The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-06
THE MOSQUITO INDIANS
The Least Civilized People on the
American Continent.

The Wrecking of a Spanish Slav g
Ship-The Sambos Race the Result.
The British Consul at BluefeIds
Long the Ruling Power Great
Wealth in Fruit Culture.
From the New York Times
The Mosquito shore, to which attention
has recently been attracted by the land
ing of English sailors, has had rather in
definite limits for many years, owing to
the varying British interests along the
eastern coast of Central America. The
shore proper extends from about the
twelfth to the fifteenth degree of nor
thern latitude, or between Cape Gracias
a Dios and the Lagoon of Bluefelds, a
distance of 225 miles, and whenever that
distance has been stretched it has been
due to political considerations alone.
The original Mosquitoes must have been
about the lowest Of the low OF Central
Americans. They were described by Fer
nandO Columbus the son of the discov-
erer, as almost negroes IN color, bsstial,
going naked; in all respects very rude.
eating human flesh, and devouring their
fish raw as they happened to catch them"
These original Mosquitoes were a very
hardy race, of great endurance, and Of
suI.cient proves in battle TO hold their
own against the aborigines Of the present
states OF Honduras and Nicaragua, and it
was not until tho wrecking Of the Span
ish SLAYER on their coasts that they suf-
fered any amalgamation with outsiders.
This slave ship was loaded with Afri-
cans, who quickly merged themselves
with Mosquitoes and formed the race now
known as the Sambos, hence the origin of
hot 20, 70, > /,
Sambos, of course, little blacker than
the dark, copper-colored Mosquitoes,
soon became the dominant race, and their
power was somewhat increased by their
siding with the British interests in the
country. AS early as ITO English plan
tiers from Jamaica were attracted to the
shore by hearing stories Of its agricul-
tural wealth. and they, bringing with
them their Africans, of course added TO
the preponderance Of negro blood in the
country. The Sambos, although of slave
extraction, turned on the surrounding
Caribs of their frontier, and made forays
into their country for the purpose of cap
turing them and selling them to Jamaica
planters Morality in those days was at
a low ebb, and many an English official
lined his wallet by winking at the slave
traffic, which was much, more profitable
than raising bananas and plantains.
In those early days the power in the
country was the British consul Blue
fields, and, with a ready wit and tact
worthy of better cause, he fiattered his
mosquito subjects by comforting more Ii
ties of colonel, major and captain than
can be found in the average Georgia
town. When these designations became
common, he had recourse TO titles of no.
bility, and many ignorant blacks paraded
under the coguomen Of dukes and earls,
and later on the king was named The
king was generally presented with a silk
hat, a red coat shirt an enormous
broadsword, and brass crown of huge
dimensions, which rested on his ears OF
course. this was all play for the English,
out was profitable in indigo, cocoa, and
vanilla.
The population of the shore to-day is
composed of three distinct classes-the
few unadulterated descendants of the
aborigines, the simon-pure negroes ana
the mixture of the two-and, strange 10
say, the half-bre is the best race. The
early incursions Of the piratical Mosqui
toes in search Of slave booty still remains