Page:Haiti- Her History and Her Detractors.djvu/311

Rh Furcy at an altitude of 1,540 metres, whose forest of pines was once of great beauty, but is now very much impaired through the felling of the trees. In August the thermometer here registers as low as 10 degrees centigrade or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This delightful temperature and the exquisite beauty of the scenery have made Furcy extremely popular among visitors to the island, Europeans especially, who seldom miss the opportunity of spending a few days in this place. In order to escape the severity of the winter the wealthy people of the United States will go some day to Furcy and there recuperate their strength and repose their minds in the enjoyment of a balmy climate. When Haiti becomes better known abroad Furcy will surely take her place as one of the most delightful of summer resorts.

Everywhere in the vicinity of the towns can be found cool and beautiful spots where one may escape from the heat. Death by sunstroke is unknown in Haiti; and the heat there does not kill people as it does in New York and many other cities of the United States during the summer. The drought and the rainy season succeed each other regularly. At Port-au-Prince the rainy season begins about April and lasts until late in November; it showers mostly in the afternoon and at night. In the South, at Cayes, heavy rains occur in May and October; the rivers and streams, of which there are many in the vicinity of this town, overflow their banks and inundate the plain; they fertilize the soil, but when excessive occasionally inflict great losses upon the inhabitants. The north wind which begins to blow in December occasions the drought, when the weather becomes very dry and cool.

The sanitary condition of Haiti is very unlike that which it is represented to be abroad; it is in reality better than in many countries. Yellow fever and smallpox do not exist in the island, except when brought over from some neighboring country. Typhoid fever is so uncommon that it is believed that very often doctors