New-York tribune., 1871-04-07

the main product is the indispensable plantain we
also saw many broad-leayed breadfruit-trees.
About three miles from the town the road made an
abrupt bend, and began ascending tmckly-wo0ded
hill rising some 800 feet above the plain. As we rode
up, We could catch occasional glimpses OF little
white church perched the brow of the hill,
! and the road was crowded with gaily dressed men
and women going up to the religious services
Another turn and we reached the summit, and, at
feet. the Yegareal in most OF its great ex-
! tent The Yuma is never-fang means of trans
portaton, and a railroad from Santiago TO Samana
would traverse the most fertile and easiest developed
part of the Island. The hill is hickly wooded, and
the church is surrounded by a dozen or more huts,
! built in the usual fashion from palm boards, and
thatched with its leaves The ceremony was. as the
Padre said, according to the Mozarabie rtual but
am inclined to think some local customs bave much
! to do with its peculiarity. There were the usual
! promises and exhortations, Interchange of rings,
! &c. At last the contracting parties took lighted
! candles in their hands and knelt the priest then
took stout rope and literally joined them together
by the neck. The matrimonial moose is supposed to
be figure of speech, but in Santo Cerro, at least,
there is no metaphor about it.
We left about noon. aud, shortly after descending
the Santo Cerro. came on the ruins of the old City
Of La Vega, destroyed by an earthquake in the year
| 1864. In the woods near the road some very
massive ruins, consisting Of the remains Of arches,
dc. Tire road traversed fertile, and, for a wonder,
| dry savanna, but left it, aas much too soon, TO
plunge into rich, black soil, some four feet deep,
and in spots almost impossible; OuiAoIses iel ana
! houndeIed fealfully, and then broke through a
maya hedge at the roadside and led us a nice chase
! in n ncipLborng plantation. This soil il so deep
and rich that II does not need TO be artiiciay en-
riched and it produces most abundant crops. Sugar
cane grows % and 10 years without rcplanting;
but the main crop is coffee, which is so good that
the town and commune have earned the right to the
| name Of MCca, and do not disgrace their Arabian
namesake At 8 we arrived at Moca, worn out by
our hard ride through the mud, aud ourselves and
horses presenting a NEST lamentable appearance.
Moca is a fiourishiug little town, rejoicing in row
cemetery and renovated churchill former being the
lion OF the place. We received by the Town Conn-
cil the Ayuufdieaio AID it happened TO be tsie
day. there were many large proprietOrs in from the
country; all these attended the reception and eX-
pressed Themselves most enthusiastically in favor Of
annexation. 1t vas the "old, Old story all who
have ANYTHING to lose, or anything to gain ere IA
favor Of annexation. Af,er they had almost all eX-
pressed their views individually. one enthusiastic
individual and proposed vote on the subject.
1t is needless TO say it was unanimously in favor OF
annexation Moca IT, after Santiago and Puerto
1t exports annually some 10000 cwt. of leaf tobacco
5000 cwt of coffee 1900 cwt Of rice, and 10000 cyt
of corn besides q considerable number Of hides. The
people are caract by true Castiliau courtesy
and gcueiosfv and aYc pert tly charming in thei.
simplicity and patriarchal mode of living; withal,
however there is q genuine Yankee spiit Of enter
prise shown by the stores and other buildings
| which are rapidly making Moca one of the most
slightly Of Dominican cDwns.
We had seen the day before in Moca, some mask
ers. and unusual SIGNS Of gaycty along the road,
which at last led t. tho conclusion that il was tho
Carnival season, bat we were quite nITePared io'
the sioht pc MED hy the streets Of Santiago We
rode down Il low uiii into the town.
SANTIAGO.
Santiago dc Jos Caballcrcs, so called from ST.
James, the pauon saint of Spain-the addition OF
de los ccjqIaOs (of the Knights undoubtedly refer
ring to the military order OF ST. james popular in
| Spain-is a new town, rather very old ore fre-
quently rebuilt IL has suffered even more than
most Spanisl-Amcricau cities, having been founded
before 1901 as sort Of halfway station between
La Vega and Puerto Plata, pillaged by Inc French
! in 1859 and again in 1861, and destroyed utterly
| lexccpt the cathsdral by Them ia 1899. Later the
| Haytians, under 1ous-aiut LOuyeTture, and still
! later under D,ssaliucs plilag.d and burned II. The
| earthquake Of ~ destroyed the public buildings,
but all these 10 So, were repaired and the town
rebuilt and prUsprrous vltu the last annexation TO
| Spain took place with the subsequent revolt and
total destruction OF tie place by fire i'll 1884.
II is certainly a great proof Of the enterprise cf
the people and their commercial ACTIVITY that since
1866 the town has been rebuilt in substantial aud
creditabe manner and boasts today the largest and
best shops in the Republic There j. a general air Of
thrift and some life in the streets. Trains of pack
| horses are cons .auty coming and going, the side
walks are iuCulh.r.d will CeIOOns Of tobacco aud
coffee from Mora end la Vega waiting to he sent on
TO Puerto Plata. Tho merchants have business con-
nccions in all the towns Of the interior Their pur
chases are made with few exceptions, in ST. Thomas,
and their exports to iI,mburg-.wo very significant
| facts as viii aliorwaTd be- seen.
The people Of Santiago consist mostly Of mer-
chants. some oi them the greatest in the island,
men with business courcctons IN every town OF The
interior ruling all lie small traders, and i'll turn
ruled by the great houses of Hamburg and st.
1homas-by thO-e frOl the former place, for they
set the price for the lnilcan tobacco, and By the
St. Thomas traders Le, Santiago buys It's goods
OF them and depends o. them for credit II is not
strange, under these circumstances, that Santiago
should seem less ike Dominican town. The iniu-
ence Of foreigners s t, ia many ways not altogether
pleasant. The 01isy.'-en fgrl,nrs3 of the former
has given way 81 ic cGiou3 ciIturHsucciinn oi tho
merchant. who f,ol tie nature OF things rs
conservative, aud fans the Introduction OF
foreign capital and competition. stu. IS IL
is true that tie most certain in
dicator Of the condition OF q country is 20 be found
in its exchange go the opinions in the business cir
cles Of Santiago are especially important and valua
bic.
The most dangerous element which the Americans
will have to eucOunteTis unqucstonaby the military
i 4 o. 1. Il N.as.