INTRODUCTION. 13 



had been made near Santiago, Mr. Ross went by stage to Monte Cristi to 

 study the western part of the valley of Rio Yaque del Norte, and Messrs. 

 Condit and Cooke and I moved by pack train westward along the south 

 side of the valley of Rio Yaque del Norte. Studies were made from the 

 foothills of the Cordillera Central along Rio Amina as far downstream as 

 Potrero, along Rio Mao as far downstream as Valverde (Mao), along Rio 

 Gurabo as far downstream as a few kilometers below Gurabo Adentro, and 

 Rio Cana was examined at Caimito. On May 10 Mr. Ross joined Messrs. 

 Condit and Cooke and me at Gurabo Adentro and the next day the party 

 again divided. 



Doctor Cooke and I started for Santiago with our collections and reached 

 there on May 12. On May 13 I left Santiago for Santo Domingo City by 

 way of Moca and Sanchez and arrived there on May 17. On May 19 I 

 left Santo Domingo City for Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 



On May 11 Messrs. Condit and Ross started from Gurabo Adentro by 

 way of Sabaneta for Restauraci6n, whence they went across the Cordillera 

 Central to Joca, and thence by Las Matas, to San Juan, reaching there on 

 May 18. The remainder of May and a part of June were devoted to studies 

 in the provinces of Azua and Barahona. 



Doctor Cooke was detained several days in Santiago attending to the 

 shipment of collections and did not leave there until May 18, when he 

 started southward across the Cordillera Central. He went by Jarabacoa 

 and Constanza, thence down Rio del Medio to Cafiitas, and from there to 

 Tiibano and Azua, where he arrived on May 27. He spent the last days of 

 May and part of June in work around Azua, San Jose" de Ocoa, and Banf. 



After concluding their work in Azua and Barahona provinces Messrs. 

 Condit, Cooke, and Ross returned to Santo Domingo City. From Santo 

 Domingo City as a base Mr. Condit examined the Perseverancia nickel 

 prospect, Mr. Ross examined the San Cristobal mining district, and Doctor 

 Cooke made a trip to San Pedro de Macoris. Messrs. Condit and Cooke 

 returned to Washington at the end of June, but Mr. Ross remained several 

 weeks longer to make additional studies around Samana Bay. 



OFFICE WORK. 



The original plan for the preliminary reconnaissance included office study 

 of the field observations and the collections, with the intention of utilizing 

 the information thus obtained in planning more careful investigations, but 

 the preparation of a formal volume setting forth the results of the work was 

 not contemplated. Two conditions of later development, however, seem 

 to make it highly desirable that the information obtained be published as 

 soon as practicable. The first of these conditions is the demand for a 

 reliable account of the general geologic features of the Republic by those who 

 are interested in the development of its natural resources. Although our 

 work was only a preliminary inspection, we obtained far more information 



