28 .BRITISH HONDURAS. 



and buildings. The total area under canes is about 400 acres, 

 the chief variety cultivated being the old Bourbon cane : the 

 produce is shipped almost entirely as ordinary concrete sugar 

 little or no rum being made. 



These latter particulars, I may add, apply to nearly all the 

 sugar estates in British Honduras, of which there are, excluding 

 the Toledo Settlements, altogether at present only about six or 

 iseven. 



Serpon estate, which adjoins Eegalia, is in many respects 

 similarly situated, and is managed by the proprietor, Mr. 

 Bowman. 



The labour for sugar estates is supplied by Indians from 

 the neighbouring Republics, by free c6olies from Jamaica, or by 

 Jamaica and Belize negroes. The ordinary wages are $7 per 

 month, with rations (pork and flour) ; or $11 per month without 

 rations. The labourers are hired for twelve months at a time, 

 contracts being strictly regulated by a local labour ordinance, 

 which secures the interest of both master and servant. 



The Sittee River, which rises at the foot of the eastern slopes 

 of the Cockscomb Mountains, is navigable probably for some 

 40 miles of its course; the only barriers to communication 

 being one or two falls (rapids), which, however, are seldom 

 impassable for the long, shallow boats, here called " pit-pans," so 

 much used for river communication. 



By the kindness of Mr. Ross we were able to go about 15 

 miles, up the Sittee River, as far as a rapid called Hell Gates. 

 Here the river-bed was so narrowed by rocks that the passage 

 was reduced to about one-third its usual breadth, and being also 

 very steep, a rapid of considerable force was formed. 



As the scenery and characteristics of the vegetation along 

 the Sittee River may be accepted as typical of most of the rivers 

 of British Honduras, I will treat of them here a little more 



