HONDURAS.

(REPÚBLICA DE HONDURAS.)

Constitution and Government.

THE Republic of Honduras, established January 11, 1839, before the dissolution of the Confederation of Central America in 1839, is governed under a charter proclaimed October, 1894. It gives the legislative power to a Congress of Deputies chosen for 4 years directly by popular vote, in the ratio of one per 10,000 inhabitants. It meets for 60 days on January 1 each year. The executive authority rests with a President, nominated and elected by popular vote for 4 years.

President.-Manuel Bonilla.

Vice-President.-Miguel R. Davila.

The administration of the Republic is carried on by a Council of ministers, to whom are entrusted the departments of Interior, Public Works, War, Finance, Public Instruction, and Justice.

The active army consists of 500 men with 20,000 militia.

Area and Population.

The area of the Republic is calculated to embrace about 46, 250 English square miles, with a population, in 1901, of 744,901, according to official figures, or about 16 inhabitants to the square mile. The Republic is divided into 16 departments, a new department, called Atlantida, comprising the rich banana land on the north coast, having been formed on September 15, 1902. The bulk of the inhabitants consists of aboriginal 'Indians,' and the sparse European-descended population, mainly of Spanish origin. Of the Indians about 90,000 are uncivilised. The capital of the Republic is the ancient town of Tegucigalpa, with 34,692 inhabitants; other towns are Juticalpa, 17,800; Nacaome, 12.040; La Esperanza, 11,453; Santa Rosa, 10,888; Choluteca, 10,820. The main ports are Amapala on the Pacific, and, on the Atlantic, Puerto Cortez, Omoa, Ulna, La Ceiba Trujillo, Roatan, and Utila.

Religion, Instruction, Justice.

The Roman Catholic is the prevailing religion, but the Constitution guarantees freedom to all creeds, and the State does not contribute to the sup port of any. Instruction is free, compulsory (from 7 to 15 years of age), and entirely secular. At Tegucigalpa there is a central university with faculties of medicine, and of science, law, and political sciences; at Comayagua there is a school of jurisprudence. In 1902 these institutions had 135 students. For secondary instruction the Government maintains a Central Institute at Tegucigalpa, and subsidies colleges in the depariments To these colleges normal schools are annexed. In 1902 they had 646 pupils. For primary instruction there are 851 schools with 30,025 pupils, and an average attendance of 22,745. The annual expenditure on primary instruction is 139,000 dollars silver.

The Judicial power resides in the Supreme Court with five judges chosen directly by the people; four Appeal Courts, and departmental and ocal judges.

Finance.

The revenue is mainly derived from customs, and from spirit, powder, and tobacco monopolies. For the years stated, ending July 30, the revenue and expenditure (in pesos) are given as follows (estimates for 1904 and 1905):

Revenue
Expenditure

2,986,953 2,757,556 2,568, 159 2,637,724 3,043,500 2,840,397 2,604,488 1,854,133 2,625,983 3,043,500

For 1905 the revenue comprised 1,350,000 pesos from customs; 1,015,000 from taxes on consumption, and 88,000 from posts and telegraphs, other sources of revenue being port dues, stamps, lottery, &c. Of the expenditure, 1,166,169 pesos was for the department of War, 464,525 pesos for the department of the Interior; 478,020 pesos for Public Works; 259,788 pesos for Finance; 130,258 pesos for the Public Debt, and 337.173 for Public Instruction.

In July, 1904, the external debt of Honduras consisted of four loans, contracted from 1867 to 1870, amounting to 5,398,570l., with arrears of interest amounting to 14,753,1477; total 20,151,7177. No interest has been paid since 1872. The internal debt in 1903 was stated to amount to

1,317,380 pesos.

Production and Commerce.

Agriculture is gradually developing. The chief culture is that of bananas, occupying 42,840 acres, mostly on the Atlantic coast. Other products are tobacco, sugar, maize, cocoanuts, oranges, lemons, sarsaparilla, beans, and coffee; while indigo, rice, and wheat are grown in small quantities. Cattle breeding is carried on extensively, and dairy farming on a small scale. In 1902 there were within the Republic about 571,120 head of cattle, 43,549 horses, 14,064 mules, 111,581 pigs, and 11,806 sheep. About 150,400 acres are devoted to pasture. The Government grants facilities for the acquisition of land by private persons and companies for agricultural and mining purposes, but labour is scarce. A concession has been granted (1903) for working the mahogany and cedar forests within the republic. There are considerable local industries such as the plaiting of straw hats. The mineral resources of Honduras are great gold, platinum, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron, antimony, nickel being found in almost every department. There are several gold and silver mining companies at work. In 1902, 23,235 oz. of gold, and 1,010,204 oz. of silver were exported, and also a small quantity of copper. Deposits of brown and other coal have also been found. The chief requisites for the development of the mining industries are capital, and facilities for transport.

In 1901, the imports amounted to 4,168,600 silver pesos and the exports to 6,183,023; in 1902 the imports amounted to 4,377,161, and the exports to 6,170,353. The silver peso is worth (1902) about 20d. The chief

imports are cottons, breadstuffs, and provisions. chief articles of export were as follows:

In these years the

1902

Of the imports, 65 per cent. are from the United States, and of the exports, 66 per cent. are to the United States.

The treaty of Commerce and Navigation of 1887 provides for the "most favoured nation" treatment between the United Kingdom and Honduras.

The imports into the United Kingdom from Honduras (according to the Board of Trade Returns) amounted in 1903 to 7221., of which 6027. was for coffee. The domestic exports from the United Kingdom to Honduras amounted to 60,4097., the chief article exported being cottons, 47,3137. The imports from Honduras and exports to Honduras to and from the United States (according to United States statistics) in three years were valued as follows:

In 1902-03, the chief imports were bananas, 961,728 dollars. In 1902-03, the chief exports were cottons, 225,936 dollars.

In 1901, 122 vessels of 64,568 tons entered the port of Puerto Cortez. The transport of fruit, &c., to the United States is effected largely by small vessels built for the purpose. Puerto Cortez, La Ceiba, and Tela are visited

by the boats of three American companies, Puerto Cortez by Mexican cattle boats, and Trujillo by cattle boats trading with Havana; in autumn fruit is shipped at Roatan in American boats. Amapala, on the Pacific coast, is visited by the steamers of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and of the Kosmos Company.

Communications.

An excellent macadamised road now connects the capital with the new port of San Lorenzo and roads in other parts of the country are now under construction. In general, travelling and transport are accomplished by means of mules and ox-carts. There is a railway of 57 miles from Puerto Cortez to San Pedro Sula and La Pimienta ; it is being continued to La Brea on the Pacific coast. Tegucigalpa is being connected by rail with San Lorenzo on the Pacific. In 1902 there were 245 post-offices; the internal corre spondence amounted to 793,110 letters, &c.; the foreign correspondence to 449,750 letters, &c. In 1902 there were 172 telegraph offices and 2,825 miles of telegraph wire; number of messages, 618,000. The telephone, with 100 miles of line and 95 stations, is in use in the capital and some other towns.

Money, Weights, and Measures.

The silver peso or dollar, of 100 cents, weighs 25 grammes, 900 fine. The fractional silver money consists of 50, 25, 20, 10, and 5 cent pieces. There is a 1-cent copper coin. Gold coins of the value of 20, 10, 5, and 1 dollar circulate as national money. The monetary unit is the silver peso. There is one bank in the Republic, the "Banco de Honduras. Honduras, having a greater variety of commercial products aud a circulating medium at basis metallic, suffers less than several of the Central American States from fluctuations of exchange.

The metric system of weights and measures has been legal since April 1, 1897, but the old Spanish system is still in general use.

Diplomatic and Consular Representatives.

1. OF HONDURAS IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Envoy and Minister. -Señor Angel Ugarte, accredited February, 1904. Consul-General.-M. J. Kelly.

There are Consuls at Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Southampton.

2. OF GREAT BRITAIN IN HONDURAS.

Minister.-H. W. B. Harrison, C. M.G.

There are Consuls at Amapala, Omoa, Tegucigalpa, and Truxillo; a viceconsul at San Pedro Sula.

Statistical and other Books of Reference concerning Honduras. 1. OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS.

The President's Annual Message to Congress.-The Finance Minister's Annual Report. Tegucigalpa.

Boletin Financiero. Tegucigalpa.

Foreign Office Reports, Annual Series. London.

Gaceta Oficial de Honduras.

Honduras. Bulletin No. 57 of the Bureau of the American Republics. Washington, 1892, and the Monthly Bulletins of the Bureau. Washington.

United States Consular Reports. Mouthly. Washington.

2. NON-OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS.

Charles (C.), Honduras. 8. Chicago, 1890.

Corporation of Foreign Bondholders, Annual Report of Council of London.
Fiallos (E. C.), Sketch of Central America by.

Fröbel (Julius), Seven Years' Travel in Central America. 8. London, 1853.

Gonzalez (D.), Geografía de Centro-America. San Salvador, 1878.

Keane (A. H.), Central and South America. In Stanford's Compendium. London,

1901.

Lombard (Thomas R.), The New Honduras. New York, 1887.

Marr (Wilhelm), Reise nach Central-America. 2 vols. 8. Hamburg, 1863.

Pelletier (Consul E.), Honduras et ses ports. Documents officiels sur le chemin-de-fer interocéanique. 8. Paris, 1869.

Reichardt (M.), Centro-America. 8. Braunschweig, 1851.

Report of the Council of the Corporation of Foreign Bondholders. Appendix for 19031904. London, 1904.

Sapper (C.), Das nordliche Mittel-Amerika. Reisen und Studien, 1888-98. 3 vols. Brunswick, 1899.

Scherzer (Karl, Ritter von), Wanderungen durch die mittelamerikanischen Freistaaten Nicaragua, Honduras und San Salvador. 8. Braunschweig, 1857.

Soltera (Maria), A Lady's Ride across Spanish Honduras. London, 1884.

Squier (E. G.), Honduras: Descriptive, Historical, and Statistical. S. London, 1870.