List of agents of the United Kingdom to Mosquitia
 H.M. Agent and Consul General in the Mosquito Territory | |
|---|---|
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Incumbent None | |
| Inaugural holder | Robert Hodgson Sr as Superintendent on the Mosquito Shore |
| Formation | 1749 |
| Abolished | 1861 |
The following is a chronological list of British representatives who were accredited to the Kingdom of Mosquitia. These representatives served in various official and semi-official capacities over the course of more than two centuries, reflecting the deepening alliance between the Miskito monarchy and the English—and later British—Crown.
The earliest recorded figure, Sussex Camock, was appointed in 1633 by the Providence Island Company as Director General of Trade.[1] Though not a formal representative of the English state, Camock's mission was of lasting significance: it marked the beginning of English commercial and strategic engagement with the region and laid the groundwork for a durable relationship between the Mosquitian and English authorities. His activities contributed to the emergence of a political and trade alliance that, by the 18th century, would be formalized through direct Crown-appointed officials such as superintendents and consuls.
These later representatives—appointed by the English colonial governors of Jamaica and, eventually, the British Colonial Office—acted in an official diplomatic capacity, often in close coordination with the Mosquitian kings.[2] Their presence underscored Britain's recognition of the Mosquitian Kingdom as a distinct political entity and affirmed the continuity of a relationship that originated in the early 17th century and endured well into the 19th.[3]
Superintendents (1749–1787)
Appointed by the Governors of the Colony of Jamaica, these officials functioned as British resident agents in Mosquitia.[4] Their authority was based on alliances with the Mosquitian monarchy and indigenous leadership, and their appointments coincided with increased British efforts to assert control over the region during the 18th century:
- Robert Hodgson Sr. (5 October 1749 – 1759)
- Richard Jones (10 November 1759 – 20 April 1762)
- Joseph Otway (20 April 1762 – 11 May 1767)
- Richard Jones (16 July 1767 – 31 July 1767)
- Robert Hodgson Jr. (31 July 1767 – 2 August 1775)
- John Ferguson (2 August 1775 – 19 August 1776)
- James Lawrie (19 August 1776 – 21 June 1787)
The office of Superintendent was discontinued following the Convention of London (1786), under which Britain agreed to evacuate its settlements and withdraw its officials from Mosquitia in exchange for expanded logging rights on the Yucatán Peninsula.[5]
Agents and Consuls-General (1844–1861)
Appointed by the British Colonial Office, these representatives were stationed in Mosquitia during a period of renewed British interest in the region. Their role was largely diplomatic, serving as intermediaries between the British government and the Mosquitian monarchy, especially following the coronation of King George Frederic Augustus II on 18 January 1816 in British Honduras.
- Patrick Walker, Esquire (9 April 1844 – 11 February 1848)[6][7]
- William Dougal Christie (25 May 1848 – 13 September 1861)[8][9]
The position was effectively dissolved after the signing of the Treaty of Managua (1860).
See also
References
- ^ Office, Great Britain Public Record (1860). 9- ] America and West Indies, 1574.
- ^ Ports, Directories-; Daniel, James (1848). The Shipowner's and Shipmaster's Directory to the Foreign Port Charges ... Together with the Sailing Directions, Depths of Water, Descriptions of the Ports ... Also the London Printed Rates of Freight ... Brought Up to September, 1844.
- ^ Macgregor, John (1847). Historical and statistical. Whittaker and Company.
- ^ Sorsby, W. S. (1969). The British superintendency of Mosquito Shore: 1749-1787 (Doctoral thesis). University of London.
- ^ Bell, Charles Napier (1899). Tangweera: Life and Adventures Among Gentle Savages. E. Arnold.
- ^ Commons, Great Britain Parliament House of (1846). Parliamentary Papers. H.M. Stationery Office.
- ^ Bulletins of State Intelligence. Compiled and arranged from the official documents published in the London gazette. 1844.
- ^ The London Gazette: The Appointed Organ for All Announcements of the Executive. 1848,1/6. H.M. Stationery Office. 1848.
- ^ Office, Great Britain Foreign (1876). The Foreign Office List. Harrison.