THE RESOUHCES OF THE ISLAND 35 



plant of these mines, comprising a large village and a 

 railway leading down to Santiago, is still well preserved, 

 but the mines are now filled with water and abandoned. 

 It is questionable whether they can ever be profitably re- 

 opened, and even if they should be, their product, large 

 as it seemed in former years, would be trivial in compari- 

 son with the enormous output of the mines of the United 

 States. It is generally believed that large quantities of 

 copper still remain unmined in this locality. 



Salt occurs abundantly along the northern keys. Natu- 

 ral salt-pans have been formed along the margin of Cayo 

 Romano, consisting of depressions from twelve to sixteen 

 inches deep, separated from the sea by coral banks over 

 which the waves wash in stormy weather. Then during 

 the hot season the accumulated sea-waters are evaporated, 

 leaving a perfectly crystallized bay of white salt. These 

 natural pans of the Cayo Romano alone might supply far 

 more salt than is needed for the ordinary consumption of 

 the Cuban population. 



Clays suitable for brick and roofing-tile abound in regions 

 where the formations are of a non-calcareous character, 

 especially the eastern provinces ; but as brick enters very 

 little into Cuban structures, these materials have not been 

 extensively developed. 



The universal building-material is limestone and lime 

 products, such as plaster and cement, which everywhere 

 abound. Silicious sand is rare, the building-sand of 

 Havana being fine calcareous granules, the worn and com- 

 minuted debris of sea-shells. 



The foregoing practically constitute the known mineral 

 resources of Cuba, and I doubt, from my knowledge of 

 1 1n- island, if any great expectations of others being disco v- 

 ered can be justified. 



