io86 HONDURAS 



Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States of its refusal to accede to the 

 recent demands for settlement of all outstanding debts within three months. Shortly 

 afterwards (July aoth) a revolution broke out, Americans and other foreigners being 

 placed in danger. The United States, German and Italian Legations made urgent 

 requests to their governments for the despatch of warships to Haiti. The United 

 States' gunboats "Petrol " and " Peoria " were consequently despatched to Port-au- 

 Prince, and there received on board a number of American women refugees, as well as 

 several native generals who had opposed the revolutionists and the local authorities. 

 The French consul was wounded. The Simon government was finally overthrown, 

 General Firmin, the leader of the revolutionary party, and his followers capturing Port- 

 au-Prince. A formal blockade of the ports of St. Marc, Gonaives and Forte Liberte, 

 was proclaimed, but proved ineffective as the government possessed only one warship. 



On July 23, 1911, General Jean Jacques Dessalines Michel Cincinnatus Leconte 

 landed at Cape Haitien from exile in Jamaica, and collected a considerable force. Two 

 days later the German cruiser " Bremen " was despatched from Montreal to Port-au- 

 Prince. On August 7th General Leconte made his triumphal entry, and was shortly 

 afterwards elected provisional president of the republic. Almost immediately, however, 

 another revolution broke out under the leadership of General Calisthene Fouchard, 

 Haitian Minister to Germany, and former head of the army of the negro republic, the 

 entire State of Haiti from Jeremie to Aux Cayes taking up arms for him, as it had also 

 done in 1908. He however failed in his attempt. 



On August 19, 1911, the United States Government formally recognised General 

 Leconte as president of Haiti. In the early days of September, as his government had 

 shown a disposition to recognise the claims of foreigners, the representatives of the 

 Powers decided not to proceed with their intention of forming an International Com- 

 mission for the purpose of presenting their claims. On August 8, 1912, however General 

 Leconte perished in a fire at his palace, caused by an explosion in an adjoining powder- 

 magazine, 300 soldiers and several civilians succumbing at the same time. It was 

 supposed that the cause of the fire was the accidental ignition of quantities of ammuni- 

 tion stored in the cellars of the palace. General Augusto Tancred, formerly minister 

 of public works, was elected to succeed General Leconte, but his rights were disputed by 

 General Saint Just, who led a .body of malcontents against him. Senator Lusemburg 

 Cauvin, formerly minister of the interior, was another candidate. 



The finances of the country are still involved, although serious efforts have been made 

 to balance the budget. The finances are administered by an American citizen as gen- 

 eral receiver of customs under the convention with the United States. A compulsory 

 Education Law has been passed, and a contract for a national railroad signed. : 



HONDURAS l 



Honduras has an area of 46,250 square miles, and the population according to the 

 most recent estimates is 553,460, giving an average of about n inhabitants per square 

 mile. The revenue was estimated in the budget of 1912-1913 at 1,095,034 and the 

 expenditure at 1,002,258. The total public debt amounts to 24,207,914 (23,397,240 

 external and 810,674 internal). The total mileage of railways is 57 and that of tele- 

 graph lines 3199. The army has a strength of 2060 men. 



In 1908-1909, during the administration of President Miguel R. Davila, unsuccess- 

 ful attempts were made to solve the settlement of the foreign debt of Honduras. Vari- 

 ous offers were submitted by United States capitalists, but in each case Congress rejected 

 them. The finances of the country remained in an unsatisfactory state, and, pending 

 a more peaceful outlook, there was small encouragement for the introduction of foreign 

 capital. Nevertheless various concessions were granted, mostly to United States 

 citizens, for the navigation of rivers, the construction of railways and the opening of 

 mines. There is great need of a railway between the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts, 

 and another between Amapala and Tegucigalpa. The only railways existing are 



1 See E. B. xiii, 649 et seq. 



