Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1871-04-01
ASHTABULA, OHIO, SATURDAY, APRIL |, 1871.

then across salt marshes aud Inder Jag
ged rocks near the water, and finally
took TO the hills, losing sight Of the Bay.
The growth Of cactus along this hilIy
path, was so dense in places, that it
would be difficult for man or beast 10
pass through The shore Of the Bay for
miles is lined with coral rocks, and af-
ford fine specimens. Coral reefs are al
so seen in :he Bay, with their irregular
tops projecting above the water. Over
rough, rocky, barren hills covered with
cactus and small growth Of chapparal,
we again came to the shore Of the Bay.
We found fiat, rich soil covered with
forest, in which lignumvi,e and small
growth of mahogany predolninated.-
Again we entered upon naked, barren
hills, and passing under a burning sun,
we reached Azua at noon of the 18th.
We could only Judge of distances by
the time occupied in travelling, by which
rule we make the distance from Santo
Domingo to Azua, something over one
| hundred miles.
AzUA-vALUABLE TIMBER.
The present site OF Azua is between
two small rivers.--the Bia and Jura--and
about miles from the Bay Tortugassa,
n branch Of Ocoa. 1t was formerly 10.
Gated on handsome plateau near the
Bay, but was totally destroyed by an
earthquake l22 years ago. The ruins of
an old cathedral are still seen on the
spot. The present town or city is COM
posed mostly of huis covered with palm
boards, and palm.leaf roofs, with the
ground well beaten down and clpanly
swept for floors. As exceptions, here
are four buildings in the place, made of
concrete, plaste ..itud tinted; the Oldest
inhabitant ne"y~ saw pane OF glass.
They have a population of 1850, one
chureh-Catholic--one public aud sew
cral private schools, with about 100 pu-
! pills III all. The Commune, or district of
Azua, in 1863, contained 1850 inhabi
tants. i! produces annually from 10000
to 10000 quintais OF wax, 100000 gal
Ions Of molasses, and 1000 quiu,als Of
gum gugac. The trade in valuable
woods is considerable. The exports of
these last year were $4,000 feet of ma
hogany, 400 tuns OF lignumvit@, 500
tuus Of fustic, 100 tuns OF campeachy,
80 tuns of Brazil wood, aud smaller
quantities of satin wood, rose wood cochi-
neal wood cspincllo and cibey woods.
The supply is unlimited The health Of
the place is good The only contagious
diseases in seven years, ending i'll 1871,
were cholera aud smallpox, from which
there were 400 deaths. There We're Gu
ring the same period l35 deaths from
other causes. The moral condition of
the place is not so favorable, there being
in the same period only 1l8 marriages,
and $3.50 children baptsed.
Between the city Of Azua and Bay,
and between the rivers Ba and Jura,
there is one of the finest sections Of
land in the island. 1t is irrigated by
numerous springs OF pure water, and
well-adapted to the culture of sugar
cane. 1t has many fine plantations, one
of which, for its extent, and the neat
ness and order of its cultivation, proba-
bly, exceeds anything that can be found
in the United States. The owner, Signor
Marchenaw, has suffered the loss of his
buildings FIVE times within as many years
by revolutionary bandits. The territory
above alluded to embraces about 100
square miles. Azua is the base OF mill
tary operations against Cabral, whose
territory is between the river Neybu
and the Haytian boundary, extending
north to the chain of mountain at the
head of Neybu, with headquarters at
San Juan. His present force is variously
estimated at from 400 to 900 men.
On the 10th we visited the Sui phur
Springs at Caindo, Is miles southwest
of Azua The first three or four miles
| IoH1 h. i'll la,,1 1c lNo
tween the Bia and Jura rivers, the latter
being dry at this time. Beyond the
Jura the country is fiat, and covered with
chappareL. The American aloe, or CEN
tury plant, with its tall blossoms, some
times 80 feet high, spreads over the
plain and covers the mountain slopes.
Cactus of every variety is abundant, and
wild cotton is found. We passed through
the dry beds OF several rivers, which
bore evidence of being very large streams
during the rainy season. Another feat
ure OF this journey was the great num-
Der of parrots and millions of butterflies.
When we reached the foot of the noun
tain slope there we've fine streams OF
pure, cool water, and as we went for
ward all evidence of drouth disappeared.
AS we ascellueu, ny easy 5TaleS, lhe sou
became rich, and at Calndo the planta-
tions OF bananas, plantains, yams, sweet
potatoes, cotton, etc, would compare
favorably with the best we have seen.
From the house of Signor Carlos Ortis,
where we left our horses, we went up
tie mountain slope by an untrequented
path over a mile through heavy forest,
to the foot of percipituOus rocks, where
we found the great Hot Sulphur Spring
The volume of water discharged is i'm
, mense at moderate calculation it can
not be less than 500 barrels per hour
: The water is very hot, and mas strong
smell and taste of sulphur. There is an
other smaller hot spring Il few yards tc
} the left. Thirty or forty yards away Is
another large spring, slightly warm, free
from sulphur, and having pleasant
saltish, acidulated taste. There are
) probably dozen other springs within a
/ compass of n hundred yards, varying in
temperature and medicinal properties
} A small mahogany tree stands directly