five thousand feet, of totally different
composition from any other rocks on the island. The great mystery is
how such a mass of solid stone could have got there. Most of these
mountains are thickly wooded, some of them to their very tops, and
appear to be in a perpetual state of verdure. There are mahogany trees
in these hills reported to be of almost fabulous dimensions, besides
other trees of great age. Some idea of the excellence of the timber
grown in Cuba may be had from the fact that over one hundred Spanish
ships of war--some of which were of the largest size, mounting a
hundred and twenty guns--have been built from native stock at the port
of Havana.

Copper ore is found in abundance, as well as silver and iron, in the
mountains. Snow is never known to fall even in these elevated
districts, and of course in no other part of the island. In the
interior, the extreme heat of the low-lying sea-coast and cities is
not experienced, and the yellow fever is unknown. Low, level swampy
land is found only on the southern coast, where there are some wild
deer, wild cats and dogs, which are hunted; the former introduced into
Cuba half a century since, the two latter descended from domestic
animals. Large tracts of undulating country are without trees,
affording good pasturage. In some of the mountains are extensive
caves, not unlike the caves of Bellamar near the city of Matanzas, in
which are still to be found the bones of an unknown race, while
several of these elevations are so precipitous as to be nearly
inaccessible.

Travelers who have visited the Bay of Biscay, on the French and
Spanish shore near Biarritz, have observed how the rocks have been
worn into caverns, arches, alcoves, and honeycombed formations by the
action of the waters for centuries. Just so the soft limestone strata
beneath the surface of Cuba, in many portions of the island, have been
hollowed out, tunneled, and formed into caves, by the tremendous
downpour and wash of tropical rains. So the action of the sea has
created a cave under Moro Castle, at the mouth of the harbor of
Havana, as well as under that other Moro which stands guard over the
entrance of Santiago de Cuba. The existence of these subterranean
caverns has often led to serious accidents. In some instances
buildings which were by chance erected just over them have suddenly
been swallowed up as though by an earthquake.

Many of the rivers are navigable for short distances. The longes