Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-01-30
The HOnduranean EldOradO.

The report of the discoveries of gold in
Honduras may be news to the Younger gen.
Grafton. but to older people it will be a twice
told tale The country has long been known
as one of the richest mineral districts in that
narrow and irregular strip of land which con-
meets the Northern and Southern Americas
The keen eve of the Spanisrds who followed
Cortez when he invaded Honduras in 1926
noted the rich placers, and some of them re-
manned to gather up the product of the
auriterous sands. But the aboriginal inhab-
tants wete of too indolent a nature to labor
in the mines after the first squirt of foreign
energy had been exhausted, and they soon
gave up the search for the precious metals.
The neglected mines filled up with water and
debris, many of them were forgotten, while
others formed the basis for the stories of
fabulous wealth with which the natives have
tickled the ears of venturesome foreigners.
SO it is probable that the stories of rich
gold bearings have a good basis of fact.
Che region in which they are said to be stu
ated is in the Eastern portion of Honduras,
and near the sources of the Guayape River.
This would place them in the Sulaco group
of mountains, whence tributaries of the larg-
est rivers in the country flow. The Guayape,
in all its windngs and detours, threads a
course of nearly $50 miles and the abund snce
of its gold washngs has long been know n
II uuites with the Patook River, or the Rio
Patuca. as it is called in Spanish. which
empties into the Caribbean Sea near the joint
of the remarkable elbow of land which Hon
duras with Nicaragua makes towards the
East The PatuCs is navigsble for small
steamers, but not far enough to save long
land carriages to the mines. a more feasible
way of reaching the district probably is from
,h af lor
a line of railway is under construction
through Comayagua, the capital of the coun-
try, to Amapala, on the Pacific coast
Like all Eldorsdos, Honduras has its draw
backs the inhabitants number about 400,
600, of whom only 5000 are whites. the rest
being composed nearly equally OF Indians and
Mestizas. Civillz alton has made little progress
and the facilities for transportation are of the
crudest sort. There are many rich agri-
cultural districts which, with little effort,
would produce coffee, cochineal and sugar
cane, hut the soil is generally left to bear its
indigenous fruits. Mahogany aud rosewood,
gums and medicinal trees, the India rubber
and dive woods all grow here, and vet out OF
all this abundance the exports do not exceed
81 SOC, 900 a year, including gold and silver.
The general condition of the people can be
summed up briefly thus There are no man
utactories Most of the rich valleys and dense
forests are inhabited only by jsguars. black
tigers and wild hogs, while the tarsntua. the
scorpion and the myriads of destructive To-
Gusts aid in keeping the population small and
enervated. The climate. however, is mild
and eQusble in the interior, and malaria is un.
known.
General Brogsn is the present president OF
the Houduranesn Republic, and he is credited
with much skin as a politician and a fnan-
cier. When the late General Barrios, of
Gautemala, attempted to unite the small Cen
trail American republics into one strong gov
eminent he was opposed naturally by Gener.
al Frogsn. and it was largely due to the latter
that the scheme of the former was defeated.
President Brogsn has directed much of his
stts,Stion to extricating the country from the
4 sncial disorder into which it has fallen
'gh the misgovernmeut of past presidents,
suf- is reported to have been remarkably
Know st'b,,fg1ue Government is economically
ffSlly ouA MIS-
= cr>pNsn earth.