The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-02-24


but there Is not room to swing freely at
anchor, the shoals or narrow reefs which
cross the bay preventing. The coal sta.
ton Is upon the inner side Of rock
island, which Is some four hundred yards
long, and forms o part Of the line Of keys
which bounds the bay on the west. AS
yet there Is no dock at which vessels can
lie while coaling, and In fact no convent
ences whatever. s .niur,Il.
."pa COUNTRY.
Tho ridges rise abruptly from the edge
of tho town, and from these, spurs Of
equal height put out at short distances.
The ascents are very steep and the valleys
narrow. Everywhere there Is the dens.
est vegetation. Thick underbrush are wo-
ven into solid masses by vines Of endless
variety, and towering above them all are
giant trees, often with u covering Ol vines
thrown over them till tho whole forest be-
comes for miles great temple. Mango
trees, guava, cocoa, tamarind, cOc0anut,
coffee, orange, (sweet and bitter), lines
and lemons arc found through these
thiCkets, or in tho small clearings. The
king of the forest Is the royal palm, ris.
ing staight for one hundred 10 one hun
dred and tifly feet, its tuIted top with sym
met.ical leaves about twenty feet In
length, springing from polished rounded
shat Of shining green. Next in impres.
slveness are the thickets Of bamboo. The
openings along ravines afford view OF
them. The separate canes vary from four
10 six and eightinches in diameter. They
stand close to each other, generally over .
circular space thirty feet or SO across, and
rise TO o height Of over u hundred feet.
The spray resembles that OF our yellow
willow, and bends gracefully outward in
all directions. l-s.a.. ..a.
Imagine u sheaf of tall rye cut when
the grain is Of deep green, and magni-
fled till It Is thirty feet through at the
base, each stock six inches in diameter,
towering up hundred feet, and 1t will
give very accurate idea Of these i'm
mense and beautiful bamboo growths.
Its useless IN attempt to describe or
number the fruits. Nearly all that the
tropics produce are here. 1t seems as II
the large proportion OF the shrubs aud
trees bear fruits or fragrant flowers or
leaves. Everywhere nature runs riot in
producing beautiful forms, t ....
' THE ROADS.
Roads there arc. none. What Is called
the old Spanish road Is way cut out
through the marshes and the thickets,
some thirty feet wide, and, by cutting II
once every three months, 1t Is kept from
closing again. The soil Is a stiff, reddish
clay, and difficult to walk through. The
foliage keeps 1t moist in the dry season.
This way has winding through Il a path
Just wide enough for the hoois OF the
horses or the bulls which do the carrying.
The assents and the descents along these
paths seem fearful, even TO those who
rode the mountains Of the South over and
over again during our war. The Stunted
horses are, however, stout and sure footed
beyond belief, and they pick their way
carefully and safely. They are seldom
ridden with bit, single rope.rein being
knotted around the head instead. The
saddles and trapppings in general are
quite primitive; but, considering the diff
Culties, one is carried along with celerity
and ease. And this is the testimony Of
one whose name mOdesty requires To be
omitted, after he had carried away his
saddle girth in the steepest part of Il navi.
gable prccipice, and slid away astern with
saddle, blankets, and everything else on
deck. H .r0 4.' 6.I
r.f COUNTRY LIFE. 'n,
The country lie Is simple. In this re.
ginn there arc no plantations. Most Of
the inhabitants own or lease q little tract
Of land, and cultivate just enough 10 sup.
ply their wants. ..'
The houses are huts simply, Of ono story
and two rooms, though often they consist
only of n pole laid between two f0rked
stakes, from which the palm leaf strip
pings slope down To the ground.
Bananas and plaintains bear from tho
setting the first year. A cOcoanut grove
bears ut tho end Of five years. Yams and
sweet potatoes bear tho year round. Cattle
and hogs arc plentiful enough to give NEST
the little meat that the climate requires.
and none need starvc so long as fruits and
vegetables will sustain life, whether. they
work or not. Sugar cane Is an article OF
food, and wOrkmGn often come TO town,
and soldiers TO do guard duty, with their
lunch on their shoulder in the shape OF a
long, juicy stalk Of cane.
There islittlO work. The mon are lazy,
and the women and children do most Of
the drudgery. The land Is cleared by
cutting down everything, allowing 1t TO
dry, and then burning it. The fire cannot
extend rod into the surrounding green
thickets. m.
The mixture of races which tho town
presents extends into tho country, and
there arc various grades Of inhabitants,
from those OF moderate intelligence down
TO those who, in all outward appearances,
resemble exactly the pictures Of the Pata.
gonians in the old Biographies. Yet all
are hospitable and polite, 80 lar as they
know how TO be. .. ,rt...rf.
G" MILITARY FEATURES.
A ride Of half dozen miles shows
clearly the reason for almost the universal
success oil guerrilla fighting. Except
along the bride paths, 1t Is impossible 70
move company Of men. Artillery would
be utterly useless. Supplies could only
be transported on pack saddles. The fields
of Shiloh, Chickamagua and the Wilder
ness were open prairles beside the whole
country along the ridges and between
them here. The natives need no commits.
sary department, no transportation, and
no stores except ammunition. Coast towns
and the low country might easily be occu.
pied, but no modern army Of moderate
dimensions could ever wage successful
warfare among these mountains.
rtH' SOCIAL EQUALITY.
Probably for the first time on one Of
our men.ol.war there has been practised
social equality, and no one is any the
worse for 1t, and most Of us probably bet
ter. Frederick Douglass has enjoyed full
e l. 4 4 ~