Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-03-21
The island Of Cuba.

Although this last possession Of Spain IN
America is SO iierrely rour'rd by "A lar,
portion Of our countrymcn, V" suspect there
are very few Of them Tho know much about
lis extent, or liz capabilities. For the benz
fiji Of such Of cur readers H. come under this
category, We ,uhioin the following drscrlp'
ton, hoping that il may not prov" umutcr'
e-tin" n a period like this.
Cuba is tho largest, and most westerly OF
the Antilles 1t lies Approximately he,
tween latitude 10 and ~ North. and inngl-
tudc : / and - West from Grcruwlrh.I II
lies forty miles west of ilayji. one hundred
south 81 Jamaica. and about one hundred
and twenty south Of Cape Florida. 1t is
more than seven hundred miles loug. hy up'
wards "f one hundred bread; and. with IN"
adjoining iscrs contains 1900 square miles.
being rs large a. the State nt Pennsylvania.
Its contiguration extent. number "f ports,
fertility. climate. and resources. render II al
extremely Interesting country. but al I'll
these sink int" insiguItiranrr, when rompar-
I'd with liz geographical position, which l.
such a. IL render any strong power. that may
hold possession If il. absolute master 81 the
Gulf Of Mexico. That Gull. indeed. hcng
at circular form, although eight hundred
miles in circumference. i closed by IN" -
land with the exception Of iw" marrow pas
SEES, one to the south. between Cape Catochc
and Cape 81. Antonio. and the other 70 the
north. between Bahia Honda and the coast
Of Florida.
Although the navigation Of the coast 1T
Cuba is pcriluuS. Oh account "t the almost
uninterrupted Succession ut rocks and shoals
BY which it is surrounded. and which some
times extend two or three miles INFO the SEA.
il nevertheless affords fifty ar sixty ports and
anchoragcs. all of them accessible. and all
easy of approach. OF these. the most re-
markable are Havana, Maanzas, Nucvltas,
Jihara, and Baracua on tie North: and OH
the South, ST. .Jag". Manzauilla, Trinidad.
Jagurl. and Batahano. Besides these, the
harbors of Bahai-ilonda, Nip", Nalanl"
and Guantanamo. from their depth, security.
and the f;,ciiitir, which they Offer Of prorur-
Ing fresh water, deserve 10 BE- especially
mentioned. \ ridge of mountains tr;vcrs-
ing the whole island. from East 10 West, di-
yiding it into nearly three parts, very nearly
equal ia area, subsidies Oh both sides into
very extensive Sayanma-. watyrci by nnu-
mcrable streams that descend from their
height These streams abound in fish, which
abound, likewise. in the numerous Salt-iakeS
ur ponds with which tbs island j. dotted.
aud which are the resort Of game ia great
abundance. Mineral springs are found in
several parts Of the island, aud are mitch
trenucntcd by the inhabitants during the
sickIy season. Although the geological AMI
structure of Cuba has not
been asccrtaincd, with any very great de-
gree of minutcncs>, there i no doubt that
its capabilities are very large. Mines Of
gold silver. and Ioadstonc have been worked
at different tim"s--irrn j ~ abundant n
mong the mountains. that it frequently
crops OUT to use IA miners phrasc-aHi,
Of late years, large bodies Of coal have been
discovered aud worked To- advantage.
In the hands uf IN cnergcrc race, Cuba
mi ght be made tho most desirable spot ON
the face of the globe. 1t possesses an mex
hauStible snii. and climate ~ mild tina; tw"
crops of corn and sometimes three are pro-
duccd in year. Sugar. Coffee, Tobacco.
Wax, Cocoa, Molas-cs, Rum. Maize. Rice.
&C., are cultivated with bcundIc,s success.
The vegetable kingdom is rich beyond the
Of persons who have spent their
Ike. in such - climate a. this. The Mahn-
vany tree. the Cedar, Lignumvitm. every
kind of Ebony, the Palm the Chestnut. TIA"
Pine Apple, the Orange. the CuS;ard Apple,
the Mcdlar-al plants useful in medicine ~
for food---grow here, in the widest protusiom.
The woods abound with birds. and the
streams with fish. All these are attractions
which naturally tempt the tillibu>tcrs; and
the beauty Of Cuba is likely 10 prove as trout
blesornc To her. aS thar Of Itai Y has al"ay-
been 10 her children Way.