The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-06-12
Letter from Honduras.
JUDGE D. F. FEReusos's EXPERIENCE.

We publish below letter sent to "The
Intelligencer' by the above gentleman,
who left this city some months ago with
the emigrating party to Honduras:
SAN PEDRO, April 81, 1857.
To the InteHigencer.-l arrived here q
few days ago, and found this to be one Of
the finest countries ! have ever seery with
the richest and most fertile lands. The
tropical fruits are abundant, and to the
valuable woods there is no end. Such, for
instance, as mahogany, rosewood, lgnunr
vitae and Spanish cedar. The country pro-
duces almost everything in great abun-
dance, among which may be mentioned
coffee, sugar, rice, tobacco, corn, beans,
cotton and potatoes. The yam and Spanish
potatoe are very large, weighing in some.
instances as much as sixty pounds, though
few of them are raised, owing to the fact
that the land must be ploughed, which the
natives are too lazy to do, knowing that
they can live offthe fruits of the country
without labor. AS an evidence Of the
fact, will state that this is the plain Of
Sular. 1t is thirty miles wide and forty
miles long, and am satisfied that there
arc not more than $50 acres of the whole
under cultivation. All agricultural oper-
ations consist of simply sticking the seed
in the ground, and left to itself Corn
without any cultivation yields from 1ooto
$50 bushels to the acre. Cotton produces
about 800 pounds to the acre each crop,
there being two crops per year. Cotton
needs only to be planted every ten years.
Sugar cane here excels anything, think,
in the world. 1t measures three inches in
diameter, and is fifteen feet high, and re-
quires only to be planted every twenty
years Rice grows finely on any kind Of
land, and in any locality. Coffee does the
same Tobacco is one of the chief pro-
ductions of the county, and two crops
year are made. Rice makes but one crop
pei year. Wheat does not prosper inthis
locality, as am informed. I have seen
none.
Cattle. sheep, hogs, mules and horses
are abundant. The COW is very much like
that of the English species, the hair very
J fine, the animal of good size, and in fine
order. They command from SIS to $40,
according to the locality. The sheep and
goat are raised only as pets, the former
never being sheared, and the latter never
eaten by the people. The hog species is
very fine, and tolerable numerous. They
can be raised in any quantity, though the
meat could not be packed for future use.
1t might be picked. The same may be
said of the beet. The mule of this coan-
, try is but small, but stout and serviceable.
They are the finest riding animals ever
saw. They are used only for packing and
riding-are never used in harness. be-
lieve there is not one man in ten who
knows anything about harness. The horse
or pony is small, and not so valuable as
the mule, the latter living the age of 40
years. The poultry is about the same as
that of Georgia. The wild game consists
principally of deer, duck, prarie hens and
pigeons. The woods abound in monkeys,
parrots, and great variety of beautiful
birds. The insects that we have to con-
tend withare the musquito, the black gnat,
and the tick The two latter are verylnu-
merous, while the former are few in num-
ber, and small. have seen no common
house flies, such as are so common in At
lanta.
expect to omake this country my home.
I do not want any better place to make
my fortune. The health of this region is
fine, the climate delightful, and the water
excellent though not so cool as that of
Georgia; but it is much clearer. We
have obtained partial grant of about
loo, 900 acres of land, go rich that guano
cannot compare with it. Iapprehend I no
difficulty in obtaining bona .fde title to
it for the emigrants from Georgia. We
are within twelve miles of water naviga-
tion for steamboats,, and probably much
nearer Our location is within 25 miles of
Port Cobias ! shall be in Atlanta by the
first or middle Of June next, though may
write you again before leaving here.
I neglected to mention that our party
are all in fine health. The sickness here
consists chiefly of chills and fever.
Yours truly,