52 



ON THE TOPOf^KAPIIY AXD (JEOLOGY 



peculiarities of each region, before entering on a consideration of the geological 

 strnctiu'e. - 



The great central mountain chain, variously Imown as the Cordillera, the Sierra or 

 the Cibao Mountains, extends the whole length of the island, beginning at the eastern 

 extremity and running out to the end of the northern peninsula of Hayti, sending off 

 spurs some of which attain to the dignity almost of independent chains. At its 

 eastern end it is low, I'arely acquiring a height of more than a thousand feet. But 

 going westward it rises until some of its peaks are 8,000 and 9,000 feet high. Its 

 general direction is a little north of west, although the numerous side-spurs, of 

 variable length, serve to hide to a great extent the actual trend of the real watershed. 



The highest i)oints are not always on the main ridge ; some of the side-spvn-s 

 bearing peaks which rise two or three thousand feet higher than the mother chain. 



The Pico del Yaqui, or " el Rucillo," as it is oftener called, from its head being 

 almost always enveloped in silvery clouds, is the culminating point. It is almost 

 exactly in the centre of the island, and is an immense rounded mass on the main ridge, 

 said by ^chomburgk to l)e 2955 metres high. I ha^ e never been able to repeat the 

 measurement, although I once spent twcnt} -four hours on its flank, in the endeavor 

 to reach the sunnnit. On reaching the height of 5500 feet, I was sto]j})ed by thickets 

 of fern and the al^sence of water ; but the peak, in full view, seemed to be about four 

 thousand feet higher. The abiove measurement, if not exactly correct, is at least very 

 nearly so. From this mountain start two of the largest rivers on the island ; the 

 Yaqui of the north, on the north side, and the Yaqui of the south, sometimes called 

 the J^Teyba River, on the south side. Lower Tina, southeast of el Rucillo, is said by 

 the same authoi'ity to be still higher. This point, I have never visited, having onl}'^ 

 seen it at a distance. It is in the heart of a great mountain mass, northeast of Azua 

 and east of the Constanza Pass, iiearly inaccessible. The people of the country say 

 that it is imjjossible to reach its sunniiit, the route lying through dense forests, every 

 step impeded by vines and bushes, and on reaching its tlanks it must be necessary, 

 as is the case in all the other high land of Santo Domingo, for the traveller to cut his 

 way through thickets of fern, often so close that he must crawl on hands and knees 

 through a tunnel, as it were, scratched by thorns, and blinded by the fern spores at 

 every step. This peak is neither on the main chain, nor is it on one of the principal 

 accessory spurs, but seems to be to a great extent isolated, the culminating point of 

 a group of hills. 



From the Pico del Yaqui, and the mountain mass of its vicinity, there are sent 

 out several long ridges running more or less directly to the northward, embraced 

 between the streams which form the head- waters of the Yaqui River. The flrst, 



