New-York tribune., 1871-04-07
ACROSS SANTO DOMlNuO'
,,ro,, THE CITY OF sAXTO DOMINGO TO
lNo" '''' PUERTO PLATA

VISIT TO THE 49, rur PEOPLE OF THE IN
Tvttor-A RURAL "ENN
,,-,rt.c A CARNIVAL
-. ,,,,.r March 9-On the th OF icuu"3 'no
hhi NJ ,,,uested by the United states Co'hiniS
VIZ WIZ T,,irr TO santo poningo TO traverse 'he
- rr,,n ssn.o Domingo Guy 10 Iuci'o lia'''
iSia'u I'M, Commission about the same time
ana r'i',. - scientific expedition, under the
h'u ne eminent geologist, W. 2. Blake, and
ch'nso ,-,. esSioued TO this party, whose only
tHe .s. were 10 he at Puerto Plata not later
l''u trf 3larch We formed a long, and may
- i,osiuy rrlc C ,.sn of nine men ana ten hoIseS,
-. nd, ,hr tSg, Prof. Blake who has welded
,,..,a,l hammer all the way from Maine to
~,.,;, and trol, Switzerland to Japan. WIN
b;,n o.. his assistant was Mr. Adam OF the Sheineiu
S,5,,tifc school Beside the writer was MI "'llnU
,fC.urfa.-. the eminent botanical collector we
tyo,,cI fUIo1.h the Pusra del Conde III great goou
hunur fol 10, Jay was bright aud cool Ore'%e 'Ie"
!, ir.,, fac sea- vhe.o the good ship Tennessee lay
rouAc iu maru,, suggestive o. uHPi' a''''' ''-'''
tous. even ai ,lat distance.
.ldst outside OF The city is the suburban town OF
Sen C0lios where We bought fresh bread and lett
behind l4 for some time all traces of civilization
The road was dry and ioerahly good and we passed
animated glo;1,4 of the natives, some bearing fruit
touarlt. ou tleig hoats, others driving slow OK
carts lo.l,dNi.l la1Nood from the vicinity; for the
dr1so iu.gl,-ke urdcTPlowth on either side the
90, g.. .;iA. az ,ao,e consists Qt this celebrated
dyfvc5 We caught occasional glmpSes rom 10"
mi, ions or ihe distant mountains, their mue ou'-
.6.,- shaving wonderfully distinct against the SKY
To M cast the bold peak of Mariana Chies served as
q a{audnark for several days. The mOuOtonous road
side i,lp.l vas NOW aud then Interrupted by sugar
pIlnt.fion With patches Of Viydly green cane and
ruas. oiss,ug lnin worked ly oXen We halted at
noon br ,yaysle graveyard, the shapeless mounds
marked hy wooden crosses. One grave had been
violated and the bones and slul subsequently plled
az, and vr0tcyted by q few boards. The road soon
resumed the normal condition of all Dominican
observation-disclosures Sloughs of Despond with
pclilous detouIs through the woods where there Is
danger Of being torn from ones horse by thOrny
bushes. or chOSed by some 1.-THE parasitic vine.
Mule tiaiDs constitute the only means of comnUnl-
cation ou these roads. 1lcI drivers sit crosscGged
ou the packs and sing hcart-reIding ditties about
l,ma dusky PaCuita's ohdurlcy. We saw a group of
scautiiv dressed women washing by the roadside, in
tails made OF the invaluable palm leaf, with water
gathered from puddle filed by the last rain-such
couyeni'nc,s as wells or cisterDs being unknown
except in large towns. We halted for the day at La
Vsuia; place consisting OF one house in a mango
grove where We enCampod.
Ii Is no. every boy who reads Robinson CTUsoe who
J. fortunate enough 10 be wrecked on adesert Isand,
u,r do al tle admirers oi lie Swiss Family Robin
t1n or MasteImau Ready ever bread-fruit tree,
InJ. less drink the sWCetcnCd water from an unrpe
oocOaHut. So it was with thrill Of deep satisiac-
fiou that the writer uusaddled and tethered his
horse swung his hammock between two mango
trees aud assisted in building the campfire. For
desert we hal flesh cocoauuts, dexterously opened
with aua,h,te. The house where we encamped be-
lo1-ei to nogro OF French descent, who made and
le,ird saddle s: his darehters made starch out OF
plant called ana .,gr which .iey grated in water and
.ir.1 the sediment nis ,hCy sell in SantO Domingo,
and with tie proceeds bay their scanty finery. 1t
NAV be remarked here laf large quantities OF starch
sre rlaGrin t1c country. Even handkerchiefs and
sioclinos ere always thoroughly starchcd
MOUNTAINS. FORESTS. AND GRASSY PI4INs.
WIN we r..4 lie next morning, the Southern
CIo. vasinst falling down behind the hills and the
nil va, lIod wiE au irdoscribably fragrant and
refreshing ccolaess. Coffee was soon made, the
horse loaded and we're of just at daybreak
through The dcwy forest, with beautiful ghmpses OF
'he Gisgut mountains numined with the yellow
glow Of Oh. r..ag After an hours ride through
the dense woods ~ emerged on savanna Santa Rosa,
s plain covered with lorg nutritious grass, on which
y .rls If cattle were fccdmg. This plain was tray-
tr7ed hy Numerous ere =, approached by steep
q scent washed nooth 10y the rains, or trodden by
tie nunI"oS pack trains into mud knee-deep
through which thc poor hu,es struggled with their
heavy loads. Later il the day VIC came upon more
elevated part 81 tie plain. shut in three sides 10y
lof;J nuuat.iius, clio. rd the very top with YER
durn One peak. named Nsuacfal, is covered with
pine forests. The view was glorious In front were
fhe loi outline, of WOmtaps three thousand feet
high Bal. C us the Great rolling plain with dark
HIc, or iIr.si marking the course Of some stream,
cll .era aad ,holea clgup Of graceful palms, re-
- Y rr-r r.r ID. .N f..Fc
were l ls.! REGIONS be Jaina would in any land
be di-uihcd DE- the name If liver; the broad banks,
hoped NO with great bowldeis brought down from
the mount a.s, indicated that IT is at times fearful
torrent. We looked down into a luxunaut valley.
through which tine river rolled its crystal waters
10 other Cithnt DIAN tl.> bac,sneyed one will de-
scribe them Oar camp vas 40 MadTigal, a hut on
the steep liver bank looking the river AMI dis
tart Bills. The dogs were IN the usual proportion of
ten d1Cs o. one m,1; and for every dog ten wild
swine lean, hungry, ioThsGne beasts, disturbed our
~ I'D sleeping hours.
R ROMANCE OF THE GOLD MINES.
~ .ther side Of the river, aud few miles
hiadrigal, are the gold mines celebrated in
the early history of SantO Domingo, and which the
Spaniards discovered by romantic accident In
1896 young Arragonian. named Miguel Diaz, under
Government ban, fled from the town of Isabella to
the southern coast where he and his companions
were kindly received by the natives, whose queen
ieli desperately in love with DIaz. After pro-
tac' q sa,, ae BEGAN 10 think with regret OF his
toantiN ara ,sieids The queen observing this. en-
u'aV"tG TO pre- eui hi, abandoning her 10y attract
ing iHt o"niall, 70 that part of the country.
h","lhk 'hcr in'rduate greed for gold, she re-
''-.'" ." 'H That th",r were rich gold mine. III
'he H@-iiho.hood iie at once communicated This
Ia 81 !. I