Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 13.djvu/575

 J A M A 1 (J A 549 Grand Cayman, the principal of these, lying off the centre of the Yucatan passage ; British Honduras has a lieutenant-governor under the general government of Jamaica, although distant 660 miles, on the mainland of Central America; and Turks and Caicos islands, lying between 21 and 22 N. lat. and 71 and 72 37 W. long., were annexed to Jamaica in 1874. The surface of Jamaica is usually hilly or mountainous, and there is a great variety of climate, according to situation and elevation. The largest extent of level land is to the westward, where the low lands are near the sea. The form of the coasts presents the outline of a turtle, the mountain ridges representing the back. The highest elevations are situated to the east, the inclined slope rising from the west. Vestiges of intermittent volcanic action occur. From the sea-level on all sides a series of ridges gradually ascend towards the central range, dividing the large rivers, and rising occasionally into peaks of 6000 feet. The Blue Mountains, running centrally from east to west, rise at some points to above 7000 feet. The vapours ascending from the rivers and surrounding ocean produce in the upper regions clouds saturated with moisture, which induce vegetation belonging to a colder climate. During the rainy season there is such an accumulation of vapour as to cause a general coolness over the island, and of course occasion ing very sudden and heavy showers, and sometimes destruc tive floods. Upwards of one hundred and fourteen rivers or streams rind their way from the interior to the sea, besides the numerous tributaries which issue from every ravine in the mountains. These streams for the most part are not navigable ; in times of flood they become devastat ing torrents. In the parish of Portland, the Rio Grande receives all the smaller tributaries from the west ; there is scarcely a mile width between any of these streams, and the land rises about 1000 feet to the mile. In St Thomas in the east, the drainage of the main ridge is performed by the Plantain Garden river, the tributaries of which form deep ravines and narrow gorges in the mountains, which unite and descend, the valley of the Plantain Garden expanding out into a most picturesque and fertile plain. Black River flows through a level country, and is accessible to small craft for about 30 miles. Salt lliver and the Cabarita, both also on the south side, are navigable by barges. The others on the south are the Rio Cobre (where irrigation works have been constructed for the sugar estates and provision and fruit growing in the district), Yallahs, and Rio Minho : on the north Martha Brae, the White River at Buff Bay, the Great Spanish River, and Rio Grande. There are several medicinal springs. Jamaica has sixteen harbours, the chief of which are Port Morant, Kingston, Old Harbour, Green Island, Montego Bay, Falmouth, Port Maria, St Ann s Bay, Lucea, and Port Antonio, besides numerous bays, roadsteads, and shipping stations affording tolerable anchorage. The surface of the valleys and level lands consists of alluvial deposits composed of sediment derived from the disintegration of the higher land. The White Limestone formation seems to originate two descriptions of alluvia, one white and the other red, the colour being due to oxide of iron combined with the argillaceous residue of the pre-existing limestone. The red soil is particularly favourable for coffee growing. The area occupied by the Coast Limestone and White Limestone represents about five-eighths of the island. The substructure of Jamaica consists of igneous rocks. In economic geology Jamaica produces a great variety of marbles, porphyrites, granite, and ochres. Traces of gold have been found associated with some of the oxidized copper ores (blue and green carbonates) of the Clarendon mines. Copper ores are very widely diffused, though the working of the veins has been found too expensive. Cobalt and lead have been worked, but hitherto unprofitably. Manganese occurs, also iron ores and a form of arsenic. There is a great variety (and at the same time great equa bility) of climate. In the lowlands the temperature rises from 75 at night to 85 in the day, and is tempered by the sea and land breezes. At Up-Park Camp, 225 feet above the sea-level, the mean temperature of the hottest month (July) was 81 71, and of the coldest month (January) 75 0- 65. At Newcastle, 3800 feet, the hottest month was 67 75, and the coldest 61. The temperature therefore is very equable. In the higher levels the tem perature may be 40 to 50. In the plains there is much humidity. At Kingston the temperature ranges from 70 to 80 throughout the year. Parts of the island are extremely favourable for sufferers from tubercular disease. The island is generally healthy, though sometimes subject to yellow fever, like most tropical countries. Hurricanes, when they occur, come between July and October. The periodical rains, which generally last for six weeks, constitute the ^ May and October seasons. The vegetable productions are very numerous. There are forest trees fit for every purpose ; among these are the ballata, rosewood, satinwood, mahogany, lignum vitro, lancewood, and ebony. The logwood and fustic are ex ported for dyeing. There are also the Jamaica cedar, and the silk cotton tree (Ceiba Bombax). Pimento (peculiar to Jamaica) is indigenous, and furnishes the allspice. The bamboo, coffee, and cocoa are well known. Several species of palm abound, the macaw, the fan palm, screw palm, and palmetto royal. There are plantations of cocoa-nut palm. The Government are raising cocoa-nuts with profit on a barren spit of sand by the sea. Cinchona plantations have recently been successfully established in the mountains, the produce selling well in the London market. The other noticeable trees and plants are the mango, the breadfruit tree, the papaw, the lacebark tree, and the ! guava. The Palma Christ i, from which castor oil is made, i is a very abundant annual. English vegetables grow in the hills, and the plains produce plantains, cocoa, yams, cassava, ochra, beans, pease, ginger, and arrowroot. Maize I and guinea corn are cultivated, and the guinea grass, acci dentally introduced in 1750, is very valuable for horses and cattle, so much so that pen-keeping or cattle farming i is a highly profitable occupation. Among the principal fruits are the orange, shaddock, lime, grape or cluster fruit, pine-apple, mango, banana, grapes, melons, avocado pear, breadfruit, and tamarind. There are public gardens j at Kingston, at Castleton, about 20 miles from Kingston, and at Bath, and an experimental plantation of different j varieties of cane at Hope plantation. The sugar cane was I cultivated at an early period, for in 1671 there were a num- j ber of sugar works. There are many beautiful flowers, such ! as the aloe, the yucca, the datura, the mountain pride, the ! Victoria reyia ; the cactus tribe is well represented. , Innumerable varieties of ferns grow in the mountains, and orchids in the woods. The sensitive plant grows in pastures. There are fourteen sorts of Lampyridx or fireflies, besides the Elateridte or lantern beetles. There are no venomous serpents, but plenty of harmless snakes and lizards. The large lizard, the iguana, is eaten, as are also the land crab and tortoise. The scorpion and centipede are poisonous, but not very dangerous. Ants, mosquitoes, and sandflies swarm in the lowlands. Gosse enumerates twenty different song birds in Jamaica. Parrots, pigeons, I The sea and rivers swarm with fish, and turtles abound. dile. The domestic animals are those of the ordinary j Poultry succeeds well.
 * guinea fowl, and a great variety of water birds are found.
 * The seal and manatee are sometimes found, and the croco
 * English kind. Jamaica beef and pork are very good.