The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1923-06-27

D
ciety, Washington. D. c.
British Honduras, often known as
Belize" from the name of its capital
city, is one of the least known and
one of the most neglected patches OF
the British empire. With its vastly
more important sister country, Can
ada, 1t shares the distinction of being
the only British territory on the CONT
nent of North America.
British Honduras is a part of Cen
trail America, and its real bid to fame
has been that it was 100 per cent
rerolutionless. Though in many ways
1t is neglected, British law and order
hover over it; and it has been, to a
certain extent, like the Dutch West
Indian colony of Curacao, an asylum
for political leaders of neighboring
lands who were more revolutionary
than successful.
The country's $1,000 inhabitants in
clude probably less than 1000 whites.
The remainder of the population is
made up of negroes and mulattos and
Spanish Indians, the latter living
chiefly in the back country. But in
the capital, Belize, throughout the
whole coast country, and wherever
governmental machinery has been set
up, the atmosphere, whether it be
made up of business, government, or
sport, is Enthusiastically British.
Few concessions have been made to
the climate, which may be described
as tropical, tempered by rather steady
sea breezes. The two and three-story
houses that line the main residence
street of Belize are of accepted Brit
ish architecture. Coal-black police
men are clothed much like the London
Bobby" and bewigged and begowned
judges sit in the courts. In the open
spaces cricket matches will often be
found in progress, and boxing bouts
are preferred by the broad-pronounc-
ing negroes to the cock-hghts and bull
tights of their Latinized neighbors.
Geographic names tell of the sudden
transition from the lands of Spanish
ish Main that has been Anglicized.
One leaves Puerto Cortez, Honduras,
or Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, to sail
few miles farther on past the Cox
comb mountains, All Pines, and Siam
creek. Inland are Middlesex and
Orange Walk. Belize is one Of the
few exceptions, and even that is said
to be a corruption of the surname OF
an early Scotch settler, w llis. Direct
English nomenclature reaches its apex
in Belize where the ferry is called
the haul-over."
British Honduras, a trif1e larger
than Massachusetts or New Jersey, Is
wedged in between the Mexican states |
of the Yucatan peninsula on the north |
and Guatemala on the west and south, |
while Honduras, Nicaragua, Salvador |
and Costa Rica are near by. 1t is /
due west of Jamaica, some 600 miles
across the Caribbean, and has always
been, to a certain extent, under the |
wing of that British island.
Mahogany Industry Important
The mahogany industry is justly
on the flag of British
Honduras by the representation there
Of the tools of the trade. Mahogany
ured early settlers to the coast; put
money in their purses; furnished
for them and their hacker,
Great Britain, to fight the Spaniards
about; and has always been chiefly
for the lands main indus
ry, numbering.
The people of the colony even tell
,olemnly how the lowest portions OF
he city of Belize, once seemingly
,ottomless swamp, have been filled in
md made disable by the millions or
mahogany chips hacked there from
ogs which must be roughly squared
,efore they are ready for market AS
listing the chips in the work of sta
tell with equal solem-
Iity-were the thousands of empty
UNI bottles thrown aside by the axe
nen.
At first the timber industry was
ery casual affair. Ships anchored OF
be coast, the crew cut the trees near
he beach, loaded them and sailed
way. Later the timber along the riv-
rs was cut and fioated down to the Z
cast Mott Of the easily accessible