The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-08-03


was not to disturb the local government
Of the Indians SO long as they did not
interfere with the sovereign powers Of
the republic
After this treaty had been made the
Indians and all the inhabitants of Blue
fields, which had sprung up as a sea-
port town on the Caribbean coast, held a
general council and adopted a constitu
ton providing for a republican form Of
government, divided into executive, leg
islative and judicial departments The
new government began its adninistra-
ton Sept. I2, 1851, and has since been
the sole source of authority in the Mos
quito reservation
In 1881 some enterprising Americans
went down there and began the cultiva-
ton and expectation of tropical fruits,
leasing land for their plantations from
the Mosquito government Gold was
discovered, and the Americans did not
hesitate to invest their capital in the
mines. The cutting and shipping of ma
hOgany and other valuable woods and
also the india rubber trade developed
into an extensive commerce. In tho
gold, hard wood and rubber industries
alone Americans have So, 900, 900 Of cap
ital invested.
Twelve years ago the commerce of the
Mosquito reservation amounted to moth
ing, and now the volume of trade
amounts to "a, 600, 900 annually. Twelve
steamers ply between Bluehelds and the
southern ports Of the United States
making "a voyages each month. Two
million punches of bananas are export
ed annually, besides the large quantities
Of mahogany, gold dust, rubber and CO.
cOanuts, and all to the United States.
The United States send back in return
25, 600 half barrels of -four annually, be-
sides large quantities of beans, lard,
pork, beef, corn. rice and many other
products.
The Mosquito government is controlled
by the following officials: The chief
and president is Robert Henry Clarence,
a Mosquito Indian, % years old. The
vice president is half breed Indian of
the name of Patterson. The treasurer is
a German of the name of Burgenhagen,
who is the head man of the Moravian
church The attorney general is J. W.
Cuthbert, a Jamaican negro, who IS as
black as coal and who is a subject of
Great Britain. The supreme court 10
composed of Stephen Hodgson. a native
Mosquito; John Taylor, native Of Co
lumbia, South America. and John Q.
Thomas, another Jamaican negro, who
is a British subject.
The management Of public affairs has
not been entirely satisfactory The
British lion paw was altogether too fire.
quently observable in the administra-
ton Of affairs to suit the American resi-
dents, Of whom there are five times as
many as Of all other foreign Municipalities
combined It was under the pretense Of
reforming things that Lacayo proclaimed
martial law and attempted the role of
dictator
The, Mosquito coast is historically in
teresting as the place where Columbus
made his first landing on the continent
four centuries ago. His landing place,
which he named Cabo de Gracias Dins
(Cape Of Thanks to Cod, is at the north
ern boundary of what is now the Mos
quito reservation, a strip Of territory ex-
tending some 200 miles along the Carib-
bean coast and averaging about 35 miles
in width. The friendly Indians whom
Columbus found there, and who received
him with cordial hospitality, were the
progenitors Of the Mosquitoes Of today.
They were inofensive, sleepy children
Of nature who had never learned the
utility Of exertion, because ample sus-
tenance was provided for them by ma
ture without the asking Their re-
hgion was the sun worship Of the an
silent Incls of Peru.