New-York tribune., 1891-05-24
of Nicaragua was nomi

to-day the only religious stations In rich tract o
territory 200 by 40 miles In area. IL Is oOa"
Church. Professionalism is the only form OF re-
ligious worship known in the Mosquito reservation
When new chief is elected there Is serVic
corresponding TO o coronation ceremonial hooer
Clarence, full-blooded Mosquito Indian' was e'e
waited to the Executive station on January ~
1891. The head men Of the tribe were NUMBERED
In the Supreme Court by vice-Presdent Patter
son and their ballots were unanimously cast ioi
this swarthy-faced young prince Of the royal line
procession was formed and tue new chief was
conducted in state to the Moravian Church, where
the Rev. Brother Erdcmann read passages from
the Old Testament relating to Saul and Solomon,
prayed ferventy for the lad, and then preached
a long sermon in the Mosquito tongue. After
this coronation service the oath Of office was
administered TO the chief, watch and chain wer
presented TO him by the Nicaraguan commissioner,
there was big feast and rockets set oil
In the evening The next day the chief was
bundled of to Pearl Lagoon, and j. w. Cuth-
bert, q full-blooded Jamaica negro, was invested
with full political power Attorney y-General and
Executive Adviser. As the mortality among the
chiefs is very high, owing either to intemperance
or assassination by poisoning, these elections are
Of frequent recurrence The chief sometimes has
to be baptized on the day of election, but he Is
invariably member Of the Morayian Church and
is formally installed at the mission chapel.
The Mosquito chief reigns, but the negroes
govern supported by the religious authority of the
Moravian missions. The magistrates are negroes
and they interpret what Is practically code OF
Jamaica laws. The Government is conducted Dy
the Attorney-General and the wee PRESIDENT, anc
nearly all the officials are blacks Ihere Is low
tariff on imports and there is also an export duty
on rubber; and the fiscal system Is independent Of
Nicaraguan customs law. The reservation is self
eqisating and self-goyerning, and the negroes are
not interfered with In the administration Of pubic
affairs The postmaster appointed by the Mic,
araguan Government is negro on excenent nrtin
with the Moravian missionaries. The health Officer
is an American physician but all the osoer hino
in their veins. The treaty between England ane
Nicaragua has had the singular effect OF estaonsh
ing the Moravian missions as State church ane
negro domination as the political order. These arr
amazing anomalies which render visit TO Blue
fields novel and interesting experience.
The travellers first impressions OF negro gov.
ernment here are favorable, since the population
appears orderly and contented, the Jail is empty
and the magistrates are chiefly occupied In dis
cipliling intemperate foreigners. IL Is not lon2
before he discovers that there is an undercurreh,
of unrest, suspicion and apprehension IN the
reservation. An alarm Of fire sounds at ngnt aud
the town is thrown into pamc Inc negroes, NJ
stead Of forming bucket-line, stand back with
rifles in their hands, ready TO fire upon force
of invading Nioaraguans. An arrest OF negro
last night caused intense excitement ana every
merchant in the town took the precauton OF nav
ing his warehouse w.tcbed by an armed guard
with orders to fire upon any one found prowlina
about the premises. When l asked for explana
tions of these orders, ] learned that the negro
population were in constant dread OF the occupa
ton Of the town from Rama. where The
Nicaaguan Government has establishes settle
ment and custom house on the Bluetelds RIVER
They know that the successful invasion OF tht
reservation will involve the expulsion OF the
Moravian missionaries, the supremacy OF Spanish
officials and their own humiliation and downfall
They are bent upon resisting by force ana arms
the annexation of the reservation 10 Nicaragua and
will appeal in an emergency to Great Britain fol
protection, under the Treaty of 1860. which pro
vides that the Mosquito Indians within the dis
trct allotted to them shall enjoy the night OF
governing themselves and all other residents ac
cording TO their own customs and any regulation:
adopted by them not inconsistent with the nom.
inal sovereignty OF the Republic
The signs of an impending conflict between
Nicaragua and the Mosquito population are multi
plying with the development OF the resources OF
this coast. Formerly Bluefelds was an insignif-
can't port of barren and unproductive forest coast
Now it is rapidly assuming commercial Importance.
Last wear eghty-three steamers entered the har-
Dor for cargOes of bananas and six for mahogany.
About one-thirteenth of the banana supply Of
the United States came from Bluefields, and this
year the export is expected to run up from
S56,l73 to 1,250,0OO punches. The plantations
on the Bluefelds River are increasing IN number
and extent every year, and bananas have ALREADY
taken the place of rubber as the staple export
year was i5O, 900 stalks. the bulk of the crop
being shipped TO New-Orleans by the Morgan and
New-York, Philadelphia, Savannah and Galveston
The mahogany trade has also more than doubled
in importance. About 2,750,Oo0 feec were
eOrge TO E. nmory SeaT much Of ens %
the construction Of Pullman cars. The EXPORT
for 1890 included In round numbers S36s, 900 in
rubber, S300,O00 In bananas, S2000OO in ma.
hogany and $4,000 in cocoanuts. or a total of
$3.50 900 irrespective of hides and other articles.
With hundreds of Indians already employed In the
lumber camps Of the Great River and Other
streams, with the banana trade attracting great
feet of fruit steamers to the Bluefelds River, and
with gold discoveries in the river beds south OF
Cape Gracias, this coast is rapidly becoming rich
Nicaragua only controls the mouth of the San
Juan, and even Greytown is free port by treaty
engagements with Great Britain. The Mosquito
coast Is hers only in name. Her sovereignty over
1t is an empty privilege. She covets the reserva-
tion-wants it as her own possession.
Whether Nicaragua will ever make the attempt
TO seize the reservation in defiance Of the treaty
with England is an open question. Recently Corn
Island has been occupied, and Rama has been con.
verted into garrison town, although both were
technically within the limits OF the reservation.
These are overt acts which have excited alarm,
and the presence of some staggering Ncaraguan
officers at Rama has kept the negroes of Blue.
fields in constant state OF panic. They are
ready to shoot all the Spanish NicarnCuans in the
reservation at the slightest provocaton. and in al
extremity TO burn the warehouses of the merchant:
and 70 solicit the protection of the British Consul
as oldItlme subjects Of Her Majesty. ] doubt Il
English flag concealed somewhere about his house
and is not prepared H. an emergency TO shrek
. am British subiect!' The temptation TO
make descent upon the reservation and TO rely
upon the United States Government 20 support the
movement is very strong, but it remains 10 be seen
whether Nicaragua will muster sufficient energy
TO hazard the demonstration.
AS for the foreign residents here, while tley
may dislike some features of negro rule they DO
not want change. The annexation Of the reser
walton would bring in the Spanish customs system
and heavily increase the import duties. They
prefer TO have the present anomalous conditions OF
government continue rather than 20 he exposed
TO the risks Of Nicaraguan customs exacti0ns and
Of religious and race warfare. Annexation would
menace the existence of the Moravian missions
and bring the Catholic Church into a large terri
tory which Is now Protestant 10 the verge Of
fanaticsm. The foreign residents who are now
prospering in trade and developing the industrial