The Republican journal., 1896-09-03

seeks the sea between pillared aisles OF
verdure, and orchids, ferns and strange
plants, parrots, pelcans and birds of bril-
liant pumage-a solitude as unbroken as
when the first Spaniard found these
shores. Almost directly in front of Trux-
lilo are the long contested EBAY Islands, -
SIX IN number, which were proclaimed a
province of Great Britain as late as 1852
Roatan go miles long bye Or 10 miles wide, J
Guanja, Utilia, Barbarette, Morat and
Helena. Our present course lay too near
the main land to enable us to see anv
thing of those celebrated islands beyond
dim suggestion of mountains on Roatan
and the shadowy palms that fringe Utiila;
but we hope to make their acquaintanc e
Mosquito coast.
The first view of Omoa was beautiful
beyond compare, when we came on deck
at sunrise and found the vessel anchored
in front of the old Castillo de San Fernan-
do. range of high mountains-the
Cerro de Guaymal-rise a little way west
OF the port, and in front of it lies the last
of Zapodillo Cays--a chain of low coral
islands, covered with mangroves and
cocoanut trees, which stretch all the way
to Balize. They look like delightful lit
tie islands, but we are told that they are
entirely without drinking water, and are
uninhabited, except as parties of people
from Omoa, Livingston and Puerto Cor
tez make pleasure trips to them for few
days fishing. The village of Omoa stands
about quarter of mile from the beach.
with a green savanna between Immediate
~ behind the place, steep hills, covered
with primitive forests, begin, and form
wilderness almost impenetrable. The
great castle, which commands the bay, is
very imposing, and like most Notifications
built by the early Spaniards, looks al
most indestructib le-though l suppose it
would go down like card house before
modern munitions of warfare In the old
days, before the Moro Castle of Cuba
came into prominence, many Spanish con-
victs and political prisoners were confined
here-literally buried alive in this remote
place; but it is of little use now, except
as a support to the shabby shed of the
Custom House leaned against its walls,
and as picturesque monument to Spain
former greatness and present decay-a
sort of memento mort to the degenerate
race. We climbed the nearest hill, on
the summit of which a flag staff is raised
and a guard stationed to signaliZe the
coming of vessels. We were told that a
few years ago the guard was stationed on
a higher hill, little farther back: but
that the men were SO often devoured by
jaguars the post mad to be abandoned.
These feroclous beasts are said to be bv
no meaus rare in the immediate neighbour
hood even now, and it is related that not
long ago one of them was killed in the
very streets OF the town. The hill is
covered with stunted growth Of Ponci-
ana pulcherrima, yellow and scarlet
variety-here called guacamayo. but in
other parts of Central America known as
malinche. Both names have an historical
as well as poetical interest. the former
being that OF large red parrot which the
Mayos of Yucatan worshipped as sacred
an embodied spirit of light direct from the
SUM- and the latter the name of fernando
e Il
! Malinche, who several times saved the
/ lives of her lover and his followers
| Though Omoa occupies level ground, the
country a little way back rises rapidly
into chain of high mountains. which
trend Off westward to the magnificent
Sierra Madre. Therefore very little ag-
riculture can be carried on in the neigh
borhood and the people are compelled to
draw their supplies from Puerto Caballos
and the great plain OF Sula. Probably
that circumstance helped to drive
the population back to Cortez' old town.
which was deserted in the days of the
buccaneers for the fort defended bay of
Omoa, as well as the fact that the Hondll-
ras Inter Oceanic Railway Company made
Caballos its Atlantic terminus. The two
ports are only 20 miles apart, but are as
entirely different in their immediate sur
roundings as though the width of the
continent lay between them. Porto
Cortez, as the railway people call it,
though now the most important port OF
Spanish Honduras, is not much better
than sandy swamp, and looks as if only
waiting for a favorable opportunity tc
slip off into the sea and be lost forever.
Its harbor, however, is very large and
very safe, sheltered by circle of distant
mountains and defended by a Gordon OF
impenetrable swamps and jungles, fringeG
on the seward edge with clumps anG
rows of cocoa palms. The village itself
offers no attraction to the tourist-a mis-
cradle collection of mud huts matched
with straw, half dozen cottages belong
ing to Consuls and shippers, Jail and bar
racks of white washed boards. Its only
''sights'' are the big tin Custom House