318 



humboldt's cuba. 



mon. Instead of leading the canal east of the 

 Cerro village, and south of the castle of Atares to 

 the bay itself, the intention was to avail of the bed 

 of the Chorrera or Almendares river, from Calaba- 

 zal to Husillo, and thence to follow the royal zanja ; 

 thus bringing the vessels into the suburbs and city of 

 Havana, and at the same time, supplying the foun- 

 tains with water, of which they are now deprived 

 during three months of the year. I have had the 

 pleasure of visiting, in company with Messieurs 

 Lemaur, the country through which this line of navi- 

 gation should pass. The utility of the project is 

 undeniable, if, in a time of great drought, a suffi- 

 cient supply of water can be brought to the divid- 

 ing point. 



[Note. — The projected canal was never con- 

 structed, but the facilities for internal communica- 

 tion in Cuba have largely increased since the time 

 of Baron Humboldt's writing, and a short sketch of 

 their present condition will not be inappropriate in 

 a view of the actual condition of the island. The 

 old system of highways, which is still in use, is a 

 series of roads upon which very little labor has 

 been expended, and during the rainy season travel- 

 ling on them is exceedingly laborious. The princi- 

 pal road running east from Havana, is the great 



V 



