THE LOGWOOD TREE. 



495 



of the Spaniards for a long time consisted only of 

 the port of San Francisco de Campeachy, and two 

 other inconsiderable to^vns, Merida and Valla- 

 dolid. These could boast of but few inhabitants, 

 and the rest of the province was wholly desolate, 

 without any indication of the abode of man. 

 The English, from the north continent of America, 

 in the year 1662, tempted'by the desire of pur- 

 suing a profitable occupation, ventured to cut 

 down some of the logwood trees, which grew in 

 great abundance on the uninhabited parts of the 

 coast of Yucatan, and more especially in the bay 

 of Campeachy. These persons soon formed a 

 small colony in a spot remote from any Spanish 

 settlement. They first raised their huts near 

 Cape Catoche, and afterwards at Laguna de 

 Terminos, which was found to be a more eligible 

 situation. A few settlers thus continued to cut 

 logwood unmolested by the Spaniards, but alwaj^s 

 with the feeling that they were intruders on the 

 soil of other colonists. 



After the treaty of Madrid in 1667, which 

 was principally made for adjusting our com- 

 merce with Spain in Europe, British subjects 

 were led to imagine that the respective interests 

 of the two countries in the western hemisphere 

 had also been accurately defined by the same 

 treaty, and that the right of the English to cut 

 logwood in those places of the Honduras, unin- 

 habited by the Spaniards, was now clearly esta- 

 blished. Many other persons were therefore in 

 consequence induced to become logwood-cutters 

 at Laguna de Terminos, so that in a year or two 

 the number of settlers was greatly increased, 

 and they transported large quantities of wood 

 both to Jamaica and New England. The Spaniards 

 for many years made no expostulations or com- 

 plaints, and the English logwood-cutters con- 

 tinued to increase and flourish. 



At first a sufficiency of wood was found near 

 the coast, but when this, after a time, became 

 exhausted, the settlers gradually penetrated 

 farther into the country, where they planted 

 Indian provisions, and built houses. The jealousy 

 of the Spaniards was at length excited by this 

 growing colony, and suddenly evinced itself very 

 unceremoniously by the seizure of two English 

 ships laden with logwood. The settlers of 

 Laguna immediately made reprisals by taking 

 possession of a Spanish bark. These mutual 

 acts of violence were only the commencement of 

 a series of hostilities, and after suffering much 

 annoyance, the English settlers were, in 1680, 

 forcibly ejected by the Spaniards from the island 

 of Trist, and from Laguna de Terminos. This 

 triumph on the part of their adversaries was, 

 however, but transitory, and in two or three 

 months the English were again cutting their 

 logwood, and trading in it more extensively than 

 ever. Notwithstanding the continued opposition 

 of the Spaniards, the indefatigable settlers still 



contrived to increase their supply of that article, 

 for whose possession they hazarded so much. 

 Independent of the vexatious warfare by which 

 they were constantly harassed, the lives of these 

 poor wood-cutters were marked with hardship 

 and privation; sometimes they worked up to 

 their knees in water, and they were always tor- 

 mented by the' stings of innumerable insects. 



We learn from Dampier that the commodities 

 sent from Jamaica to procure a return cargo of 

 logwood from Campeachy, were rum and sugar, 

 "and very good commodities," says the sailor, 

 "were these for the logwood-cutters, who were 

 then (1675) about 250 men, most English." 

 "Neither was it long," he adds, "before we had 

 these merchants come on board to visit us; we 

 were but six men and a boy in the ship, and all 

 little enough to entertain them : for besides what 

 rum we sold by the gallon or firkin, we sold it 

 Aiade into punch, wherewith they grew frolick- 

 some. We had none but small arms to fire at 

 their drinking healths, and therefore the noise 

 was not very great at a distance, but on board 

 the vessel we were loud enough tiU all our liquor 

 was spent. We took no money nor expected 

 any, for logwood was what we came hither for, 

 and we had of that in lieu of our commodities 

 after the rate of five pound per ton to be paid 

 at the place where they cut it." 



This occasional festivity, a prospect perhaps 

 of making more than by regular labour in the 

 British colonies, and the entire freedom from all 

 restraint, were circumstances likely to recom- 

 mend the life of a logwood-cutter in spite of its 

 frequent hardships. It had such charms to the 

 adventurous Dampier himself, that he soon 

 returned and settled for ten or twelve months at 

 Campeachy, and left that place with the inten- 

 tion of again returning for a longer stay. He 

 thus quaintly describes the manner in which the 

 logwood men lived. 



"The logwood-cutters inhabit the creeks of 

 the east and west lagunes in small companies, 

 building their huts by the creeks' sides for the 

 benefit of the sea breezes, as near the logwood 

 groves as they can, removing often to be near 

 their business : yet when they are settled in a 

 good open place, they choose rather to go half a 

 mile in their canvas to work than lose this con- 

 venience. Though they build their huts but 

 slightly, yet they take care to thatch them very 

 well with palm or palmet leaves, to prevent the 

 rains, which are then very violent, from soak- 

 ing in. 



"For their bedding they raise a barbecue, or 

 wooden frame, three foot and a half above ground, 

 on one side of the house, and stick up four 

 stakes, at each corner one, to fasten their curtains; 

 out of which there is no sleeping for moskitoes. 

 Another frame they raise covered with earth for 

 'a hearth to dress their victuals; and a third to 



