234 CUBA AND PORTO RICO 



The second group comprises the three lonely cor.nl 

 islands known as the Caymans, situated oft' from the 

 track of commerce in the Caribbean Sea, one hundred and 

 eighty miles northwest of Jamaica. They are about the 

 same distance due west of the Santiago coast of Cuba, to 

 which they are allied by natural affinities, rising from the 

 submerged ridge projecting westward as a continuation of 

 the Sierra Maestra. The largest of these islands is Grand 

 Cayman, seventeen miles in length and four miles in width. 

 Its coast is bold and rock-bound ; the eastern and most of 

 the northern shores are protected by coral reefs inclosing 

 harbors of considerable size and depth, but with entrances 

 so narrow and intricate that only small vessels can enter. 

 One of these, the Great Sound, on the north, measures 

 more than six miles across. The only anchorage for large 

 vessels is under the west end. 



The island is well wooded, and produces dyewoods, 

 mahogany, cedar, and other timber. Palms grow abun- 

 dantly, and are used by the natives for thatching their 

 cottages, while the fiber is used for fishing-lines, hats, 

 baskets, fans, and sieves. The products of the soil are 

 similar to those of Jamaica, as are its wild animals and 

 birds. There is good pasturage, principally guinea-grass ; 

 and horses, cattle, pigs, and poultry are raised in sufficient 

 numbers for the inhabitants. Phosphate deposits of con- 

 siderable value have recently been found and shipped to the 

 United States. Among the natural curiosities of Grand 

 Cayman is a cave at Bodden Town, which extends some hun- 

 dreds of yards under the sea. There is also a natural 

 cistern forty to forty-two feet deep, containing clear, sweet 

 spring-water. 



Grand Cayman was at one time the rendezvous of buc- 

 aneers, and they erected fortifications mounted by heavy 

 guns. The latter lie embedded in the sand at Gun Key. 



According to the census of 1891, the population amounted 

 to 4322, of whom 2418 were females. The people are tem- 

 perate, strong, tall, and healthy-looking, and most of them 



