214 
by Wright, and later by Pollard, Underwood and Earle, I paid no 
attention to it at this time. 
Several excursions were made into the surrounding hills and 
valleys. The coast on either side of the bay, and also the lower 
portions of the Rio Miel and Rio Macaguanigua were examined. 
Rio Guaba was also visited. The serpentine hills occurring 
many miles inland were examined, on the trail to Florida. Here 
they are covered by a dense, low scrub very similar to the foothill 
region of Sierra Nipe. A few small trees of the Cuban pine are 
sealtered through its higher elevations, and farther south on the 
‘‘cuchillas’’ they become plentifu 
The region lying west of Biacs and extending to Nipe Bay 
is exceedingly rough, very sparsely inhabited, the settlements 
usually consisting of a store and a few families, situated on the 
numerous small bays which are formed at the mouth of the short 
rivers. There are also a number of small cays that would prob- 
ably repay an investigation. Communication is by small sail- 
boats, of which there are a considerable number. There is also 
supposed to bea trail paralleling the coast, but this is very 
obscure and the many rivers to ford make it very uncertain for 
travel in the wet seasons. Botanically this region is unknown 
except in so far that Charles Wright was at La Catalina, south- 
ward of Sagua de Tanamo in March, 1861, but he probably got no 
farther eastward. Of late this part of the country has been of 
great interest to mining concerns on account of large deposits of 
nickeliferous iron ore known to exist here, and under the suppo- 
sition that more may be found, various companies have sent ex- 
ploring parties and engineers to several points, and considerable 
field work has been done, camps built, ‘‘trochas’’ and some trails 
opened, but no actual mining operations begun. One company so 
engaged is the Jurugua Iron Company, of which Mr. Whitaker of 
Santiago de Cuba is general manager, and from whom I had letters 
to their agent at Baracoa and their chief engineer in the field. 
These letters were kindly secured for me by Mr. Jennings S. 
Cox, Jr. I also had the good fortune to make the acquaintance 
of Mr. W. W. Fitch, who had a general oversight of the 
field work of this company. Their camp ‘‘San Benito,’’ 
