HONDURAS, a settlement of Great Britain, in the southern part of the North American continent, and province of Yucutan. It is situated between the parallels of 17. and 19. north latitude, and 88. and 90. west longitude, on a peninsula which forms the Bay otCampeachy on the west and the Bay of Honduras on the east. Its name is derived from the Spanish term Hondura, which signifies depth, and was originally given to the coast by its discoverers, on account of the great depth of water along the shore. According to the best geographical authorities, the line which embraces this settlement commences at the mouth of the Rio Grande, or Hondo, whose course it at first follows, and afterwards runs parallel with it for thirty miles. It then turns south, and passes through the New River Lake, in a straight line, to the river Balize, up which it ascends for a considerable distance, till again bending in a southerly direction, it meets the head of the Libun, whose course it pursues to the sea. The whole settlement embraces an area of 62,750 square miles.

This coast was discovered by Columbus in the year 1502, but little that can be relied upon is known of its early settlement. The abundance and fine quality of the· wood, particularly mahogany and logwood, seem first to have drawn attention to it; and at a pretty early period it was occasionally resorted to by wood-cutters. But the· first permanent establishment of British wood-cutters was made at Cape Cartoche, by some adventurers from Jamaica, whose numbers increasing, they extended as far south as the river Balize, and as far west as the neigh [7:11:550]bourhood of Campeachy. The Spaniards, however, did not quietly submit to this usurpation of their territorial dominion. Several expeditions were fitted out against the settlers, but they were uniformly unsuccessful; and on two occasions, in 1659 and 1678, so complete was their discomfiture, that the town of Campeachy itself was taken b} the logwood-cutters, with only the assistance of the seamen engaged in the trade. This last repulse occurred eight years after a treaty had been concluded with Spain, by which the territorial right of Britain to the occupancy of Honduras was generally, although not specifically, embraced. The successes of the settlers aroused the jealousy of the Spaniards, and led to a renewed discussion of their right to the territory which they occupied. This would appear to have been again generally admitted; but the Spaniards finally succeeded in driving the woodmen from the Campeachy shore, and confining them to the limits which we have already defined. An attempt was again made in 1718 to dispossess the British of the territory on the river Balize; but the firmness of the woodcutters deterre.d the Castilians from effecting any thing, except the erection of a fortification, which in a few years they abandoned. In 1754 an expedition was undertaken to exterminate the colony; but by a treaty of peace concluded in the year 1763, the Spaniards were compelled to admit the right of occupancy to the British colonists, which, however, they subsequently attempted to annul. In 1779 the Spaniards again attacked the settlement, and after destroying property to a considerable amount, they took a number of the colonists prisoners, and marched them off in irons to Merida, whence they were shipped to the Havannah, and there confined till 1782. In 1784 Britain obtained from Spain a specific grant of “the lands allotted for the cutting of logwood,” by which Honduras became as much a territorial occupancy of the British crown, as Jamaica or any other of our colonial possessions. The last attack on the settlement was made during the war in 1798, but the expedition, which consisted of 3000 men, was gallantly repulsed; and since that period the colony has remained undisturbed by foreign aggression.

The coast of the Bay of Honduras is low, and the shore is studded with a number of low islands or keys, which, however, are verdant. As we recede from the coast, the land rises into a bold and lofty country, interspersed with rivers and lagoons, and covered with gigantic forests. The inland frontier is formed by an immense chain of mountains, which are also covered with impenetrable forests and brushwood. Through this rocky barrier there is only one pass, namely, that leading to Peten. It is merely a pathway, which might be defended by a few men. The lagoons or sheets of water, and the falls and rapids of the rivers, constitute sublime and beautiful features in the general aspect of the country. The river and lagoon of Manatee, which is situated ten leagues south of Balize, is considered as extremely grand. At about a mile from the mouth of the river is the lagoon, a magnificent sheet of water, extending for several leagues in a northerly direction. In many places immense mountains ascend from its margin, overtopping large valleys and wood ranges of great extent, where the tiger, antelope, armadillo, quash, opossum, racoon, and several species of deer, abound. Amongst the feathered tribes there are numbers of quails, plovers, pigeons, pheasants, and wild turkeys. The deficiency of streams amongst the mountain ridges is supplied by the presence of large marshy spots or shallow ponds, the banks of which are frequented by almost every species of water game. Fish abound during a great part of the year in these ponds, but the latter dry up in the season of drought, and then vast flocks of sea-fowl congregate around them to prey upon the fish which have been left dry by the evaporation ι)f the waters. The alligator is also a frequent visitor; and, to partake of this repast thus yearly provided for him, he has been known to traverse trackless wilds, and make long journeys into the interior. Eight or ten miles from the lakes the rapids begin, and the high rocky banks of the river assume a romantic and beautiful appearance. Further on there is a cataract of about a quarter of a mile in length, and of considerable acclivity. A cluster of beautiful caves, through which the river winds its way, and beneath which the traveller must pass, is next reached. They have been described as equally singular and grand:—“These magnificent natural excavations of the mountains are semicircular at the entrance, and about five yards in diameter. Within the cave the arch rises to the height of a hundred feet, and leads to another low arch, which, being passed, a second cavern of large size opens, beyond which is a third with a circular orifice, through which the river enters. During the floods the mouths of the caverns are filled with water, which boils up with prodigious fury, and thus detains travellers many days before they can pass through the caves or tunnels. In the rainy season, as the water increases on the upper or inland sides of the mountains, the river forces its passage through the interstices and openings in its sides with tremendous noise, forming an indescribably grand cascade of from forty to fifty feet high, issuing from an hundred orifices.”^[1. “There are also magnificent caves in the river Libun∙ eight or ten days’ journey from Balize; and some interesting caverns exist in the creeks or arms of the old river.” ]

The country is technically divided into the Pine and the Cahoun ridges. The soil of the former has a substratum of loose reddish sand, and its indigenous products consist of those varieties of vegetation the assimilative powers of which are strong and perennial. Extensive prairies expand over this soil, and the pine, from which it derives its name, is extremely abundant. The soil of the Cahoun ridge consists of a deep loam, capable of growing every species of European as well as of tropical aliment. Its fertility occasions the growth of much brushwood, and it is covered with the wild cotton and other gigantic trees.

Fruits, spontaneously produced, are exceedingly abundant, and consist of oranges of excellent quality, shaddocks, limes, mangoes, melons, pine-apples, water-melons, avocato pears, cashew, cocoa-nuts, and many others. They are all found in the neighbourhood of Balize, but are sometimes brought in large quantities from more elevated plantations. The mahogany and logwood trees are at present the staples of Honduras. The former is found best in elevated situations; and growing generally solitary, it is discernible at a great distance, from the yellow hue of its foliage. It is cut down at about twelve feet from the ground, and when felled, the logs arc dragged to the banks of the streams and floated down in rafts. It is said that the boughs and limbs afford the finest wood, but the size is principally looked to in Britain. The logwood is found in low swampy grounds, growing contiguous to fresh water creeks and lakes, on the edges of which the roots, the most valuable part of the wood, ramify. They are felled during the dry season, and carried off when the wet season has laid the ground under water. There is another valuable tree called the pinus occidentalis, which grows to the height of sixty feet, and covers many thousand acres of country. It contains an immense quantity of tar and turpentine, and might be turned to good account were the vexatious duties on colonial timber removed. The pine- [7:11:551]• wood is of course highly inflammable, and in this respect it is very valuable to the poor, who make torches of it. It likewise powerfully resists decay, and is in consequence much used by builders. The cahoun, or cohoon tree as it is pronounced, is valuable on account of an oil which it yields. This unctuous product, when unadulterated, is almost colourless, destitute of any disagreeable taste, and when burned as a lamp oil it emits a beautiful palish flame without smoke or smell. There are various other kinds of wood of beautiful vein and close texture, such as ironwood, clay-wood, rosewood, palmaletta, and the like. Amongst minerals, veins of fine marble and mountains of alabaster are known to exist. Several valuable specimens of crystals have been found, and gold has at various periods been detected; but no pains were ever taken to ascertain whence it proceeded. Labouring Creek, which lies on the Balize, about one hundred miles inland, is remarkable for the petrifying properties possessed by its waters. They have also a powerful cathartic effect on strangers, and when applied externally to an ulcer, have a healing property.

The country abounds with all kinds of animals fit for the food of man. Except in very rough weather, the supply of salt-water fish of excellent quality is abundant. The common green turtle, when in a healthy condition, is a staple commodity in the market. It is often five feet long, and weighs from 200 to 250 lbs.

Balize, the capital of the settlement, is divided into two parts by the river of the same name. The part of the town which is situated upon the south or right bank of the river, along the eastern edge of a point of land, is completely insulated by a canal on its western side, which runs across from a small arm of the sea, and bounds the town on its south side. The houses are about 500 in number, and are in general well built, spacious, and even elegant. They are for the most part constructed of wood, and raised ten feet from the ground. The two parts of the town are connected by a bridge, which was built in 1818. It is twenty feet in width, and its span is 220 feet. It is entirely constructed of wood, and is well secured by balustrades on each side. The streets of Balize are regular, running parallel north and south, and intersected by others. The main one runs in a north-easterly direction to the bridge from the government-house, which is situated on the south-east point or angle of the island on the right bank of the river, and bounded on the south and east by the sea. Behind the government-house is the church, on the east side of the main street. The whole town is embowered in groves and avenues of the cocoa-nut and tamarind trees. Fort George is situated about half a mile from the river, on a small low islet.

The climate in the neighbourhood of Balize is generally moist. July is the hottest and dryest month of the year, and then the maximum heat is 83°, the medium 82°, and the minimum 80° of Fahrenheit. The great heat, however, is tempered by the sea breezes, which almost constantly prevail. During the wet seasons the thermometer sinks to 60°, and the variation in the temperature is sometimes very great. But the climate is by no means unhealthy; indeed it is asserted in the Honduras Almanack that it is more favourable to European constitutions than any other climate under the tropics. Where temperance and regularity are observed, the average duration of human life will not be less in Honduras than it is in this country.

There are various classes of society in this settlement, including Europeans, coloured people, Indians, and Mosquito men. The blacks of Honduras are distinct from the aborigines of the country, being of African descent. In general they are inclined to indulge those low propensities which are exhibited in a state of barbarism. A few of them, either from national usage or other causes, show an utter aversion to spirituous liquors, but by far the greater proportion are guilty of the most beastly excesses in this respect. Having been derived from various regions, they still retain all their national peculiarities; and, to keep themselves distinct from every other tribe, each nation selects one individual, on whom the rest of his people bestow the title of king, and who exercises over them a certain degree of authority. The blacks, as a body, have upon the whole little intelligence, and their dulness of comprehension is remarkable. It is asserted, however, in the Honduras Almanack, the best authority on this point, that some of the blacks exhibit an originality of talent and a degree of mental activity little inferior to their European brethren. They are much attached to their country, and with a native of his own land a Honduras black will share his last plantain. The coloured population has resulted from the intercourse of Europeans with Africans or Indians. They of course, morally speaking, assume a medium status, and partake more or less of the qualities of black and white, according to their distance from either. The Mosquito shore men abound in the colony. They are remarkable for a fine muscular formation of body, but in their countenances they exhibit an utter destitution of intelligence, and their habits are most barbarous. They acknowledge the existence of a good and evil spirit; and the little power of thought which they possess is displayed in their conduct towards their deities. The good spirit is neglected, because, say they, his goodness is so great that nothing is to be feared from his wrath, whilst, on the other hand, the evil spirit is propitiated, in order to deprecate his malevolence. The whole wealth of a Mosquito man consists in his canoe, paddle, and harpoon. With these he satisfies the cravings of nature, and his grovelling nature asks for no more. The Indians, the real aborigines of the place, are a timid, inoffensive race, apparently more under the influence of instinct than of reason. They perform the most astonishing journeys through woods as trackless as the sea, and impervious to all but themselves, with infallible correctness of direction and amazing rapidity. Although free from vindictive or malicious propensities, they are addicted to drunkenness to an excessive degree.

In religious matters Honduras forms part of the bishopric of Jamaica, and facilities are afforded by the establishment for religious instruction. There is a well-endowed school attached to it, conducted on the Madras system, and the average daily attendance of children is above a hundred. There are likewise two mission schools, and considerable benefit has already been reaped from these institutions. Not one of the least is the change of sentiment which has taken place with regard to marriage. Only a few years back this ceremony was little regarded, and virtue and decency were absolutely despised. A better feeling, however, is now beginning to prevail, of which the legislature has taken advantage; and, for the encouragement of public morals, great facilities to the marriages of the lower orders of blacks have been afforded by recent laws and regulations. Petty larceny, and misdemeanours resulting from intemperance, frequently occur; but atrocious crimes are happily seldom perpetrated. In the mechanical arts the blacks display little or no ingenuity, but the coloured people, approaching nearer to the European standard of mind, are considerably above the negroes in this respect. In architectural designs, however, and other arts by which domestic comforts are enhanced, the whites alone are to be depended upon. Some years back the inhabitants of Honduras were content with stoecadoed huts of the most primitive construction, but now there are many large, commodious, and even elegant houses, particularly in Balize.

The grand authority of the settlement is a mixed legislative[7:11:552] and executive power, designated the Magistrates of Honduras, by whom enactments are made; and these become laws to be enforced by the executive part of the government, after they have been sanctioned by the king’s representative. The magistrates are in number seven, and annually elected by the inhabitants. In them the power is vested, and they conduct the whole public business of the colony, without receiving any remuneration for their services. The superintendent is of course a nominee of the crown of Great Britain.

The militia of Honduras, which is a thousand strong, consists of a brigade of artillery and a regiment of the line; there is likewise a local maritime force, the whole being under the command of the superintendent and his aides-de-camp and staff. The following table exhibits the revenue and expenditure of Honduras from 1807 till 1830.
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It will be perceived that the revenue of this colony has very materially increased, and it would still increase were the interest of this settlement more attended to at home. Its resources are very great, and were emigration properly encouraged, it would soon become of vast importance both in a political and in a commercial point of view, more especially as there are still uncultivated many thousand square miles of the richest soil. Trade is yet in its infancy, but the value of the imports in 1830 was L.234,379, and of the exports L.316,151, employing a shipping inwards of 13,918 tons, and outwards of 16,351 tons, independently of a large coasting trade, which is on the increase. The following table exhibits the quantities of the principal articles exported from 1824 to 1830.^[2. The tables given above, and much other information, have been derived from Mr Montgomery Martin’s work on the British colonial possessions, to which the reader is referred for more minute details regarding this settlement. ] l
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Much discrepancy prevails amongst authorities relative to the numbers of the inhabitants. The following table exhioits the aggregate population of Honduras from 1823 to 1830.
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It is almost superfluous to observe, that here, as in all our other colonies, the name of slave has ceased to designate a subject of the British empire. (r. r r.)