portion of their own healthful and palatable food. The
profusion of its flora and the variety of its forests are unsurpassed,
while the multitude of its climbing shrubs gives a luxuriant richness to
its scenery, which contributes to make it one of the most fascinating
countries in the world. Nowhere are the necessities of life so easily
supplied, or man so delicately nurtured.

The richest soil of the island is the black, which is best adapted to
the purpose of the sugar-planter, and for this purpose it is usually
chosen. So productive is this description of land that the extensive
sugar plantations, once fairly started, will run for years, without the
soil being even turned, new cane starting up from the old roots, year
after year, with abundant crops. This is a singular fact to us who are
accustomed to see so much of artificial means expended upon the soil to
enable it to bear even an ordinary crop to the husbandman. The red soil
is less rich, and is better adapted to the planting of coffee, being
generally preferred for this purpose, while the mulatto-colored earth is
considered inferior, but still is very productive and is improved by the
Monteros for planting tobacco, being first prepared with a mixture of
the other two descriptions of soil which together form the richest
compost, next to guano, known in agriculture.

Coal is fortunately found on the island, of a bituminous nature; had
this not been the case, the numerous steam engines which are now at work
on the plantations would have soon consumed every vestige of wood on the
island, though by proper economy the planter can save much by burning
the refuse cane. The soil is also rich in mineral wealth, particularly
in copper, iron and loadstone. Gold and silver mines have been opened,
and in former times were worked extensively, but are now entirely
abandoned. The copper mines near Sagua la Grande in 1841 yielded about
four millions of dollars, but the exactions of the government were such
that they greatly reduced the yield of the ore. An export duty of five
per cent. was at first imposed upon the article: finally the exportation
was prohibited altogether, unless shipped to old Spain, with a view of
compelling the owners to smelt it in that country. These arbitrary
measures soon reduced the profit of the business, and the working of
the mines from producing in 1841 four millions, to about two by 1845,
and finally they were abandoned.

And now is it to be wond