18 THE L1rf

 habitation, presented a picture of gloom and deur, calcu-
 lated deeply to impress the mind; smIlh a picture a soli-
 tude, unenlirened by single trar.e of civilization, is ever
 produce. Where, we inquired of oirse-lve-s, are the people of
 this country? Where itsultivatinn ? Are the ancient Indian
 possessors of the soil all extinct, and their cruel .onqurors and
 successors entombed with them in a common grave ? For hun-
 dreds of miles, as we swept along it, shores, we saw no living
 thing, but now and then a mariner in a solitary skit, or birds of
 the land and ocean sailiug in the air, as if to show us that
 nature had not wholly lost its animation, and sunk into the
 sleep of death."
 The interior of Hayti, however, la ks neither inhabitants nor
 natural beauty. The mountains rise in bold and varv ing out,
 line against the brilliant ,kie and in almnwrt everY part tbrm a
 background o'f great and impr.s-ire ci:re:t. Broken b deep
 ravines, and tapp:aring in bare atnd ru._',gd prt-cipice. they pre-
 sent a continued variety ..I' LnpJ1 in|.) *o:l-i,,.t.; whi,:h sImr tim.i i
 rise into the sublim-. Th,, vallwy4 anrd plains anr ri,.h at once
 in verdure and beauty, while from lt-vated 'potl iou may enj,y
 the sight of the great centres of ivilizati'.an, Cap-Franvais, Port-
 de-Paix, Saint-Mare, Port-au-Prince, &'., busy. in the various
 pursuits of city and commercial lit-.
 The wealth of tlayti coms tf-r.m it- sodl. It is an essentially
 agricultural country. C.-rCal prod]urct. are not cultivated ; but
 maize or Indian corn gr.)w% theri,; and rice flotnurhe in tho
savannas. Th.- ii gro Inelei on the natural fruits of the island
 chiefly, and obtains 6ih, bread.ltuf aind other merchandise
 from the United States. Plantation tillag is the chief occupa-
 tion. This culture embraces su-ar-cane (which iu manu'fa: turud
 chiefly into yvrup and rum), coffee, cocoa, and cotton. In 1 .89,
 the French portion of the island contained 793 sugar plantations,
 8,117 coffee plantations, 781 cotton plantations, and 1Le2 estab-
 lishments for making rum, beride other minor fa.'tories and
 workshop;. In 1791, '..ry larc- capitals were emplonyed in
 Brle Notices of HaytaJ," by John Caiiier. Lond,t IM2.