Miscellaneous prices.
Reasons were given for the Earl of Carnarvon (October 31st, 1866 No 98) grounding his decision on the necessity for reduced or withdrawn lots from auction sale without a single bid, resulting in one dollar of revenue being lost.
(4) The acceptance or refusal of their offer at "Icaros" was that the sale made by me at Icaros was approved by the Executive Council, but the purchasers insisted on being forced to incur responsibility (October 3, 1867 Separate No 31). Every soul in British Honduras believed that not only was the price extraordinary under the circumstances, but also because I precisely followed the authority vested in me (in the spirit, if not the actual letter of my instructions from the Council) to sell with the intent of benefiting the colony by increasing the Anglo-Saxon population and spreading agriculture.
This postal route between New Orleans and London was considered faster than via Jamaica.
The argument used by the Commissioners was that an extension of the direct despatches addressed to Downing Street would not be considered. In the absence of direct communication between Honduras and Jamaica, recovery of purchase money was practically impossible.
All despatches regarding Icaros were peremptorily instructed to be sent to the Governor of Jamaica.
It was noted that all timber (if there ever was any) had been long cut off, and clearance, drainage, with all the usual attending advantages of settlement to civilization, held as tending to greatly increase the security of the mortgage.
The long credit apparently given for the proceeds of all re-sales of lots on blocks to the Government was in reality but nominal, as they were to be handed over at once.
I had no reason to suppose that exception would be taken to the advantages its encouragement would give the colony, especially with the prospect of large immigration from the Southern States.
The obligation imposed on the purchasers to introduce 200 families of the Anglo-Saxon race and locate them on the Ixcos lands not only increased their value and added to the security of the Government but also virtually increased the purchase money ($100,000) by fully $50,000.
Lastly, it was noted that the cost of survey having been thrown upon the purchasers was some $25,000, making the actual purchasing cost $175,000, a sum considered previously to be beyond the wildest flights of fancy, especially if any credit was to be given to the assertion that the land was utterly valueless Mangrove Swamp and Sandy Pine Barrens.
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