Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/585

 NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

241

A Crown colony on the Caribbean Sea, south of Yucatan, and 660 miles West from Jamaica, noted for its production of mahogany and logwood. Area, 7,562 square miles. Population in 1891 31,471 ; estimated in 1897 at 34,277 (white 462, coloured 33,815). Births (1897) 1,410 ; deaths, 1,013 ; marriages, 309. Schools (1897), 46 ; children enrolled, 3,693 ; Government grant, 14,162 dollars.

—

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

Revenue Expenditure Exports. Imports

Dollars

301,922

365,519

2,135,117

1,460,941

Dollars 185,719^ 218,989^ 2,549,583 1,558,457

Dollars

238,483

274,767

1,284,000

1,453,640

Dollars

302,686

269,877

1,378,601

1,462,637

Dollars

314,017

322,990

1,404,387

1,422,097

1 Gold.

Chief sources of revenue : Customs duties (166,618 dollars in 1897) ; excise, licenses, land-tax, &c. ; also sale and letting of Crown lands. Expenditure mainly administrative and the various services. Debt 168,815 dollars in 1896.

Value of imports subject to duty (1896), 1,060,065 dollars; duty free, 362,032 dollars. Chief exports, mahogany (6,777,382 superficial feet in 1897), logwood, fruit (chiefly to New Orleans), sugar. The transit trade somewhat increases the traffic of the ports, especially in india-rubber, sarsaparilla, cotfee, &c. Besides the staple products, mahogany and logwood, there are coffee, bananas, plantains, coco-nuts, &c. The higher parts afford good pasturage for cattle. Exports to United Kingdom in 1897, 769,867 dollars ; imports from the United Kingdom, 486,463 dollars.

In 1897 641 vessels of 194,144 tons entered, and 633 of 196,189 tons cleared. British vessels, 249 of 79,802 tons entered, and 249 of 80,231 tons cleared. The registered shipping of the colony in 1898 consisted of 220 sailing vessels of 4,906 tons and 5 steamers of 748 tons ; total tonnage, 5,654.

Savings banks at Belize with five branches — deposits, 23,464 dollars, December 31, 1897. United States gold was adopted as the standard of currency on October 15, 1894. There is (1896) a paper currency of 118,973 dollars in Government notes and a subsidiary silver coinage of 200,000 dollars in circulation.

References : Colonial Reports. Annual. London.

Bristowe (L. W.) and Wright (P. B.), Handbook of British Honduras. 8. Annual. Edinburgh.

Bellamy (J.), Expedition to the Cockscomb Mountains, British Honduras. In Proc. R G. Soc. (N.S.) XI. 542. 8. London, 1889.

Gibha (A. R.), History of British Honduras. London, 1883.

Morris (D.), The Colony of British Honduras. 16. London, 1883.

Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Montserrat, Nevis. Indies.

See West

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR.

-Sir Henry Edward iMcCallum, R.E., K.C.M.G.

appointed

Governor. 1898 ; salary 7,000 dollars.

Newfoundland is an island at the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, between 46° 37' and 51° 39' N., 52° 35' and 59° 25' W. ; and Labrador, its dependency, is the most easterly part of the continent of North America.