BELIZE.
1650-1800.
BUCCANEER SETTLEMENTS IN YUCATAN—THE PIRATES ENGAGE IN
WOOD-CUTTING—GOVERNOR FIGUEROA ORDERED TO EXPEL THEM—RAID OF
THE WOOD-CUTTERS ON ASCENSION BAY—THEY ARE DRIVEN BACK BY THE
GOVERNOR—THEIR SETTLEMENT IN BELIZE DESTROYED BY FIGUEROA-THEY
RETURN IN STRONGER FORCE—FURTHER EXPEDITIONS AGAINST THEM—THE
WOOD-CUTTERS UNDER BRITISH PROTECTION—THEY ARE ATTACKED
BY GOVERNOR RIVAS—THE BOUNDARIES OF BELIZE DEFINED BY THE
TREATY OF VERSAILLES—STIPULATIONS OF A LATER TREATY—FURTHER
ENCROACHMENTS OF THE ENGLISH.
Not the least valuable among the spoils obtained by the buccaneers
during their depredations on the Spanish main were the quantities of
dye-wood which they found deposited at certain points on the coast
of Yucatan and Honduras awaiting shipment. With the decline of their
lawless pursuits, the more industrious, especially the English, turned
their attention to the cutting and shipment of dye-woods and mahogany,
and with this object established settlements on the coasts of these two
provinces. The most extensive of their settlements were those in the bay
of Términos. Here they remained for many years, varying their industrial
pursuits with occasional incursions into the surrounding country, or
attacks on the Spanish vessels which plied between Campeche and Vera
Cruz.
Neighbors so dangerous could not long be tolerated, and, as soon as
circumstances permitted, the authorities of New Spain took measures to
expel them. The wood-cutters successfully resisted the many expeditions
sent against them, not unfrequently retaliating by laying waste the
Spanish settlements, until about 1717, when they were finally driven
from that part of the coast and their establishments destroyed.
In the latter half of the seventeenth century that portion of Yucatan
bordering on the bay of Honduras was abandoned by Spaniards, owing to
the destruction by pirates and Indians of the town of Bacalar.[XXXIII‑1]
Its henceforth isolated position, together with the ruggedness of
the surrounding country and the numberless reefs and shoals on its
sea-coast, made it peculiarly fitted for the haunts of the buccaneers.
One of these, Peter Wallace, a Scotchman, landed with some eighty
companions at the mouth of the Belize river, and erected on its banks a
few houses, which he enclosed with a rude palisade. His name was given
both to the river and settlement, and subsequently to the whole region
occupied by the English. By the Spaniards this territory was variously
termed Walis, Balis, and Walix, and the word became finally corrupted
into the present name of Belice or Belize.[XXXIII‑2]
The district was rich in dye-woods and mahogany, and wood-cutting
soon became the chief occupation of the freebooters, whose numbers had
gradually increased. With the same object, many Mosquito Indians had
also settled in the country. The buccaneers who were driven from the
bay of Términos also harbored in Belize, and after attempting in vain
to retake their settlements finally settled there.
The existence of the piratical establishment of Wallace and his
companions was not discovered by the Spaniards until the beginning of
the eighteenth century. In 1725 Antonio de Figueroa y Silva was ordered
to expel the English from Yucatan, and for this purpose was appointed
governor of that province.[XXXIII‑3] Soon afterward, in obedience to
instructions from the crown, he visited the ruined town of Bacalar, or
Salamanca, as it was also called, and erected a fort which he garrisoned
with forty-five men. This fortress, situated on a lake of the same name
and connected with the bay of Espíritu Santo by a navigable river, was
to serve as the base of future operations. To insure its permanency
it was decided to rebuild the town. The want of settlers in Yucatan,
however, compelled the transportation of a colony from the Canary
Islands, the first portion of which did not arrive until several years
later.[XXXIII‑4]
[Sidenote: FIGUEROA'S EXPEDITION.]
Meanwhile governor Figueroa began the preparations for a combined sea
and land expedition against the English settlements, which, it was
hoped, would result in their complete destruction. Apprised of this
design, the wood-cutters of Belize not only prepared for a determined
resistance, but with their usual intrepidity resolved to anticipate
the Spaniards by invading their territory. A large force of Indians
was obtained from Mosquitia, and an expedition despatched by sea to
Ascension Bay marched on the important town of Tihosuco. The first
settlement encountered, named Chuhuhú, was taken and sacked, but ere
long Figueroa arrived with a large force and drove them back to their
vessels with considerable loss.[XXXIII‑5]
This event induced Figueroa to hasten his preparations, but it was
not until about the end of 1732, or the beginning of the following
year,[XXXIII‑6] that the expedition set out for Bacalar. The land force
it would appear numbered considerably over seven hundred men,[XXXIII‑7]
but of those who went by sea no mention is made. Arrived at Bacalar the
troops embarked, and the fleet sailed in the direction of Belize.
The wood-cutters in the mean time had strengthened their fortifications
at the mouth of the Belize river, mustered all their available force,
and were said to have received aid from the governor of Jamaica. Their
number at this time it is difficult to ascertain. According to the
report of a Spanish missionary in 1724, there were at that date about
three hundred English, besides Mosquito Indians and negro slaves, these
latter having been introduced but a short time before from Jamaica and
Bermuda. It is equally difficult to ascertain the extent of territory
occupied by the wood-cutters at this period, for although previous
to 1718 their settlements extended between the rivers Hondo and
Belize,[XXXIII‑8] in 1733 they were apparently confined to the course
of the latter river.[XXXIII‑9]
[Illustration: BELIZE.]
[Sidenote: DEFEAT OF THE WOOD-CUTTERS.]
Figueroa's plan was to land his troops on the coast at some distance
from the mouth of the Belize, and while the fleet engaged the attention
of the enemy by a feigned attack in front, to make a detour with a
land force and fall on the rear of the town. This proved successful,
for while the English were eagerly awaiting the approach of the fleet,
Figueroa suddenly appeared in their rear, and attacked them with such
impetuosity that despite their efforts their town with nearly all its
defenders was within three hours in the hands of the Spaniards. Having
destroyed the town and fortifications, and all other settlements on
the river, and seized or destroyed the vessels and other property, the
expedition returned.[XXXIII‑10]
The Spaniards were greatly rejoiced at this success, but their joy was
short-lived. The wood-cutters soon returned with reënforcements and a
strong fleet, reoccupied their former settlements, successfully resisted
all subsequent attempts to expel them, and, as we shall see, the English
government afterward extended over them its protection. In 1736, after
various unsuccessful efforts to dispossess them, the governor of Yucatan
proposed to the Spanish crown that a strong fort be erected at the
mouth of the Belize River to prevent the passage of vessels, but this
suggestion does not appear to have been acted on.[XXXIII‑11]
In 1739 war again broke out between Spain and England, and, compelled
to defend their coasts from a powerful English fleet, the Spaniards
desisted for a time from further operations against Belize, although
the determination to regain their territory thus usurped had not been
abandoned. Peace was declared in 1748; but it was not until two years
later, in a subsequent treaty, that the commercial relations between
the two countries were settled. The damage caused by Figueroa had in the
mean time been made the subject of diplomatic negotiations, and though
no definite understanding was reached, the efforts of England appear to
have been limited to the protection of her subjects from molestation in
the bay of Honduras, while the Spanish government continued secretly to
adopt measures for their expulsion.[XXXIII‑12]
In April 1754, a formidable attempt was made to expel the wood-cutters.
An expedition of fifteen hundred men was organized for this purpose
at Peten, Guatemala, but upon reaching the coast after a long and
difficult march, they were met by two hundred and fifty of the English
and completely defeated. This appears to have been the last expedition
sent against Belize for several years.[XXXIII‑13]
During the seven years' war in Europe, which began in 1756, England, in
her endeavors to induce Spain to join her against France, offered among
other things to evacuate the establishments made by her subjects in the
bay of Honduras since October 1748, including Mosquitia, all of which
had been made the subject of complaint. This does not necessarily imply,
as certain Spanish writers would have us believe, that England thereby
acknowledged the illegality of the wood-cutter's right to occupy that
territory.[XXXIII‑14]
[Sidenote: THE WOOD-CUTTERS REËNFORCED.]
Indeed, it is clearly evident that England considered, or pretended to
consider, that her subjects in Belize had acquired the right to cut
and ship dye-woods and mahogany in this and other districts, without
molestation, for in the subsequent treaty with Spain, in 1763, although
agreeing to demolish "all fortifications which her subjects may have
constructed in the bay of Honduras, and other places of the territory of
Spain in that part of the world," England insisted upon the insertion of
a clause in the treaty whereby the cutters of log-wood were guaranteed
the right to continue unmolested the cutting and shipping of the same,
and the erection of the necessary buildings for this purpose, within
those districts.[XXXIII‑15]
This weakness on the part of Spain, attributed to the incapacity of
her commissioner, the marqués de Grimaldi, though apparently a simple
relaxation in favor of the English of the law which excluded all
foreigners from the Spanish colonies, was virtually a recognition of the
right of the English to occupy indefinitely a portion of her territory;
and though not explicitly surrendering her sovereignty, no limits were
fixed to the encroachments of the wood-cutters, nor were they in any
way made subject to the Spanish authorities. Thus the way to future
complications was opened.[XXXIII‑16]
Soon after the ratification of this treaty, the English government
commissioned Sir William Burnaby to proceed to Belize, establish the
limits within which wood-cutting was to be confined, and draw up a code
of laws for the regulation of the colony. This he did; and though we
have no information as to the limits fixed, for many years the Burnaby
Code, as it was called, formed the only laws by which Belize was
governed. The establishment of limits, however, availed but little; for,
emboldened by their previous success in resisting the Spaniards, and
encouraged by the protection of the English government, they gradually
extended their wood-cutting operations beyond these boundaries, and
carried on smuggling to the great prejudice of Spanish commerce. In
consequence, the governor of Yucatan forbade all communication between
Belize and the Spanish settlements; required that all persons settling
in Belize should present a permit to that effect from either the English
or Spanish government; expelled the wood-cutters from the coast district
of the Hondo River, and ordered that all wood-cutting should be confined
to the region lying between the Belize and New rivers, and not farther
than twenty leagues from the coast.
As a result of these measures the business of the wood-cutters was
injured, as they claimed, to the extent of one hundred and eighty
thousand pesos. In the latter part of 1764 a demand for the satisfaction
of these losses was presented by the English minister at the court of
Spain, who also insisted that the governor of Yucatan be reproved for
his conduct, and that the wood-cutters be permitted to return to the
Hondo River district. The English minister intimated that war would be
the result if these demands were not granted; but after a protracted
correspondence he succeeded only in obtaining permission for the return
of the wood-cutters to the districts from which they had been expelled;
and the claims were added, for future settlement, to the long list of
those already pending between the two governments.[XXXIII‑17]
[Sidenote: RIVAS ATTACKS THE ENGLISH.]
During the next five years there is no evidence that the wood-cutters
were disturbed; but in 1779, war having broken out afresh between
Spain and England, the former determined to profit by the opportunity
to give the final blow to the existence of the English settlements in
her territory. In that year Don Roberto Rivas Vetancur, the recently
appointed governor of Yucatan, in accordance with his instructions
began to organize an expedition against Belize, Bacalar as before
becoming the base of operations. The wood-cutters were soon informed
of the declaration of war, and made all haste to fortify the mouth of
the Belize River and St George Key, which lies directly opposite. Not
content with this, they determined again to anticipate the Spaniards
by capturing Bacalar, which ever since its reëstablishment they had
regarded as a standing menace to their safety. In this, however, they
were disappointed; for Governor Rivas, informed of their design, hastily
organized a force of some eight hundred men, and procuring canoes
and piraguas hastened on to Bacalar. Thence, though his men were ill
equipped, he proceeded against the English; and having driven them from
the Hondo River district, and captured and armed three small vessels,
he sent a strong force against St George Key, and captured the fort with
its garrison.
Further operations were prevented by the sudden appearance of three
English vessels of war sent by the governor of Jamaica. The Spaniards
had barely time to escape with their prisoners and prizes, the latter
including many small craft. Proceeding up New River they drove the
English from this region, destroying over forty establishments, and
inflicting a loss on the wood-cutters of more than five hundred thousand
pesos. At this juncture reënforcements arrived for the wood-cutters, and
Rivas was compelled to abandon their territory; but in consideration of
the important results accomplished with so small a force, his conduct
was approved by the Spanish crown.[XXXIII‑18]
[Sidenote: TREATY BETWEEN SPAIN AND GREAT BRITAIN.]
The sixth article of the treaty of Versailles, signed September 3, 1783,
defined the limits of Belize and the rights of the wood-cutters. The
boundaries now fixed as unalterable were the Belize and Hondo rivers,
the north-western boundary being almost a straight line between the two
rivers so as to pass through the source of New River, the south-eastern
boundary being the coast. The navigation of these two rivers was to
be open to both nations; certain places, to be agreed upon by the
respective commissioners, were to be marked out where the wood-cutters
might erect all necessary buildings; and it was provided that the
foregoing stipulations should not be "considered as derogating in any
wise" to the rights of Spanish sovereignty. All English subjects in the
Spanish colonies, in whatever part, were to retire within this district
before the expiration of eighteen months, dating from the ratification
of the treaty; and the right of fishery on the coast and among the
adjacent islands was granted, but no establishments could be made on
such islands.[XXXIII‑19]
Although this treaty so clearly defined the boundaries subject to
British colonization, there were certain points which had been omitted,
and accordingly another and final treaty was celebrated between Spain
and England "to prevent even the shadow of misunderstanding which might
be occasioned by doubts."
This treaty was signed at London July 14, 1786. While confirming
the former one of 1783, and expressly stating that "all the lands in
question" were "indisputably acknowledged to belong of right to the
crown of Spain," it contained the following additional privileges and
restrictions. The Sibun, or Jubon river, was made the western boundary
of Belize, which included all the territory between it and the Belize as
far inland as the source of the Sibun. Within six months, all possible
facilities being provided by the Spanish government, English subjects
in any part whatsoever of the Spanish colonies were to retire within
the boundaries of Belize; in addition to the existing privilege of
cutting dye-woods, that of cutting all other woods, mahogany included,
was granted; all the natural or cultivated products of the soil could
be used and carried away, but no "plantations of sugar, coffee, cacao,
or other like articles, or any fabric or manufacture by means of mills
or other machines," saw-mills excepted, could be established under any
pretext. On account of the insalubrity of the adjacent coast St George
Key was granted for the purpose of settlement, but it could not be
fortified, nor could any armed force be stationed there. Certain small
islands off the coast about midway between the mouths of the Sibun and
Belize rivers were granted, together with the intervening waters, for
the purpose purely of refitting ships; no government, either military
or civil, could be established except such as could be agreed upon by
the two powers for the maintenance of peace and order. To preserve
entire the right of Spanish sovereignty over the territory granted,
such settlements only would be permitted as should be necessary for the
trade in wood and fruits. Finally, two commissioners, one from each
government, were to visit the country twice a year to see that these
stipulations were observed.[XXXIII‑20]
By these treaties the respective rights of the two countries in
the territory of Belize were clearly defined. Spain held undisputed
sovereignty; England's right was limited to an indefinite occupation for
purposes of trade. But it is not always sufficient to declare rights;
the powers of Europe keep their agreements when compelled by force
of arms, and this, Spain, with her declining strength, was eventually
unable to do.
Colonel Enrique de Grimarest, the Spanish commissioner, arrived in
Belize early in 1787 and was soon joined by the English commissioner
and superintendent of the colony, Colonel Edward M. Despard. Article
thirteen of the treaty of 1786 required that all other portions of
the Spanish colonies should be evacuated by the English before the new
grants could take effect. The Mosquito kingdom appears to have been the
only territory then occupied by the English besides Belize, and nearly
all of its inhabitants having arrived at this latter colony by the
middle of 1787, the commissioners proceeded to mark the boundaries; but
the formal transfer of the territory between the Sibun and Belize rivers
was not made until the 11th of August. In the course of the survey of
the Belize River it was found that the wood-cutters had anticipated
this new grant of territory by extending their operations beyond
the former boundaries, the country for some distance on the western
side of the river not only being stripped of mahogany, but several
establishments were found in active operation outside the boundaries
newly assigned. These the owners were compelled to abandon and retire
within the limits of the colony, but it was hardly to be expected that
men who claimed independence, and denied even the right of England to
make their laws, would respect the boundaries after the departure of
the Spanish commissioner. Indeed they openly declared their intention
of establishing a government and framing laws of their own. The Spanish
commissioner complained of this condition of affairs, but without any
apparent result.[XXXIII‑21]
[Sidenote: FINAL EFFORTS OF THE SPANIARDS.]
In October 1796 England declared war against Spain, and upon the receipt
of this news in Yucatan, Arturo O'Neill, the governor of that province,
began immediate preparations for an attack on Belize. It was not until
May 20, 1798, however, that the expedition, consisting of between two
and three thousand men and a large fleet of small vessels, departed
for Belize, escorted by two Spanish frigates. The frigates accompanied
them only part of the way, returning, it is said, on account of lack of
provisions, and the shallowness of the water on the coast. The remainder
of the expedition continued the voyage. Nothing was accomplished,
however, as the settlers were fully prepared; and being reënforced by
many of the planters who had been ordered to abandon Mosquitia, and
aided by the English sloop-of-war _Merlin_, they prevented the Spaniards
from effecting a landing. After hovering off the coast for a few
days the expedition returned to Yucatan.[XXXIII‑22] This was the last
attempt made by the Spaniards to expel the men of Belize. Thenceforth
the stipulations of treaties were disregarded, and the territory as far
south as the Sarstun was gradually taken possession of and held by right
of conquest, the subsequent revolution throughout the colonies rendering
the Spaniards powerless to prevent these encroachments.[XXXIII‑23]