ORIGIN OF BALIZE. 



15 



which protect the harbour of Balize. The place where 

 he built his log huts and fortalice is still pointed out ; 

 but their site is now occupied by warehouses. Strength- 

 ened by a close alliance with the Indians of the Mos- 

 cheto shore, and by the adhesion of numerous British 

 adventurers, who descended upon the coast of Honduras 

 for the purpose of cutting mahogany, he set the Span- 

 iards at defiance. Ever since, the territory of Balize 

 has been the subject of negotiation and contest, and to 

 this day the people of Central America claim it as their 

 own. It has grown by the exportation of mahogany ; 

 but, as the trees in the neighbourhood have been almost 

 all cut down, and Central America is so impoverished 

 by wars that it offers but a poor market for British 

 goods, the place is languishing, and will probably con- 

 tinue to dwindle away until the enterprise of her mer- 

 ' chants discovers other channels of trade. 



At this day it contains a population of six thousand, 

 of which four thousand are blacks, who are employed by 

 the merchants in gangs as mahogany cutters. Their 

 condition was always better than that of plantation 

 slaves ; even before the act for the general abolition of 

 slavery throughout the British dominions, they were 

 actually free ; and, on the thirty-first of August, 1839, 

 a year before the time appointed by the act, by a gen- 

 eral meeting and agreement of proprietors, even the 

 nominal yoke of bondage was removed. 



The event was celebrated, says the Honduras Alma- 

 nac, by religious ceremonies, processions, bands of 

 music, and banners with devices : " The sons of Ham 

 respect the memory of "Wilberforce ;" The Queen, 

 God bless her McDonald forever Civil and 

 religious liberty all over the world." Nelson Schaw, 



a snowdrop of the first water," continues the Alma- 



