Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-08-11
In CENTRAL AMERICA.
CURIOSITIES OF LIFE IN THE COL.
ONY OF BELIZE.
A Strange Corner Of Creation under
English Rule-A Mythical or
Wonderful City.


Especial Correspondence Of the REooxD-UNIoE.l
BELIZE, Honduras, July %, 1888.
The main street Of this negre town runs
parallel to the sea shore for more than
mile, few lesser streets diverging from it.
At one end stands the barracks, and at the
other the Government House, intersected
midway by the Rio Belize, across which
are thrown substantial bcidges. The nost
picturesque, as well as the most costly of
these, is that near the mouth Of the river,
exactly opposite the little fort-crewned
isle which l;oks net unlike Governors
Island, near New Ycrk.
The Government House is beautifully
located, with grassy lawns extending to the
waters edge, shaded by giant cocoanut
trees In the rear of it, near handsome
Protestant church, is the negro common
school, supported by the local government.
The boys department, we are told, contains
some go pupils, between the ages of five
and fifteen, while the girls department is
not nearly so well attended. Inquiring as
to the progress of the scholars, the teacher
Ia mulatto) informed me that the bright
est are those who have the least negro
blood, and that it is almost hopeless task
to try TO teach g the young idea" OF un-
adulterated African origin.
There IS also 4 Catholic College in
Belize, and beth the Baptists and Wes-
leyans have schools connected with their
chapels There is savings bank, under
guarantee Of the local Legislature: an
Asylum for the Insane; public hospital,
with free dispensary for the benefit Of
the poor; and an iron market-house,
which is said TO have cost four thousand
pounds of English money.
As to the Government of Belize ! cannot
tell you much, for to my unenlightened
Yankee mind the British institutions !"
are puzzle of the first water. There are
five judicial Courts here-the Supreme
Court, the Grand Court. the Court of Or
binary, and the Summary and Police
Courts. The Grand Court consists OF
seven Judges, most of whom are gentle
men OF Color" and / noticed that the
Jurors box presented an almost unbroken
lrne Of ebony flces; for in the political, as
we'll as the social life Of thisqueer corner OF
creation, caste does not depend upon the
hue of the skin, and there is no distinc-
ton whatever in regard to complexion,
even in marriage contracts.
At one end of this Courtroom is high
platform, upon which is large circular
table, around which the Judges sit, in
ponderous chairs Of sclid mahogony, armed
high-backed, and cushioned with crimson
velvet, while overhead, fastened to the
t.II lot
bearing the arms of England. 1t is as
serted that there has never been real
livelawyer in Belize, and there being no bal
to prepare men for the bench, merchants
doctors, lumbermen, or persons of any O
this ayocations, whose character and gen
eral qualifications are up to the standard
Of the country, are eligible to Judgeship
The Grand Court is the highest tribusa
for the trial Of civil causes, and has juris
diction of all amounts above fifteen pounds
Despite the absence of lawyers, there is nc
lack of legislation in Belize, for-being
place Of large commercial transactions
contracts are daily made, broken or mis-
understood, requiring the intervention o
some proper tribunal to compel their full
fillment, or adjust their differences. There
fore, the calendar is always large and the
Courtroom crowded.
The only appeal from the decisions of thi.
Court is to the Queen in Council but
very seldom are cases carried up, though
the ingenuity of the bar, as elsewhere
displayed in worming out the truth, i:
here conspicuously wanting. Whatever
has caused this unprecedented drought Of
legal limbs do not know. 1t may be
relic Of the old-time prejudice against
the fraternity yet lingering in the mind:
of the people-the same which as early a.
1926, cropped out in the Spanish grant Of
that year, whereby the King gave all thi.
section to Francisco de Montejo, expressly
stipulating that no lawyers or attorney:
should be allowed to go onto these land,
from the kingdom of Spain, or anywhere
else, alleging as reason therefor that lit
igation and controversies would follow
them.
The barracks are situated at the extreme
southern end Of the town, on the opposite
side of a tiny bay. They are garrisoned
by negro soldiers, most OF whom were en-
listed at the English recruiting stations il
Africa. And fine-looking fellows they
are; tall athletic, their ebony face:
shining above their red coats as though
daily polished with "Bixby's Best
very warlike in appearance when bristline
with steel on the line. They cali them.
selves "The Queens Guards" and look
down with the utmost contempt upor
common niggerS"
The Government pit-pan is about the
same fashion Of boat as that in which the
native Indians navigated the rivers of the
New World before even the Spaniards dis
covered it. European ingenuity has
somewhat beautifed the ancient model
but has never yet contrived a better. This
one is made of the trunk of a magnificent
mahogany tree, forty feet long by six feet
wide in the center, running to a point al
both ends. Ten feet from the stern. ex.
tending forward, is a light wooden top
supported by fanciful stancheons, curtained
with gaily-striped canvas, for protecting
against sun and ram. The seats are wide
and well cushioned, and altogether nc
Venetian gondola is more luxuriously fitted
up. 1t is manned by eight coal-black sol
dlers, sitting two on seat, with paddle:
SIX feet long, while two steersmen stand
up behind like ebony automatons.
With the barracks the suburbs end
and Immediately back Of it vast, unculti,
waited solitude begin.-low, fiat and very
rich. There are no wheel-carriages in
Belize, and no use for any, since but one
road is open. So far as going elsewhere is
concerned, one would better live upon an
island, for between this city and other in
habited portions of Central America the
wilderness is unbroken even by an Indian
trail, and there is absolutely no communi-
cation with the interior except by the
rivers or the Colo Dulce.
Including this colony, British Honduras
has an area of l3,000square miles, extend.
ing fully l50 miles along the eastern coast
of Iucatan and Guatemala. The River
Hondo forms the northern boundary OF
the English possessions, and Sarstoon the
southern-the latter being navigable for
small canoes as far as the rapids Of Gracias
Dios (''Thanks 20 CODY, Its upper soli.
tndes never having been disturbed by any
timber cutters. Most of this country be-
tween these two great rivers is well wood
ed; wild animals, birds and fish abound
and the soil of the valleys is said to be
remarkably fertile.
One day party was made up, including
ourselves and the resident American Con-
sui, for an excarsion up the Rio Belize
We went in mahogany pit-pan, seme-
thing like that owned by the Government
only of course mot r,aarIr. 60 ss..,-alIf, -. . .