The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-24

Reefs and islets are even more nu- merous off the south coast of Cupa than in the north Here they are fur- ther from the shore and less regular. The most extensive island of the thirteen hundred that are strewn around the Cuban seaboard is the lsla de Pinos (Isle of PinesI, which, indeed, is nearly as large as all of the others mi together. In the statements of
 Spain's possessions, made by official
 sources, it always has place to itself
 The island, which lies fifty miles off the southwest coast of Cuba, consists really of two islands, separated by tortuous passage, half-channel, halI- swamp, which winds at nearly uni- form width for about three miles from west to east From east to west the
 Isla de Pinos is sixty miles in length, and from north to south it's breadth IS ffty-five miles, the area being six hun dred square miles. It is beautiful ls- land, with excellent harbors, lofty mountains, fertile plains and many r1V- CTS. In the center is mountain known as the Sierra des Ia Canada, ris- 1 ing about sixteen hundred feet above | the level of the sea, and with precipices one hundred and fifty feet in height | There are also Daguilla Mountain, fif- | teen hundred feet in height; the Sierra | de los Cabellos, 1074 feet high, and sev- eral other smaller peaks At the base l of these mountains are quarries from which beautiful marble may be extract ed, although they have been worked to | but slight extent. Though the rivers are shallow, several are navigable for ! four or five miles, their main advar- | tage being that they keep the island I well watered. The principle products are cattle, tobacco, mahogany, cedar | and other woods, sulphur, pitch and | tar; but there are also mines from ! which silver, quicksilver and iron are | extracted.
 The climate of the island is mild and ! healthy all the year, and few present a | better chance for settlers, and yet it has only a population of about two | thousand The Isla de Pinos has al-
 ways been regarded as dependency of
 Havana, and would probably be claimed by the Cuban government.
 Between Porto Rico and the Virgin
 Islands there is group called the Pas
 sage Islands, which will come into our | possession. The largest and most im- portant of the group is Vieques, or Crab l Island, lying nine miles off Porto Rico,
 and which is eighteen miles long by | four miles broad. The soil is not good, l there being but little dirt on the barren rocks. A ridge of small hills runs l through the middle, rising to good
 height at the southwest end of the is- | land. Isabel Segunda, on the north | side, is the solitary village, and there | live fishermen. The harbor is good, for | there are numerous bays, and at one | time Vieques was the resort of pirates, l who preyed upon the rich commerce of | the West Indies.
 Fishermen and woodcutters to the | number of about five hundred make | their home on Culebra, the second | largest island in the Passage group. | Culebra lies about sixteen miles to the
 eastward of Cape San Juan. Because | of it's irregular outline and broken, 1 steep shore, the island is also some | times known as Serpent Island. Like 1 Vieques, it's coast is indented with | many bays, which afford excellent har- l bers. There are many small hills that are covered with scrub timber, but the | soil is so sterile compared with the fer | tility of Porto Rico that no attempt is l made to cultivate it on an extensive
 scale, and the fifteen hundred inhabi-