INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



323 



The expenditures have not been published, but 

 Senor Pizarro, in the work above referred to, states 

 that it required an annual outlay of $441,561 to 

 meet the expenses of the road. The government 

 accordingly determined to sell it, and in 1842 trans- 

 ferred it to a private company that assumed the 

 loan, and engaged to extend the lines. This they 

 have since done to Union, 33^ miles further, where 

 it meets the Matanzas road, and have also con- 

 structed branches to Guanajay, 21 miles, and Bata- 

 bano, 10 miles. 



This road, which is the great trunk of the railway 

 system in Cuba, runs from Havana in a south direc- 

 tion to San Felipe, 26 miles, where it bends to the 

 east through Guines to Union. At Bincon, 14 miles 

 from Havana, the Guanajay branch commences 

 running westward to San Antonio, where it turns 

 toward the north, and at Guanajay it is only six 

 miles from Mariel, on the northern shore of the 

 island. The Matanzas road has a general south 

 course to Union, where it turns to the east, extend- 

 ing through ISTavajas to Isabel, 25 miles further. 

 The Cardenas road runs south to Bemba, 18 miles, 

 where it bends to the southwest, extending to Nava- 

 jas, 11 miles — connecting there with the Matanzas 

 road. It has a branch from Bemba, running south- 

 east to Agiiica, 33^ miles, which it is contemplated 



