Robert Charles Frederic
Robert Charles Frederic was king of Mosquitia from 1824 to 1842.
Succession
Robert Charles Frederic was educated in Jamaica. He became "king" following the death of his brother and predecessor, George Frederick, who was murdered by his own wife, and was subsequently crowned in British Honduras on 23 April 1824. A number of writers in the nineteenth century described the rapid succession of several kings between George Frederic and Robert Charles Frederic, which Olien has challenged on the basis of a careful reading of the original sources.Reign
In a series of decrees issued on 26 October 1832, Robert Charles forbade his subjects to make raids on neighboring indigenous groups and abolished slavery in his domains, effective on 1 November. That same year, he also decreed that tax rates on "all free male subjects" over the age of 14 as well as foreigners would pay one dollar in tax. These taxes were to be paid on 1 September annually to "any chiefs that I may nominate to receive said taxes" and be further transmitted by them to the treasury. An attached schedule shows that slaves were also charged this rate, to be paid by their masters, and other indigenous people who were working in the country would pay a much lower rate of 4 rials, payable by their employers.Robert Charles Frederic also granted special trading privileges to British merchants, for example, he issued such to the brothers Thomas and Joseph Knap in 1833 and mentioned similar grants made earlier to Samuel and Peter Sheppard. The grants gave exclusive trading rights in exchange for a fixed annual payment of 100 dollars.
When Thomas Young met him in 1839, he spoke good English and was dressed in a Royal Navy uniform. He tried offenders in his country using an English court system with a jury.