OF SANTO DOMmciO. 



65 



Hatillo. The advantage that must accrue to the valley by opeinng this river, is 

 almost incalculable, giving, as it would, a natural outlet to its products, which in 

 part pass through Santiago and on pack animals, forty-one miles across the moun- 

 tains over a very bad road, to Puerto Plata. 



The western part of the valley is not less fortunate than the eastern, in having a 

 large river, which could also be rendered navigable to within a few miles of Santiago. 

 It is probable that the expense of opening the Yaqui would be greater than that of 

 the suggested operations on the Yuna. But this is rather hypothesis on my part, 

 than based on detailed examinations. Some of the rapids I have examined seem to 

 be much more violent and extensive than any on the Yuna, the fall over at least a 

 part of its course is greater and difficulties exist at the mouth, which, although easily 

 overcome, must be expensive. The river has been for ages constantly shifting its 

 bed, for the last twenty miles of its course. At present, it runs through a series of 

 shallow lagoons and narrow channels nearly choked up by drift wood and bushes. 

 The present mouth is at Manzanilla Bay, while one of the old mouths is near Monte 

 Cristi. Old beds like dry canals show where it ran at one time and another ; and 

 lately, the Government has taken steps, though perhaps on too small a scale, to divert 

 the water into one of these dry ditches, changing the mouth to Monte Cristi. 

 Should this be accomplished successfully, even if only a part of the river finds egress 

 by this route, so long as enough water is diverted to float a canoe, the benefit to the 

 people of the valley will be far be3^ond the amount expended. 'Now, the river is 

 never used for navigation. The few canoes to be found on it are only kept for 

 crossing from one bank to the other ; not a freight boat of an}^ descri]3tion exists on 

 the Yaqui. Mahogany "crotches" are sent on mule or donkey back, from Guayubin, 

 on the river, to the coast at Monte Cristi. 



The tributaries of the Yaqui on its north side are so few and so petty in size, as 

 not to merit even a mention. On the south side, however, they are numerous and 

 large. The Jimenoa, rising south of Jarabacoa, and describing three-fourths of a 

 circle, uniting with the Yaqui north of the same town, is really the longer of the two 

 branches into which the river divides. The other branch, bearing the title of the 

 main stream, rises in the peak of the same name, and runs nearly north until it 

 reaches the middle of the valley, just beyond Santiago, when it suddenly bends at a 

 right angle to the west. Just above Santiago, it receives the Bao, or Cibao River, 

 almost as large as itself, which rises in the main range, west of the spur on which is 

 Loma J oca. West of the Bao, we find successively the Amina, Mao, Gurabo, Canna, 

 Guayubin, and half a dozen other rivers and creeks of smaller size. The five named 



A. p. S. — VOL. XV. Q. 



