2, 3, 4.
Hondu river, 3, 6.
Honduras discovered, 2.
Horseradish-tree, 85.
Horses, 137.
Hot Cay, 6.
House-rent in Belize, 137.
Hunter, Mr. 0. T., 27.
Hymencea courbaril, 63.
IGF ANA, 21.
Imports, 16.
Indian corn, 101.
Indians, 13.
— Mosquito, 119.
Santa Cruz, 16.
Waikas, 119.
Indiarubber, export of, 16.
preparation of, 76.
Indiarubber- tree, 30, 74.
• cultivation of, 81.
Indigofera anil, 85.
Institutions, 13.
Interior, 6.
Ipecacuanha, 108.
Island of Cozumel, 2.
Islands, Coral, 5.
Ixoras, 14.
JAGUAB, 20.
Jatropha curcas, 110.
John Young's pine -ridge, 41.
Jonathan Point, 31.
KAEAMANI GUM, 85.
LABOUR SUPPLY, 28, 1 15.
laws, 120.
Lagoon, Crab Catch, 10.
— New Eiver, 10.
Lagoons, 5, 13.
Languages, 137.
Latitude, 9, 10.
Lawsonia inermis, 14.
Legislative council, 5.
Lemons, 98.
Lieutenant- Governor, 4, 5, 13.
Lighthouse, 6.
Limes, 6.
Limestone, 11, 20.
Livistona, 14.
Logwood, 16.
cutters, 2.
cutting, 3, 4, 48.
export of, 17.
trees, 61.
Loquat, 113.
Lunatic asylum, 13.
Madura tinctoria, 86.
Mahogany, 16, 43, 61.
cutting, 4, 48.
export of, 17.
works, 10, 11, 47.
Mail communication, 126.
Maize, 101.
Manattee, 21 ; Bay, 25.
M
150
INDEX.
Manchineel-tree, 87.
Mango, 111.
Mangrove, 5, 33, 53.
Manihot Glaziovi, 80.
utilissima, 115.
Marble, 20.
Marriner, Captain, 25, 39, 40.
Meteorological observations, 136.
Mexican frontier, 5.
Mexico, 2.
Middle station, 11.
Mikania guaco, 86.
Military quarters, 14.
Minerals, 10, 18, 19.
Monkey Fall Savannah, 49.
Monkeys, 21.
Moon plant, 76.
Moringa, 85.
Morison, Mr. Win., 35.
Mosquito coast, 1, 4.
Mosquito Indians, 119.
Mosquitoes, 23,
Mountain zone, 9.
Mountains, Cockscomb, 8, 9, 18.
Mount Hope, 21, 49.
Pleasant, 45.
Munroe doctrine, 2.
Myroxylon, 86.
NEGROES, 13.
Never Delay, 11.
New Orleans, 17, 126.
New River, 4.
North Stann Creek, 27.
Nutmegs, 104.
OAK, 56.
Ocelot, 20.
Oil plants, 109.
Old River, 10. 12.
Oleander, 14.
Oncidiitm, 61), 70.
Orange Walk (New Kivev), 10.
(Old River), 11, 40, 45, 46, 52.
Oranges, 98.
Orchids, 34, 45, 69.
Oreodoxa oleracea, 33, 6F,
. regia, 14, 68.
Orgil, Mr., 39.
Osprey, 22.
Pachira aquatica, 85.
Palm, bay-leaf, 67.
bootan, 68.
cabbage, 12, 68.
climbing, 30, 68.
coco-nut, 11, 14, 98.
coliune, 59, 67.
— = — give-and-take, 68.
gru-gru, or supa, 64, 68.
monkey-tail, 68.
no-give-massa, 68.
oil, 109.
pimento, 29, 34.
pocknoboy, 67.
royal, 14.
— — salt-water pimento, 69.
silver thatch, 68.
thatch, 14.
Palms, 67.
Pancratium, 11.
. Panicum barbiiwde, 110.
jumentorum, 110.
Para grass, 110.
Paritium elatum, 62.
Parmentiera edulis, 63.
Parrots, 12.
Partridge, 22.
Paspalum disficktim, 111.
Paullinia 9orbili»t 85.
Peccary, 20.
Pepper, black, 107.
Jamaica, 105.
Per sea gratiSsima, 11 3.
Peten, 11.
Physic-nut, 110.
Pimento, 105.
palm, 29, 34.
Pindar-nuts, 110.
Pine-apples, 102.
Pine-ridge, 26, 56.
distribution of, 57.
plants of, 57.
Phnis c^tbens^s, 57, 58.
Pithecolobiitm lifftutttttit, 67.
saman, 111.
Pit-pan, 11, 29.
Placentia Point, 8, 31.
Plumeria alba, 14.
Point Ycacos, 33.
Ponta Gordn, 39.
INDEX.
151
Poor-house, 13.
Population, 15.
of Belize, 13.
Port Honduras, 34.
Potato, sweet, 115.
Precious stones, 20.
Prices of fruit, 17.
food, 137.
Crown lands, 125.
Prosopis julifiora, 63.
Provision-tree, 85.-
QUAM, 22.
Quartz, gold-bearing, 19.
Quash, 21.
Quercus virens, 56.
RACOON, 21.
Railway proposals, 129.
Rapids, 11.
Gracias a Dios, 5.
Rattlesnakes, 22.
Rats, 14.
Regalia sugar estate, 27.
Religious denominations, 137.
Revenue, 16.
Rice, 100.
Ricinus communis, 110.
Rio Grande, 37.
River Belize, or Old, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12,
40, 46.
Deep, 19, 34.
Hondu, 3, 10, 57."
Manattee, 9.
Monkey, 31, 32.
Mullin's, 9, 25.
New, 4, 10, 57.
Sarstoon, 5, 39.
Sibun, 9, 25, 41, 42, 46.
Sittee, 18, 27, 29.
Stann Creek, 81.
• system, 10, 54.
Roaring Creek, 49.
Rock Dondo, 11.
Rocky Point, 6.
Rosewood, 16.
Ross, Mr. Reginald, 27.
Royal marriage, 12.
Rubber-tree, 30, 74, 81.
Rum, 16.
TABASCO CACAO, 73.
Tapir, 21.
Tarantula, 23.
Tea, 103.
Tea-kettle, 49, 52.
Telegraphic communication, 128.
Temperature, 9, 136.
Theobroma angusti folia, 72.
cacao, 72.
Thrinax, 14.
argentea, 68.
Tie-ties, 45.
Tiger run, 49.
Timber, 16, 62.
Timber-trees : axemaster, bazilletto,
bull-hoof, cabbage bark, 62 ; cashaw,
63 ; cedar, 16, 29 ; dogwood, fiddle-
wood, 62 ; fustic, 16 ; grape, half-
crown, ironwood, lignum vitse (bas-
tard), 62; locust, 63; mahoe, 62;
mahogany, 16, 29, 61 ; palmalata,
pigeon-wood, polewood, 62; rose-
wood, 16, 29, 62 ; salmwood, 62 ;
Santa Maria, 18, 50, 62 ; sappodilla,
62 ; logwood, 16, 61 ; wynaka. 62 ;
yemeri, 31 ; ziricote, 62.
Tobacco, 102.
Tococa coriacea, 84.
Toledo settlement, 37, 136.
Tomatoes, 116.
Tortoise, 22.
Trade, 16.
winds, 9.
Travers, Mr., 51.
Treaty of Madrid, 2.
— Paris, 3.
Versailles, 3.
Trinidad cacao, 72.
Trophis americana, 63.
Turkeys, 21.
Turmeric, 108.
Turtle, 16, 22.
Two-headed cabbage, 11.
UNEXPLORED TERRITORY, 9.
United Kingdom, 16.
States, 2, 9, 16.
VALLEY OF OLD RIVER, 11.
Vanilla, 50, 81.
152
INDEX.
Vanilla planifolia, 81.
Vivenot, M., 50.
Volcanic rocks, 19.
Vulture, 22.
WAGES, 28, 120.
Warree, 20.
West India Islands, 5.
Wild animals, 5.
Williamson, Hon. A., 33, 40, 46.
Wood-cutting, 17.
YAMS, 114.
Ycacos Point, 33.
Yucatan, 1, 5, 6.
Zamia, 34, 87.
Zea mays, 101.
Zingiber officinamm, 10
Ziricote, 62.
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