Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-06-13

PREPARED by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washington, d. CO.
British Honduras, often known as
"Belize," from the name of it's capital
city, is one Of the least known and
one of the most neglected patches of
the British empire. With it's vastly
more important sister country, Can
ada, It shares the distinction of being
the only British territory on the CONT
lent 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
revOlutionless Though in many ways
It 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 $4,000 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
Is tropical, tempered by rather steady
sea Dreezes. The two and three-story
houses that line the main residence
Strest OF Belize are Of accepted Brit
Sh 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
lOund IN progress, and boxing bouts
are preferred by the broad-pronounc-
ING negroes to the cock-fghts and bull
nights Of their Latinized neighbors.
Geographic names tell of the sudden
transition from the lands Of Spanish
culture to this little patch of the Span
lSh Main that has been Anglicized.
One leaves Puerto Cortez, Honduras,
or Puerto BarrioS, Guatemala, to sail
IeW miles farther on past the Cox
comb mountains, Ali Pines, and Stann
creek. Inland are MiddleSex and
orange Walk. Belize is one of the
Iew exceptions, and even that is said
10 be corruption of the surname Of
an early Scotch settler, Wallis. Direct
English nomenclature reaches it's 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 RIGA 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
concentrated on the flag of British
Honduras by the representation there
OF the tools of the trade. Mahogany
lured early settlers to the coast; put
honey in their purses; furnished
something for them and their hacker
Great Britain, to fight the Spanlards
about; and has always been chiefly
responsible for the lands main indus
try, numbering.
The people Of the colony even tell
sOlemnly how the lowest portions OF
the city of Belize, once seemingly
bottomless swamp, have been filled In
and made disable by the millions OF
mahogany chips hacked there from
logs which must be roughly squared
before they are ready for market. As
Sisting the chips in the work of sta
bilization-they tell with equal solem-
nity--were the thousands of empty
rum bottles thrown aside by the axe
meu.
At hrst the timber industry was q
very casual affair. Ships anchored OH
The coast, the crew cut the trees near
The beach, loaded them and sailed
away. Later the timber along the riv-
ers wss cut and hoated down to the
e"ast Must VI the easily accessible