The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-04-07

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and devotion wasted In Instruction album
dainty prove their capacity for self gov
ernment and regular political action. %
.aO1a POPULATION. 7r1lj ra.E
The Commissioners estimate the actual
population of the Republic ct 10000,
more than nineteen.twentieths being ma
tive Dominicans. White blood prepon.
deTates largely, the majority being much
nearer white than black. GgQa ~ E.Ggls
THE RESOURCES OF TILE COUNTRY
are vast and various, and products may
be increased with scarcely any other limit
than the labor expended upon them. There
is evidence OF mineral wealth in several
parts Of the island. The geologists of the
expedition report the existence Of ores Of
iron, copper, and gold, with deposits Of
Ignite, rock salt, and petroleum. (. Iron
ore Is abundant, easy Of access, and will
doubtless be made available for the cheap
production Of pig iron. The copper ores
are Of o fair degree Of richness, and bids
TO have been opened TO q slight extent,
The reported coal at SANTANA Peninsula
and In the lleighborhood Of Puerto Plata
was examined and found to be Ignite, OF
little value as compared with Pennsyl.
vania or English coal. The gold region
Is extensive, and though worked enciently
Is at present but little known. It invites
patient exploration by practical miners.
The salt deposits In the mountains near
Neyba are believed to be extensive and
valuable. The salt can DO quarried out
in large transparent blocks, and a chemi.
ical analysis made for the Commissioners
shows 1t to be of sufficient purity for COM
merciaI purposes.
Summariaily and practically viewed for
agricultural purposes, there are five class
es of lands In Santo Domingo, viz: First,
mountains slopes and valleys. These are
informally rich and productive, except
in limited regions, where rain Is deficient,
as on the southern slope ofthe coast range
northeast of Monte Christi. Second, the
extensive region Of lands lying east and
north OF San Domingo city, south Of the
Zebra range. This is all admirable pas
ture llanos, large portion Off Is capable
Of profitable cultivation. II Is intersected
by wooded valleys and groves containing
much excellent timber. Third, the rolling
plain oil Vega, which Is generally wooded,
and Is tho finest body Of agricultural
ground on the island. Fourth, the dog
lands, like q portion Of the plain OF Aqua
and valley Of. the Yagin, where rain Is
partly or wholly wanting from topograph-
ical causes. These lands may be made
fertileiby artificial irrigation. Fifth, the
red clay lands, mostly along the coast,
underlaid by corrallion limestone These
arc wholly covered with timber. They
arc not generally very rich, or deep, but
arc susceptible Of profitable cultivation.
The vicinity Of Santo Domingo city il a
fair average specimen Of the Class Of soils.
Hardly any portion Of the island is not
capable OF cultivation, and taken as q
whole II is one Of the most fertile regions
on the face of the earth. The agricultural
products include oil tropical fruits and
vegetables, Us well rs commercial staples
Sugar canejs grown unexpectedly on the
low lands, and tho yield Is much greater
than in the island Of Jamaica, even though
aided by artificial irrigation, and fifteen
annual cuttings from the original root may
be had. The abundance Of fuel gives San
Domingo tic additional advantage over
nelghboring islandsin this branch Of In
dustry. The mountain regions arc CO,
pecially adapted 10 the culture Of coffee
and cocoa and valuable fibrous plants.
The product'of wax md honey Is supris.
ingly large, thousands OF hives of honey
being destroyed for the sake OF the wax
alone, Wild ginger and indigo grow
everywhere In the greatest prolGSsion, and
cotton Is raised near A2ua, CinchOna Is
successfully raisedsin the higher noun.
ltOins, and many vegetables and fruits OF
the temperate zone arc also produced In
abundance. The country Is everywhere
adapted to the cultivation Of tobacco, md
three crops Of Indian corn are raised an.
nually, though the most valuable natural
grain Is q specie Of rice. More than forty
distinct varieties Of tropical fruits were
found growing wild. The grasses Of San
Domingo furnish abundant forage of the
best quality. Immense herds Of cattle
feed on the great savRnnas, and though
they were multiplied ten fold, could not
exhaust the abundant pasturage. They
can be bought for . cent q pound ON the
boot Goats abound in tho moro arid dis.
tricta, and in the forests swine thrive In
great numbers. q" Sheep are very few,
poultry plentiful, wild guinea FOWL
being seem in many parts aOfao the
island. Horses Ore raised in great
numbers and only marauding expeditions
have prevented the great development Of
the business Of stock raising. One of the
most remarkable agricultural features Of
San, Domingo is the diversity of natural
growths in different localities, which will
give rise to extensive internal commerce.
Insects and noxi0us reptiles arc not found
more abundant than In the interior OF our
old State. In forest productions there q
an astonishing variety, Interchangeable
choicest cabinet woods, oak, pitch pine,
lignumVitN and an immense stock OF lMcdi.
cal and commercial woods, many houses
being built Of mahogany. The fisheries,
once flourishing, have during latter years
fallen to neglect. AT an earlier period in
the history Of the island, more attention
was paid 10 marine resources, and funny
fishery was carried on around all tho
shores Of the island, supplying the home
want for salt fish and allowing an export
10 other countries. Both the surrounding
seas and rivers are well stocked with fishes
Of many kinds. The black fish or gram:
pus, d small member Of the whale family,
Is somewhat abundant on the northern
shore, where several score arc caught
every year, aud their blubber tried down
tor oil. Tho turle, both Of the green edt.
bic species and hamsbill, are abundant In
the deep sea, Q few miles from land, q
h. -,t, HEALTH OF THE ISLAND, g.
San Domingo, according to all tGstI.
m6hy, b generally a healthy country, es.
ipec&lly In the inferior, among the noun.
tainS, where white men labor safely and
successfully. The acclimations Of sttan.
gers presents no greater Obstacles to i'm.
migration than in several Of our new