OTHER CUBAN CITIES 125 



combats during the reign of the bucaneers. Although 

 the city is a short distance back from the sea, it is con- 

 venient to no fewer than three harbors and an excellent 

 roadstead. 



Trinidad has a picturesque setting of high hills and 

 mountains. It is located on the slope of the mountain 

 called La Vigia (" Lookout"), which has an elevation of about 

 nine hundred feet above sea-level. The port, Casilda, lies 

 about one league to the south ; the harbor is almost land- 

 locked and has very little depth. Vessels drawing ten feet 

 six inches are liable to run aground with the least devia- 

 tion from the tortuous channel. About half a mile west 

 of Trinidad is the river Guarabo, navigable for small boats 

 only. Four miles east lies Masio Bay, which will accommo- 

 date deep-draft vessels. The population numbers about 

 eighteen thousand. Sugar and a little honey are exported. 

 The place is so situated that the heavier it rains the cleaner 

 it becomes. The climate is very healthful, the death-rate 

 being 21 to 26 per 1000, though sanitary measures are almost 

 unknown. The town and vicinity are considered the 

 most healthful in Cuba. 



The streets, with some exceptions, are narrow and tor- 

 tuous ; there are some fine public buildings, and the houses 

 vary from the humble tiled-roofed, one-story affairs of 

 the common people to the handsome private edifices of the 

 wealthy. The market-place is a very fine square in the 

 southeast end of the town, surrounded by barracks and 

 drill-grounds for the troops. The Flor de Carillo, situated 

 near the center of the town, is beautifully laid out with 

 vines and shrubbery, shading the stone walks, and a pro- 

 fusion of flowers. In the center of the square there is a 

 graceful arbor completely covered with flowering vines. 

 A broad stone walk extends around this square, lighted 

 by a profusion of gas-jets, giving the park a peculiarly 

 beautiful appearance at night. 



There are many pleasant drives and rides around Trini- 

 dad, the favorite of which is the ascent of Vigia, one of 



