navigable. It empties into the sea on the south side of the island. Near Trinidad also is the mouth of the Agobama. The Hanabana is another large river on the south side of the island, which loses itself in the Laguna del Tesoro. The whole number of permanent rivers in the island is seventy-five, but there is a large number of streams which become dry during the dry months of winter. Some of the rivers form beautiful cascades. The Moa, which rises in the Cuchillas de Toa, after dashing over many precipices, becomes submerged at the Sierra de Moa; but on its reappearance it forms a majestic cascade 300 feet high. It is in the extreme eastern part of the island. There are several miniature lakes or lagunes in Cuba, generally communicating with the rivers or the bays. The Laguna de Ariguanabo, north of San Antonio, has an area of two square leagues, and a depth of eight yards. There are also the Laguna de Maya, east of the bay of Matanzas; the Laguna Grande, south of Guamutos; the Laguna Guanaroca, formed by an arm of the river Arimas; and about seven others, all small, and with little depth of water. MOUNTAINS-GEOLOGY.-Humboldt, we believe, is the only traveler who has attempted to give a scientific description of the isle of Cuba; so that little is known of the geology of the island beyond what is to be found in his Essai sur l'Isle de Cuba, written about half a century ago. His descriptions, however, so far as they extend, may be relied on, for the physical aspects and character of the island, as they are for the most part unchangeable. It is to be regretted that there are so few scientific men among our travelers. A cordillera extends from one end of the island to the other, dividing it into two unequal sections; the northern being, for the most part, the narrower. The mountainous portion of the surface of the island is to the other portions, consisting of low lands, as 1 to 5. The highest mountains lie at the southeast extremity of the island, between Cobo Cruz, Punta Maysi and the Holguin. They are called Las Montañas del Cobre, and are situated northwest of Santiago de Cuba, and having an elevation, according to Humboldt, of about 1,200 toises, or 7,200 feet. The island is crossed from E. S. E. to w. N. w., by a chain of hills which approach the southern coast between the meridians of Puerto Principe and Villa Clara; while more to the west, towards Alvarez and Matanzas, they stretch towards the northern coast. The mountains called Lomas de San Juan, in lat. 21° 58', and lon. 82° 40', shoot up into needles or horns 1,800 feet high. The entire extent of the Cuban cordillera is one great calcareous mass, resting on a schistose formation. The summits present a naked ridge of barren rocks, occasionally interrupted by more gentle undulations. The Lomas de San Juan presents a majestic aspect. West of Matanzas there is no hill more than 1,200 feet high, with the exception of the Pan de Guaixabon, north of the bay of Mulata, which has an elevation of about 2,100 feet. It has two peaks, of which the western is the greater, and is accessible only on the north side, the southern being precipitous.* of the sea. The land in the interior of the island is gently undulated, rising generally only from 270 to 300 feet above the level The objects most visible at a distance, and most celebrated by navigators, are the Pan de Matanzas, (lat. 230 2' N., long. 84° 3' 36" W.,) having an elevation of 1,182 feet. The Arcos de Canasi, 1,380 feet, rising like a small segment of a circle between Puerto Escondido and Jaruca; the Mesa de Mariel, the Tetas de Managua, and the Pan de Guaixabon. The exact astronomical position of the two elevations called the Tetas de Managua is important, as marking the position of the harbor of Havana. They are, according to the most accurate calculations, in lat. 22° 58′ 19′′ N., and long. 84° 40′ 19′′ W. The decreasing level of the limestone formations of the island of Cuba towards the north and west, indicates the submarine connection of those rocks with the lands equally low of the Bahama Islands, of Florida and Yucatan. The central and western parts of the island contain two formations of compact lime The highest mountains in Cuba are mics slate, and through the secondary formations of syenite. the lower regions, project gneiss, granite and Veins of gold, silver and copper also occur here, and coal exists in a vein, which is a very *Notes on Cuba, 1844. Humboldt: Essai sur l'Isle rare occurrence -Hitchcock's Geology, revised de Cuba. Turnbull's Travels in Cuba, 1840. edition, p. 338. Physical Aspects-Geological Formations. 97 stone, one of clayey sandstone, and another There is no climate in the world more of gypsum. The limestone formations delightful, in winter and spring, or the abound in caverns. The Sierra del An- dry season, as it is called, than that of con is remarkable for its profound ca- Cuba. The summer rains cease about verns, in which are found numerous the first of November, and the regular bones of an unknown race. Great trade-winds from the east set in. The caverns abound near Matanzas and Jaruca. sun during the dry season is warm enough to admit of summer clothing; but the nights are so cool that a woolen coverlet is necessary. A fresh breeze blows daily from 8 A. M., till sunset. Hail and frost are not uncommon in the winter season; and, at an elevation of 300 or 400 feet above the sea, ice is often seen several lines in thickness during the prevalence of north winds. The northers are violent and chilling, but seldom attended with rain after January. The secondary formations, east of Havana, are pierced by syenitic and euphotide rocks, united in groups. The syenite strata are intercolated with serpentine, and incline to the northwest. Near Regla and Guanabacoa the syenite disappears, and the whole surface is serpentine, rising into hills from thirty to forty toises high, and running from east to west. This serpentine, (a specimen of which we have now before us,) is of During the dry season the trees drop an asparagus green, filled with veins of asbestos. In some places petroleum runs out of rents in the serpentine. Abundant springs of petroleum are also found in the eastern part of the island, between Holguin and Majari, and on the coast of Santiago de Cuba. The islet called Siguassa, near Punta Icacos, is composed entirely of solid earthy bitumen. Springs of water are frequent, containing sulphuretted hydrogen, and depositing oxide of iron.* their leaves, and the herbage is parched, affording a scanty supply to cattle, which now require to be fed on the guinea-grass and sugar-canes that remain verdant all the year. The soil becomes dried to a great depth, but the dews are very heavy, and prevent the entire destruction of vegetation, which otherwise would follow from the burning heat of an almost vertical sun. The Hurricanes are not so frequent in Cuba as in Hayti and the other West CLIMATE, HEALTH.-The climate of India islands, and seldom do much the western half of the island presents damage on shore. They occur during many inequalities, attributed to that the summer, from August to October. portion of the island being situated Many fruits ripen towards the close of along the northern limit of the torrid the dry season. The orange is in its zone, and to the near neighborhood of greatest perfection about the end of the continent. It will be observed that April. The gardens thrive best during the tropic of Cancer just touches the most northern point of the island a little to the east of Havana. The seasons are divided into the rainy and the dry, a division given generally to the seasons of the torrid zone by travelers, but in Cuba and elsewhere the line of demarcation is not very clearly defined. The warmest months are July and August, when the mean temperature is from 820 to 84 of Fahrenheit's thermometer. December and January are the coldest months, when the mean temperature is nearly 10 Fah. less than at the equator, or about 78° Fah. During the rainy season the heat would be insupportable but for the regular alternation of the land and sea breezes. The mean annual temperature of Havana is about 73.5° Fah. The the early part of winter, and many Summer being thus commenced, the trade-winds are less frequent, and the southwest winds are refreshing. The mornings until ten o'clock are sultry, but the mid-day and evenings are cool. The sun generally rises in a clear sky; but • Humboldt: Essai sur l'Isle de Cuba-pp. 43-60. about nine o'clock clouds form in every quarter of the horizon, and unite into have been introduced from the contilarge dark masses, some of which are nent. They are the same as those of stationary, while others rise against the Florida. The woods are full of wild breeze that now blows daily from dif- dogs and cats, derived from those which ferent points. About two o'clock the belonged to the French settlers who rain descends in torrents, the thunder were suddenly expelled from the island. rolls and lightnings flash fearfully. Although these animals have continued The wind, in a single squall, often wild for many years, they differ from changes to all points of the compass. the domestic only in habits and size. The rain sometimes falls perpendicular- These wild cats are very destructive to ly, unaccompanied by wind or thunder. poultry, and prowl about the thickets No idea can be formed of the quantity on the borders of woods. They are dethat falls in a very short time, from the scribed as beautiful animals. The wild amount that descends in our latitude. dog resembles the wolf in form, having Between four and five o'clock the rain the peculiar drawn-up belly of the latter, ceases, the sky becomes clear, a delight- a deep, narrow chest, and a light, agile ful freshness is given to the air, and the form. They are also very destructive to evening is ushered in with a gorgeous poultry and cattle, even when they are domesticated. They are generally of a dark liver color, with black patches. They are short-lived, very remarkable for their scent, and are always chased by the domestic dog. sunset. The summer nights are often so cool that it is necessary to close the windows. During the summer the dry beds of the rivers become full to overflowing, and the highways are here and there converted into deep and impassable quag mires. During the dry season cattle frequently die of gangrene, the pustule maligne of the French; and the negroes are often attacked with it from handling the dead bodies of the animals.* ANIMAL KINGDOM.-The only indigenous quadruped known in the isle of Cuba is the jutia, or hutia, an animal shaped like a rat, and from 12 to 18 inches in length, exclusive of the tail. It is of a clear black color, inhabits the hollows and clefts of trees, and feeds on leaves and fruits. Its flesh is insipid, but is sometimes eaten. A few deer are found about the swamps; but as they are not mentioned by the earlier writers on Cuba, they are supposed to There are no venomous animals in large spider resembling the tarantula, of Cuba, if we except the scorpion and a neither of which is the sting at all dan- troublesome insects. The Cuban horse and ox are said to be valuable to those engaged in raising stock. The oxen are employed in drawing heavy wagons. They are managed by a rope passed through the septum of their nostrils. Their yokes are fastened to the horns. They are extremely well broken. The Cuban blood-hound is a peculiar breed of dogs, and somewhat of the build of the mastiff. He is used for tracing runaway slaves, for which he is trained. Besides the above animals, the Cubans have cows, hogs, sheep, goats and asses. The ornithology of Cuba is exceedingly rich. The subject is quite too extensive for our pages, and we can only pass cursorily over it. The latest ornithologists enumerate more than 200 The species of birds common in Cuba. most complete work on the subject is Animal and Vegetable Kingdoms-Uses of the Cocuyo. that of Don Felipe S. Poey, of Havana. Without giving names, it is sufficient to say there are in Cuba all the birds known in this country, and others quite too numerous to mention. Many of the birds of Cuba are remarkable for the brilliancy of their plumage, though not for their song. Wild pigeons are very numerous. * The rivers, bays and inlets of Cuba are well supplied with fish. Oysters and other shell-fish are abundant, but of inferior quality. The honey-bee is very common, and honey and wax are articles of export. The insects of Cuba, of the phosphorescent tribes, are very remarkable. Humboldt observes that nowhere between the tropics had he seen such an innumerable quantity of phosphorescent insects (Cocuyo, elater noctilucus) as in Cuba. The grass that covers the ground, and the branches and foliage of the trees, often are seen shining with their reddish movable light of varying intensity, according to the will of the animal. "It seemed," says Humboldt, describing them, "as if the starry firmament reposed on the savanna!" In the huts of the poorest inhabitants of the country, fifteen or twenty of these fire-flies, confined in a calabash, pierced with holes, serve as a lantern for searching objects during the night. To cause them to give out a more intense light, and to prevent them from withholding their luminosity, which they have the power of doing, a slight shaking of the calabash is all that is necessary. While confined in the calabash, the insects are fed with sugar-cane. It is a saying among the common people, that "calabashes filled with cocuyos are lanterns always lighted." Humboldt relates, that on his voyage from Cuba to the Orinoco, the captain of the vessel would allow no other lights on board, these being sufficiently luminous for all ordinary purposes about the ship, and yet not sufficiently so to be visible to the pirates at a distance, who then infested the seas.† *See a catalogue of Cuban birds, in "Notes on Cuba," p. 301. + The author of " Notes on Cuba" thus describes the cocuyos of Cuba: "I passed one dark night through fields, where my path for a mile was in a sheet of tremulous phosphoric fire, spread over the ground more than a hundred yards wide. The air was also alive with them, darting in all directions like so many meteors; and the trees filled with them glowed as with ten thousand gems in perpetual motion, and emitting a lurid halo; while on the ground about me there swept by large patches of light from the bellies of the insects, that in the 99 Large droves of crabs on their way across the island are often witnessed in Cuba. They migrate over the land every spring, when the rains commence, from the sea on the north to the Caribbean sea on the south of the island, and are then taken in great numbers by the Creoles, who feed them for a week or two on hominy, until they lose the poisonous properties which they are supposed to have imbibed from feeding on the manzanillo. They resemble our common stone crabs, and have one large and one small claw, and a body about nine inches in circumference. They are of various hues, the dun colored being preferred for food. Vast armies of these crabs traverse the island from north to south, but never from south to north. The author of "Notes on Cuba," 1844, relates that on his way from Cardenas on the rail-road, he found the track literally covered with them; and that "so many had been crushed by the wheels of the engine the previous day that the iron rail become coated with their fat, and the cars made only a slow progress." He adds, that "they formed a close line for several miles in the ditches alongside the road, all moving in one direction, with distended open claws.".* VEGETABLE KINGDOM.-The forests of Cuba are of vast extent, and rich in all the vegetable productions of the tropics. Mahogany and other hard woods are indigenous, and several sorts are well adapted to ship-building. The trees of the palm species are as remarkable for their beauty as for their utility. "Wine, oil, flax, flour, sugar and salt," says illuminated the surface for a full square yard. No dark were themselves invisible, and mysteriously idea can be formed of the brilliancy of their light from the sickly specimens brought to our country. The chief bright spot is on the under part of their eighth of an inch wide. This, while they fly, rebodies, about a quarter of an inch long, and an sembles a burning taper, of the color of inflamed gas; and with the two large globes near their eyes, in their rapid movements produce a bright streak of light. The country ladies pin them to their bosoms through a natural hook near their heads, which gives them no pain; and also put them in the Hounces of their dresses when dancing, where, excited by the motion, the insects resemble so many Pyramidal cages of split rushes large diamonds. are also filled with them, and hung in the piazzas as ornaments. They are a species of beetle transformed from a grub. They are about an inch and a half long and a quarter of an inch broad.-Notes on Cuba, pp. 288-9. * Humboldt: Essai, etc., pp. 332-3. "Notes on Cuba," by a Physician, pp. 278, 301 and 312. The author of this work was the late Dr. Wurdman, of Charleston. has a height of thirty feet and a diameter of five. The cedro (cedrela odorata) is fifty feet high, and six in diameter. It is very common, and much used in building. The jaguey macho (ficus indica) is the most remarkable tree in Cuba. The author of "Notes on Cuba" says, "it is a parasite at first, and frequently sends from the topmost branches of the giant ceyba, or cotton tree, a small string down to the soil, which, as it approaches the earth, divides into numerous threads, each taking root. When about the thickness of a man's arm, although sometimes 20 feet from the trunk of the ceyba, Humboldt, "are the product of this species of tree:" to which Von Martius adds thread, utensils, food, weapons and habitations. The most common species is the cocoa-nut. Sago is a product of nearly all of them. Linnæus calls the palm the prince of the vegetable kingdom, from its noble and stately appearance. It is the queen of the Cuban forests and the most valuable tree on the island. It is from fifty to eighty feet high, with a straight smooth trunk from one to two feet in diameter. The top is six feet long, and composed of the foot-stalks of the leaves, and inclosing the embryo foliage. Each tree has it sends off a great many horizontal side twenty leaves, one of which is shed about every three weeks, leaving a circle of gum on the trunk, which remains indelible, and by the number of which the age of the tree can be calculated. It bears fruit when eighteen years old, and lives about two hundred years. The leaf stems are about fourteen feet long. The species here described is the Palma real, (oreodoxia regia,) and is the most common species of Cuba. There are several other varieties of palm indigenous to the island. The cocoa tree and the African palm are found in all parts. The granadillo (brya abenus) grows to the height of twelve feet, and is remarkable for the hardness and beautiful color of its wood. The manzanillo grows on the sea-coast to the height of twenty feet. Its fruit is used to poison dogs, "poisoned sausages" being unknown to the Cubans. The jucaro bravo prieto is a favorite wood for building, on account of its hardness and durability. It resembles our live oak, and attains the height of forty feet and a diameter of three feet. The flowers are very fragrant. The quiebra hacha is the celebrated break-axe tree, noted for its durability. It grows in the low grounds and flowers in May. The ebano real (dyos piros) is found in all parts of the island, having a diameter of one foot and a height of sixteen. It is a blacker wood than the ebano carbonero and more desirable. The lignum vita is also common. The majagua (hibiscus tiliaceus) is a fine wide-spreading tree, thirty-five feet high, with dull red flowers. It is remarkable for the strength of its bark, it being stronger than hemp. It is stripped from the tree, and without prepara, tion, twisted into ropes. The caoba tree suckers or roots, nearly fifty feet from the ground, all pointing towards the trunk of its foster parent. They at length reach it, encircle it on all sides, and increasing in strength and size, destroy it in their close embrace. The ceyba decays, and not a vestige of it is left; while the jaguey macho, with its multiplied arms and roots, soldered at every point into a curiously wrought trunk, and its irregular branches high in air, forms the most hideously shaped tree of the forest. When once it takes root no tree can resist its destructive grasp." It bears a fruit in May. The forests of Cuba are so dense as to be almost impenetrable. Our pages will not admit of a description of the half of its valuable and curious trees. Cuba abounds in medicinal plants. The trees of Cuba, as everywhere in the torrid zone, are of very rapid growth. The fruits of Cuba are those common to the tropics. The pine-apple and orange are the most esteemed. Of the alimentary plants, the platano, or plantain, is by far the most important. Next in order comes the sweet and bitter yuca; the sweet root being eaten as a vegetable, and the bitter converted into bread after its poisonous juice has been extracted. The sweet potato, and other farinaceous fruits, are also common. We may also mention the yam, with its mammoth root, the mangroves, mameys, caimitos and rose apples. Cuba is the very paradise for a lazy farmer. The plaintain, which alone yields him food all the year, requires to be planted only once. stem bears at the end of eight months. Sweet potatoes, when once planted, require care only to prevent their too great luxuriance; this is done by destroying the surplus vines with a plow. Indian The |