Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 201: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Lost Trails members. The negroes of the colony are allowed fo elect a queen, which they do with great pomp. The natives along the coast barter back and forth among themselves, each coast town having a flotilla of canoes tied in front of it, and quite a bit of turtle shell is sold to local traders who export it to this country. In the hill country com, rice, manioc (from which tapioca is made), cotton, aloe, coffee, cacao (chocolate), oranges, bananas, rubber, pepper, and many other products thrive easily. The price of land (government Crown land) is nom- inally fixed at five dollars a hectare (over two acres). Traces of gold, silver and lead have been found in some of the creeks of this country, but nothing of any note. The formation of the Cockscombs is a hard granite with quartz veins cropping out in places. Hunting placer ground is a rather tedious process, due to the heavy growth of jungle. The lowland was once sea-bottom and was doubt- less built up to its present level by coral growth. There have been a few small placer operations at yarious points m the colony but I have never heard of one that amounted to much. For my part I would not suggest British Honduras if you are thinking of trying to locate placer ground or dredging ground. However, it will only cost you a $5 tax to try it out. That is what the goverm- ment charges for prospecting license. And if you find anything you must declare it immediately, have it surveyed by a government surveyor and pay royalty on each ounce mined. The laws of Spanish Honduras are much more liberal. Spanish and not British Honduras would be my suggestion’ for prospecting. Several of my answers regarding this country have been printed m Adventure Magazine during the past two years. Write to The Pan-American Union, Washington, D. C., for the booklet “Honduras— general descriptive data’’ for gencral information. Also write Department of Commerce, Latin- American Division, Washington, D. C., for supple- ments to commerce reports covering Spanish Honduras. I9I The Original Seven Seas poe some of you may have still + a different explanation of the origin of the term “Seven Seas.” Here are two. Though no fixed definition can be found, anyone is entitled to his own theory: Question: —Be so good as to inform me what the expression the ‘Seven Seas’ signifies? What seven seas are meant? How and when did y the term originate?” —GEo. M. Kier, Vicksburg, Mississippi. Ra Answer, by Captain Dingle:—The term Seven Seas is hard to trace to its absolute source. There are almost as many definitions, and dates of origin, as there are waves on those Seven Seas. One of the most general suppositions is that the term embraces the Five Oceans and the Carribbean and Medi- teranean Seas, which in bygone days were seas of distinct trades. For example, ships plied the great oceans on distant voyages or exploring cruises, while the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas were sufiiciently well known to have established firms trading to them with their vessels, the Levanters and West Indiamen. There was another selection of Seas which many understood to be the Seven, but the reason is not very bright unless One remembers that sailors in days before steam made some very eventful voyages in remote regions, and were apt to recall such voy- J ages by events that affected their ship—such as pirates in the Chifia Seas, savages in the South Seas, slavers in the Arabian Sea, etc. These other Seven Seas were the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Baltic, Arabian, North, China, and South Seas. Personally, although the ‘evidence is not so clear to a landsman, I lean to the latter explanation. o4 But there is not a fixed definition to be found, that I have even.discovered, so it remains after all greatly a matter of opinion if not guesswork. 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We have arranged with the Montreal Sfer to give additional publi- cation in their ‘'Missing Relative Column,” weekly and daily editions, to any of our inquiries for persons lest heard of in Canada, Except in case of relatives, | inquines from one sex to the other are barred. “ OO OE EO” DTyERS, JOHN STERLING. Last heard ‘of in Pax- —_—-- i : ) cCOLL, JOHN B. Last heard of ae fee! phe say ous mere. Lis pa Pee ce com- M C A., We York, November, ree oe ey ae ig son.—. ess ~ RS, Gen- 1 1 eral Delivery, Enid, Okla. Thies oo please write—Address A. M. Buck, Surf ZAT, JOHN. Last heard ‘of in Cumberland, Md. EAD, JOSEP ~ years. Ltr by trade. Any information of his whereabouts M heard 7 at Sk ee 15. tare : W.Va appreciated, Address E. E. BS, Burnsville, formation will be iated.—Address W. é. OMPSON) A Co. H, 62nd Inf., p Lee, Va. Eomicbooks.com