Scudder.] 48 



part of it which lies between Havana and Cardenas. The country is 

 very level indeed, the southern half very marshy, the northern with 

 numerous short ranges of mountains, which, in all cases, run almost 

 directly north and south, and rise abruptly from the plain. The 

 mountains may be divided into two classes, — those which are 

 found upon the north coast and those rising in the centre of the 

 island ; the former are composed of three parallel ranges between 

 one and two miles apart, called respectively from west to east. Sierra 

 de las Casas, Sierra de los Caballos, and Blbijagua — the latter is but 

 an insignificant row of hills, while the other two are more elevated and 

 afford many instances of striking scenery, their sides being frequently 

 very precipitous, especially upon the western slope, and their outlines 

 very broken and craggy. Sierra de los Caballos is broken up into 

 three separated ranges: the northernmost projecting boldly into the 

 sea, forming the promontory called the Columpo; the central portion 

 called Mango, forming the greater portion of the range, attains the 

 height, as measured by the barometer, of 943 feet above the sea ; the 

 southernmost, a little higher than Columpo, is called El Seperatim. 

 Sierra de las Casas is also broken up into two ranges, the southern- 

 most being the highest, but neither of them were measured ; they are, 

 however, of all the mountains, next in height to the Sierra de los Ca- 

 ballos ; between these two ranges runs the Rio de Sierra Casas, and the 

 town of Nueva Gerona is situated on its left bank about two miles 

 from the mouth, at the limit of steamboat navigation. 



These mountains are formed of very hard limestones, forming in some 

 places a marble of medium quality, which has been quarried upon the 

 eastern slope of Mango ; calc spar was found in considerable quantity 

 upon the summit, and large veins of quartz are found especially upon 

 Sierra de las Casas. The rocks dip at an angle of 60° to the cast. 

 The vegetation of the region surrounding these mountains is wanting 

 in the two species of pitch pine which grow so abundantly in all other 

 parts of the island and from Avhich it has received its name. 



The other series of mountains is formed of eight or ten parallel, very 

 short ranges extending from the Sierra de la Canada upon the north- 

 west coast to the San Jose mountains upon the eastern coa^t just south 

 of the middle of the island, taking as a whole the general direction of 

 W. N. W. and E. S. E. Each range, however, preserves within a few 

 degrees the same general direction as those of the northern hills. The 

 Sierra de la Canada is the range farthest to the northwest of any on 

 the island ; its western slope is characterized by lofty precipices, the 

 mountain itself being the highest on the island, 1007 feet high. San 

 Pedro comes next, both in position and height ; its central peak being 

 636 feet; the two others being respectively about 10 to 25 feet higher. 

 Between this and the Pico de la Daguilla; the next most prominent moun- 



