1799. | . 
This fettlement is a part of Yucatan, 
a Spanifh province which forms a 
Peninfula running out from the kingdom 
of Mexico to the northward, into the 
gulph of Mexico. Here and at Cam- 
peachy (on the weftern coaft of Yucatan) 
the Englifh have been in the habits of 
cutting logwood from an early period of 
the prefent century. At Campeachy, 
however, it has now been long difufed, 
and there, as well as at the Bay of Hon- 
duras, it met with conftant interruptions 
from the Spaniards; and it is well known 
to have been a principal caufe of the war 
in 1740. 
This eftablifhment, however, never af- 
fumed a regular form until after the 
peace of 1763. The Baymen then be- 
came more refpectable than they had 
formerly been, and belides their places 
for cutting wood in the river, formed a 
fort of town on a little ifland on the coatt, 
called St. George’s key (or according to 
the Spaniards Cayo Cafinz) from which, 
as well as all the other parts of the dif- 
trict, the logwood cutters were expelled 
‘by the Spaniards m the American war. 
In fa&t, the Spanifh government never 
acknowledged or allowed the right of the 
Britifh to cut logwood in any part of this 
country previous to the definitive treaty 
of peace of 1733, and it was not till the 
convention of 1786, that the privilege was 
granted of cutting mahogany. 
The Bay of Honduras extends along 
the eaft coaft of Yucatan, for about fixty 
or feventy miles. The Rio Houdo (deep 
river) is the northern boundary ; and 
there are alfo the new river, the river 
Belize or Wallis, and the river Sibun or 
Jabon, which is the boundary to the fouth 
—the intermediate {pace between Belize 
and Sibun being granted as an additional 
diftri&, in coniideration of the evacuation 
of the Mosquito fhore, by the convention 
between Great Britain and Spain of 1786, 
Thefe rivers are interfected by a bound- 
ing-line running at different diftances, 
from twenty tocighty miles in the coun- 
try. St. George’s key is alfo included in 
the Englith fettlement. ‘The four rivers 
are all navigable tor twenty miles and 
upwards, by veffels of confiderable bur- 
then, and much higher by canoes*. 
The whole Peninfula of Yucatan is 
fuppofed by naturalifts to have been for- 

* The canoes generally ufed, are of a par- 
ticular and very handfome form, to which 
they give the name of Dories. They have 
aifoa flat bottomed kind, fhaped like Thames 
Puntsemthefe they call Pitpans. 
Account of the Settlement of Honduras. 
237 
merly fea, and there appear ftrong grounds 
for their conjecture—rit. It is entirely a 
flat and very low lying land, while all 
the adjacent:country is mountainous—= 
2d. Itevery where contains in the interior 
{alt water lakes, which have no yvifible 
communication with the fea—3dly, 
‘Through the whole country are to be 
found marine fhells—and laftly, all along 
the coaft are little iflands, or keys as thev 
are called, mere beds of fand, and having 
every appearance of being thrown up 
from the fea. 
The ground is generally fwampy and 
covered with wood. Mahogany as well 
as logwood, fultic and other.dying woods, 
and alfo iron-wood, builet-tree, lignum 
vite and other kinds of hard timber, 
grow in great abundance; and the re- 
mainder of the furface is filled with the 
different fpecies of palm, cotton tree, and 
others; but principally by the aquatic 
fhrubs, called mangrove and a variety of 
underwood. ‘There are befides in fone 
places barren plains, or which at deaft bear 
only a coarfe and ulelefs kind of grafs. 
The rivers are the only highways. 
Such a country it may be eafily be- 
lieved is not healthy. St. George’s key 
and the other keys on the coaft, however, 
are extremely falubrious, and form a de- 
firable retreat to the fick and the valetu- 
dinary, The heat in Honduras is nearly 
the fame as in the Weft India iflands, 
and like them it enjoys the fea breezes, 
except occafionally during the winter, 
when the north wind blowing over the 
frozen continent of America, produces 
here a very pleafant temperature, fome- 
times even fo coid as to make a fire com- 
fortable. 
On the banks of the rivers, and the 
neighbourhood of thefe banks, the fettlers 
cut logwood and mahogany, which hav- 
ing now become pretty much exhaufted 
immediately on the rivers fides, is obliged 
to be carried a confiderable diftance, tre- 
quently feveral miles, on roads made on 
purpofe, and -where it is dragged by . 
oxen brought from England or Jamaica ; 
for no cattle are bred in the diftri@, or 
ufed there but for draught. In Belize the 
mahogany is floated down the river, and 
fent on hoard of veflels in the road-itead | 
oppofite to its mouth.’ From the reft of 
the rivers, the mahogany as well as other 
woods are carried in coafting veflels of 
from twenty to an hundred tons burthen, 
either to Belize river’s mouth, or St. 
George’s key, thefe being the only places 
where veffels lie to reccive it. 
At the mouth of Belize, which was the 
oldek 
