HONDURAS, BRITISH, Belize or Balize, a British settlement on the east coast of Central America, between N. Lat. 15. 54. and 18. 30., and W. Long. 88. and 89. 30. It is bounded on the N. by Yucatan, W. and S. by Guatemala, and E. by the Bay of Honduras. It has a coast line of about 200 miles between the mouths of the Hondo and Sarstan, and is about 100 miles in breadth.
This coast was discovered by Columbus in the year 1502, but little that can be relied upon is known of its early settlement. The abundance and fine quality of the wood, particularly mahogany and logwood, seem first to have drawn attention to it; and at a pretty early period it was occasionally resorted to by wood-cutters. But the first permanent establishment of British wood-cutters was made at Cape Catoche by some adventurers from Jamaica, whose numbers increasing they extended as far S. as the River Belize, and as far W. as the neighbourhood of Campeachy. The Spaniards, however, did not quietly submit to this usurpation of their territorial dominion. Several expeditions were fitted out against the settlers, but they were uniformly unsuccessful; and on two occasions, in 1659 and 1678, so complete was their discomfiture, that the town of Campeachy itself was taken by the logwood-cutters, with only the assistance of the seamen engaged in the trade. This last repulse occurred eight years after a treaty had been concluded with Spain, by which the territorial right of Britain to the occupancy of Honduras was generally, although not specifically, embraced. The successes of the settlers aroused the jealousy of the Spaniards, and led to a renewed discussion of their right to the territory which they occupied. This would appear to have been again generally admitted; but the Spaniards finally succeeded in driving the woodmen from the Campeachy shore, and confining them to the limits of the present settlement. An attempt was again made in 1718 to dispossess the British of the territory on the River Belize; but the firmness of the woodcutters deterred the Castilians from effecting anything, except the erection of a fortification, which in a few years they abandoned. In 1754 an expedition was undertaken to exterminate the colony; but by a treaty of peace concluded in the year 1763, the Spaniards were compelled to admit the right of occupancy to the British colonists, which, however, they subsequently attempted to annul. In 1779 the Spaniards again attacked the settlement, and after destroying property to a considerable amount, they took a number of the colonists prisoners, and marched them off in irons to Merida, whence they were shipped to the Havannah, and there confined till 1782. In 1784 Britain obtained from Spain a specific grant of "the lands allotted for the cutting of logwood;" and in 1790 an act of parliament conferred on Belize all the privileges of a British colony. The last attack on the settlement was made during the war in 1798, but the expedition, which consisted of 3000 men, was gallantly repulsed; and since that period the colony has remained undisturbed by foreign aggression.
The coast of the Bay of Honduras is low, and the shore is studded with a number of low islands or keys, which, however, are verdant. As we recede from the coast, the land rises into a bold and lofty country, interspersed with rivers and lagoons, and covered with gigantic forests. The lagoons or sheets of water, and the falls and rapids of the rivers, constitute sublime and beautiful features in the general aspect of the country. The Hondo River, which forms the northern boundary, is a fine stream. A few miles S. of it is the New River, which has its source in an extensive lagoon. The Belize has a N.E. by E. course of above 200 miles, and discharges itself into the Bay of Honduras by two mouths about 34 miles apart, the southern branch dividing the town of Belize into two parts. The river and lagoon of Manatee, which is situated 10 leagues S. of Belize, is considered as extremely grand. At about a mile from the mouth of the river is the lagoon, a magnificent sheet of water, extending for several leagues in a northerly direction. In many places lofty hills ascend from its margin, overtopping large valleys and wood ranges of great extent, where the jaguar, capybara, armadillo, large weasel, opossum, racoon, and several species of deer, abound. Amongst the feathered tribes there are numbers of quails, plovers, pigeons, pheasants, and wild turkeys. The deficiency of streams amongst the mountain ridges is supplied by the presence of large marshy spots or shallow ponds, the banks of which are frequented by almost every species of water game. Fish abound during a great part of the year in these ponds, but the latter dry up in the season of drought, and then vast flocks of sea-fowl congregate around them to prey upon the fish which have been left dry by the evaporation of the waters. The alligator is also a frequent visitor; and, to partake of this repast thus yearly provided for him, he has been known to traverse trackless wilds, and make long journeys into the interior. The rapids of the Manatee commence about 8 or 10 miles from the lagoon, and the high rocky banks of the river assume a romantic and beautiful appearance. Further on there is a rapid of about a quarter of a mile in length, and of considerable acclivity. A cluster of beautiful caves, through which the river winds its way, and beneath which the traveller must pass, is next reached. They have been described as equally singular and grand. "These magnificent natural excavations of the mountains are semicircular at the entrance, and about five yards in diameter. Within the cave the arch rises to the height of 100 feet, and leads to another low arch, which being passed, a second cavern of large size opens, beyond which is a third with a circular orifice, through which the river enters. During the floods the mouths of the caverns are filled with water, which boils up with prodigious fury, and thus detains travellers many days before they can pass through the caves or tunnels. In the rainy season, as the water increases on the upper or inland sides of the mountains, the river forces its passage through the interstices and openings in its sides with tremendous noise, forming an indescribably grand cascade of from 40 to 50 feet high, issuing from an hundred orifices." Of the other rivers of Honduras little is known.
The country is technically divided into the Pine and the Caboun ridges. The soil of the former has a substratum of loose reddish sand, and its indigenous products consist of those varieties of vegetation the assimilative powers of which are strong and perennial. Extensive prairies expand over this soil, and the pine, from which it derives its name, is extremely abundant. The soil of the Caboun ridge consists of a deep loam, capable of growing every species of European as well as of tropical aliment. Its fertility occasions the growth of much brushwood, and it is covered with the wild cotton tree and other giants of the forest.
Fruits, spontaneously produced, are exceedingly abundant, and consist of oranges of excellent quality, shaddocks,
Honduras. limes, mangoes, melons, pine-apples, water-melons, avocado pears, cashew, cocoa-nuts, and many others. They are all found in the neighbourhood of Belize, but are sometimes brought in large quantities from more elevated plantations. The mahogany and logwood trees are at present the staples of Honduras. The former is found best in elevated situations; and growing generally solitary, it is discernible at a great distance from the yellow hue of its foliage. It is cut down at about 12 feet from the ground, and when felled the logs are dragged to the banks of the streams and floated down in rafts. The boughs and limbs are said to afford the finest wood, but it is the size that is principally looked to in Britain. The logwood is found in low swampy grounds, growing contiguous to fresh-water creeks and lakes, on the edges of which the roots, the most valuable part of the wood, ramify. They are felled during the dry season, and carried off when the wet season has laid the ground under water. There is another valuable tree called the Pinus occidentalis, which grows to the height of 60 feet, and covers many thousand acres of country. The pine-wood contains an immense quantity of tar and turpentine, and is consequently highly inflammable. In this respect it is very valuable to the poor, who make torches of it. It likewise powerfully resists decay, and is in consequence much used by builders. The cahoun or cohoon tree yields a valuable oil, which, when unadulterated, is almost colourless, destitute of any disagreeable taste, and when burned as a lamp oil it emits a beautiful palish flame without smoke or smell. There are various other kinds of wood of beautiful vein and close texture, such as iron-wood, clay-wood, rose-wood, palmetta, and the like. Amongst minerals, strata of fine marble and formations of alabaster are known to exist. Several valuable specimens of crystals have been found, and gold has occasionally been detected in some of the streams. Labouring Creek, which lies on the Belize, about 100 miles inland, is remarkable for the petrifying properties possessed by its waters. They have also a powerful cathartic effect on strangers, and when applied externally to an ulcer have a healing property.
The country abounds with all kinds of animals fit for the food of man. Except in very rough weather, the supply of salt-water fish of excellent quality is abundant. The common green turtle, when in a healthy condition, is a staple commodity in the market. The hawksbill turtle is often five feet long, and weighs from 200 to 250 lbs.
Belize, the capital of the settlement, stands on a low flat shore immediately open to the sea, and guarded by numerous small islands, densely covered with trees and shrubs, and so similar as to render the navigation extremely difficult. It is farther divided into two parts by the river, which is crossed by a substantial wooden bridge of 220 feet span and 20 feet in length. The part of the town which is situated upon the S. or right bank of the river, along the eastern edge of a point of land, is completely insulated by a canal on its western side, which runs across from a small arm of the sea, and bounds the town on its S. side. The houses are about 500 in number, and are in general well built, spacious, and even elegant. They are for the most part constructed of wood, and raised 10 feet from the ground on pillars of mahogany. The streets are regular, and cross each other at right angles. The main one runs in a north-easterly direction to the bridge from the government-house, which is situated on the S.E. point or angle of the island on the right bank of the river, and bounded on the S. and E. by the sea. Behind the government-house is the church, on the E. side of the main street. The whole town is embowered in groves and avenues of the cocoa-nut and tamarind trees. Fort-George is situated about half a mile from the river, on a small low islet.
In the neighbourhood of Belize the natural heat of the climate is tempered by the sea breezes that prevail during
nine months in the year, so that, even in the hottest season, the thermometer seldom rises above 83° Fahr., and during the wet season it sinks to 60°. In June, July, August, and September, heavy and frequent rains fall, and these are the most unhealthy months of the year, from the decomposition of animal and vegetable matter in the adjacent lowlands and swamps.
There are various classes of society in this settlement, including Europeans, coloured people, Indians, and Mosquito men. The blacks of Honduras are distinct from the aborigines of the country, being of African descent. In general they are inclined to indulge those low propensities which are exhibited in a state of barbarism. Having been derived from various regions, they still retain all their national peculiarities, and keep themselves distinct from every other tribe. The blacks, as a body, have upon the whole little intelligence, and their dulness of comprehension is remarkable. It is asserted, however, that some of them exhibit an originality of talent and a degree of mental activity little inferior to their European brethren. They are much attached to their country, and with a native of his own land a Honduras black will share his last plantain. The coloured population has resulted from the intercourse of Europeans with Africans or Indians. They of course, morally speaking, assume a medium status, and partake more or less of the qualities of black and white, according to their distance from either. The Mosquito Indians abound in the colony. They are remarkable for a fine muscular formation of body, but in their countenances they exhibit an utter destitution of intelligence, and their habits are most barbarous. They acknowledge the existence of a good and evil spirit; and the little power of thought which they possess is displayed in their conduct towards their deities. The good spirit is neglected, because, say they, his goodness is so great that nothing is to be feared from his wrath, whilst, on the other hand, the evil spirit is propitiated, in order to deprecate his malevolence. The whole wealth of a Mosquito man consists in his canoe, paddle, and harpoon. With these he satisfies the cravings of nature, and his grovelling nature asks for no more. The Indians, the real aborigines of the place, are a timid, inoffensive race, apparently more under the influence of instinct than of reason. They perform the most astonishing journeys through woods, as trackless as the sea, and impervious to all but themselves with infallible correctness of direction and amazing rapidity. Although free from vindictive or malicious propensities, they are addicted to drunkenness to an excessive degree. The population of the colony is estimated at about 12,000.
The present constitution of Honduras is based upon an act passed in 1853. By this act the legislature consists of the superintendent and a legislative assembly of twenty-one members, eighteen of whom are elected, and three appointed by the government. Members are required to be of full age, of native birth, or naturalized, and in the possession of personal property within the settlement to the amount of £400. Electors must be owners or occupiers of real property to the amount of £7 per annum. The assembly lasts for four years, subject to prorogation or dissolution. The superintendent has also the assistance of an executive council of six members, three of whom are designated official, and three are appointed by the superintendent, with the approbation of the crown. The superintendent of Honduras is under the control of the governor of Jamaica, from whom he receives his commission. In religious matters, too, Honduras forms part of the bishopric of Jamaica. There are two parish churches in Belize, a free Scotch church, and chapels for Wesleyans and Baptists. There is also a grammar school, founded in 1846, and having, in 1847, 175 pupils. Petty larceny and misdemeanours resulting from intemperance frequently occur, but atrocious crimes are happily seldom perpetrated. In the mechanical
Honduras, arts the blacks display little or no ingenuity, but the coloured people are considerably above the negroes in this respect.
The exports consist chiefly of mahogany, logwood, rosewood, hides, tortoise-shell, fustic, cochineal, indigo, sarsaparilla, and cocoa-nuts; the imports chiefly of manufactured goods from Britain. Much of the exports are brought hither from the neighbouring states in small coasters. The total value of exports in 1851 was L.411,443; in 1852, L.399,223; in 1853, L.345,377; and in 1854, L.452,313. The imports in 1854 amounted to L.2,417,642. (Martin's British Colonies, Parliamentary Reports, &c.; Capt. Henderson's Honduras.)