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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

DIARY

Spring Holiday

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PHIL A D EL PHI A :
PORTER # GO ATE 8.
187%.

THOSE WHO WILL D E, FOR MY SAKE,
ITS MOST INTERESTED READERS,
Ma &geb parents,
THIS SIMPLE RECORD OF TROPICAL WANDERING
IS AFFECTIONATELY IN SCRIBED.

9UKRHAN A CO., PIllNTEBe.

DIARY

Spring Holiday in Cuba.

Steamship Jckiata,
At Sea off the Capes of Delaware Bay,
Saturday Evening, Feb. 24th, 1872.
Bound for a land of perpetual summer, we take-
a farewell backward look at the dark and frown
ing sky of winter. A cold gray mist blurs the
outline of the ice-bound shores, where the black
gulls of winter flap their broad wings over the
surf. A chill north wind blows, but it only
hastens us southward toward sunlit seas and
radiant skies. The last glimpse of the dim shore
of homeland fades away, and our thoughts turn,
as the prow of the vessel points, to the warm
and genial South 1*

G DIARY 01' A SPUING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
Sunday, February 25</i.— Sailors have a tra
ditional saying, that there is "no Sunday be
yond five fathoms soundings," and it is appa
rent that the day has no formal characteristic
at sea.
The wind is light, and the waves give us but a
gentle swaying motion; yet it is enough to keep
our fellow-passengers in their state-rooms, on ac
count of sea-sickness. So the day passes quietly
away, while we gradually become accustomed to
the new surroundings of sight, sound, and mo
tion ; the deep respiration of the steam-exhaust,
the pulsating throbs and heavy strokes of the
engine, sending a tremor through the frame of
this great sea monster ; the solemn tone of the
ship's bell, repeated every half hour ; and, to us,
a bell, increasing hourly in attractions, which
calls us to the well-spread cabin table. The sea
continues so quiet that there would seem to be
no cause for sea-sickness, but the captain states
that the ailment is much under the influence
of the imagination, as passengers often repeat
the inquiry as to whether we are " outside yet,"

DIAllY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 7
and on being answered in the affirmative, retire
to their state-rooms aud go through the for
malities. Yet there inust lie a miserable reality in sea
sickness, which requires great resignation to bear
it patiently. A gentleman, whose histrionic fame
is known to every one, being at sea and suffering
from sea-sickness, which he bore with extreme
impatience, a fellow-passenger strove to console
him with the example of other and more resigned
sufferers, and even alluded to the Saviour's being
at sea in a tempest. The petulant invalid re
plied: " That is so; but, if my memory is not at
fault, he got out and walked I and I cannot do
that." This starting out to sea reminds me of my only
previous experience, in a time long ago, when
with feelings different indeed I first saw the
ocean's expanse. I recall vividly, but with a
shade of sadness, an affectionate parting on start-.
ing off, youthful, buoyant, and careless. Then
life seemed an endless morning, and the vista an
unlimited horizon. The present voyaging seems

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DIARY OP A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

as but a mid-day rest in a toilsome way ; or, per
haps, with the day, it may be, far spent, when I
should be looking trustingly forward as being
" Nearer to the waysido inn,
Where toil shall oease and rest begin."
Of one of that little home-circle there is nothing
left but her memory ; the snow of this parting
winter is melting on the marble that encloses her,
and the slanting rays of a glowing winter sunset
are smiling over her repose.
Tuesday., February 21th  If the " three wise
men of Gotham," of infantile literature, who
" went to sea in a bowl," had chosen this aus
picious time their story would have been longer.
The sea continues as the quiet surface of a mill-
pond; even the traditional stormy locality of
" off Cape Hatteras," is passed without wind or
waves. The sun shines warmly, the sky is a deep
blue, and the air is like the balmy breath of June.
This transition from the cheerless breaking up
of winter, from fields of floating ice to the drift-

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insr seaweeds of the warm waters of the Gulf
o
Stream, is exceedingly grateful.
Thursday, February 29iA — The sea has still
an unruffled surface, and evidences of the trop
ical change are increasing ; the sun comes up red
from its hot-bath in the gulf waters, and glows in
a cloudless sky until it dips again in the crimson
west. There is a tranquilizing influence in this warm
sea air of the South, which tends to mental re
pose and an idle and dreamy existence. It is
occupation enough to lie on deck and gaze on the
blue expanse ; to watch the heavy flight of the
pelicans, the wayward flapping of the gulls, the
antics of the flying-fish, or the wind-borne fleets
of nautilus.
The vessel has been since yesterday morning
running along the coast of Florida, near enough
to discern persons, if any existed on that barren
strand ; but with the exception of several lonely
light-houses, and, in the evening, some Indian
camp-fires, no signs of human life were seen.
Some wrecked vessels loom up as ghostly warn-

10 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
ings on the beach, where their skeletons will lon<r
bleach in the sun and spray ; and we but recently
passed the spot where tho very steamship we are
on was cast, a helpless waif, in the great hurricane
of last August. The vessel, while endeavoring
with all the power of steam to keep away from the
shore, head to the wind, was hurled backward and
struck the sand ; when to save life she was headed
directly for the strand, and went flying before
the blast up among the trees on the beach. No
damage was sustained, and in a few days she was
again on her waj'.
We have a winged visitor from the ever
glades of Florida. A little weary wanderer, with
bright yellow and brown plumage, has found
rest on the vessel, and is cared for in the pilot
house, to be set at liberty when we reach the
harbor. Friday, March 1st  It was announced last
evening that the light-house on Morro Castle
would soon be in sight, but as no vessel is per
mitted to enter the harbor after tho firing of the
gun at sunset, or before the gun at sunrise, the

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DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

11

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ship steamed slowly onward, so as not to be too
early at the entrance of the harbor.
At daybreak a black and threatening horizon,
with gusty squalls, hid the island from view ; but
as it gradually broke away, the distant mountains
came in sight, and the bright sunlight soon dis
played the promised land — the land of the cocoa,
and the palm, of my childhood's dreams of tropic
fruits and gorgeous flowers, of waving cane-fields,
burning suns, and toiling slaves 1
A signal sent to the top of the flagstaff on
Morro Castle announced our arrival in Havana,
and we passed through the veiy narrow entrance
of the harbor, almost under the guns, and within
talking distance of the sentinel in white and
red, and burnished trappings, who paced the par
apet. The castle has a most grand and romantic
appearance, overhanging the sea at a great emi
nence, its high walls crested by rows of cannon,
surmounted at one angle by a towering light
house ; its base washed by the warm waters of
the Gulf Stream, and lashed by its foaming surf.
It impressed me more, however, with the idea of

12 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
romance than of power, and it seemed that its
chalky stone could soon be made to crumble
under modern projectiles, and its guns be tumbled
into the sea. In addition to the Morro, there are
several other fortifications, which, although not
so picturesque, are probably of greater strength ;
and the harbor, on account of its narrow en
trance, with high surrounding hills, must be nat
urally one of the most readily defensible in the
world. The city, until this moment partially hidden
from view by the castle and hills at the harbor's
entrance, now spread suddenly out, its light-col
ored buildings of yellow and blue tints dazzling
in the morning sun. The harbor was filled with
vessels, not at wharves, but dispersed at their
anchorages, including war ships of every mari
time nation, decked with their national flags ;
and more conspicuous than all others, the Rus
sian fleet, which had just arrived with the Grand
Duke, on his visit to the island.
As we came along the harbor, a curious scene,
wliich may be witnessed every day, was that of

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DIARY OF A SPRINQ HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

13

a hundred or more horses from the city, led
into the water in droves by their drivers, taking
a morning bath in the surf. The surrounding
country seemed rather bare of foliage but clothed
in deep green, and that most prominent of all
y- ~~ tropical characteristics, the roj'al palm tree, with
its long, straight, and bare trunk stretching high
in the air, its feathery top waving in the wind,
was in every direction seen.
In addition to the varied novelties of sight,
were those of sound ; for a most extraordinary
ringing of bells resounded from the city, as if it
were some hour of jubilee, but I was informed
that all this wrangle and jangle was only the
calling of the devout to their matins. The
sounds were neither musical nor inspiring, no
deep-toned resonance, but a most discordant
twanging, as if of hundreds of colossal cow-bells
in towers and steeples.
The harbor was alive with little, active, light-
colored boats, with a framework and awnino-
stretched over the stern portion, like a wao-ou-
ooveiyto protect from the sun. From one of these

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14 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

a pilot came on board, and conducted the vessel
to her moorings ; from others came the custom
house officials ; and in one was seen by us the
welcome sight of the kind face of a friend who,
anticipating our arrival, had come out to greet us
and guide our way through the formalities prior
to landing. We gathered ourselves and baggage
into one of these boats, and proceeded to the
custom-house, where the trunks were unlocked
in anticipation of a great overturning and scru
tinizing search of their contents ; but we must
have been honored in the breach of this custom,
for the official merely poked his long and spec
tacled nose under the trunk lids, as if to smell
rather than to see, and placing a chalk-mark on
them, which in our vernacular would, I suppose,
be written " 0 K," the trunks were passed out.
Then came our funny experience of the place ;
the strange-looking jail-like houses, with barred
windows without sash or glass ; the large heavily-
ironed doors ; the narrow and crowded streets with
out sidewalks, and the motley crowds of varied
dress, complexion, and nationality, who jabbered,

DIARY OF A. SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 15
jostled, laughed, and quarreled in their way.
The oddity of vehicles is the most striking of all
things to a stranger, including the awkward and

VOLANTE DRIVER.
ungainly volante, with one horse in the long
shafts, and another in traces alongside, mounted
by a negro in gaudy trappings, red jacket,
leather leggings, slippers, and enormous spurs.
¦ Our destination was the San Carlos, or the
Hotel Telegrafo, but no accommodations could be
found in them, and we were quartered in the Hotel
de Santa Isabel, a house which looks as if it were
some decayed palace of royalty. Here are tiled

16 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

17

and marble floors throughout, above and below ;
porcelain wainscots highly ornamented ; — all this
grandeur, mingled with the utmost confusion of
broken furniture, baggage, scattered fruits and
vegetables ; some doves flyiug in and out ; un-

HOTEL SANTA ISABEL.
pleasant odors of kitchen and cookery, all redo
lent of garlic ; and other evidences of disorder,
and, to us, of discomfort. We sat down in our
curious room, overlooking on one side a court
yard, where a dried-up fountain remained as an

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ornament, the other window giving a view over
the bay; when our friend, who had so kindly
met us, loaded the table with a fragrant heap of
oranges and bananas, which were enjoyed as
tropical fruits can only be appreciated in perfec
tion, in the land of their production.
After visiting a money changer, and turning
some of our national currency into Spanish gold,
I rode about the streets in a volante, observing
the curiosities of people and architecture, and
visited a restaurant to taste the peculiar forms of
refreshments. The private houses look like castles for defence,
and the style of building has probably continued
from olden times, when it was essential that each
dwelling-house should be defensible from the In
dians, and more especially from pirates, who have
often pillaged the towns on the coast.
The floors are all either stone or tile, the walls
are immensely thick, and the stone partitions of
the separate apartments continue up higher than
the roof, so that the space above it is divided into
distinct pens three or four feet high; thus a
2*

18 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
series of battlement-walls, well suited for defence,
exists on every house. There are no yards or
gardens as we construct in our homes, but within
the area of the house is a court-yard, open to the
air and sun above, into which doors, and barred,
unglazed windows, open from all the rooms. It
is curious to sec the A'olante, or other form of
family carriage, driven apparently into the parlor
or entry, and there remain as if it were a part of
the parlor furniture ; thus, on entering a hand
some private residence, the first object seen is
the volante, with its polished and showy silver or
gold mountings, standing there an object of or-
nament and family pride. I saw no ladies to-day
in the streets, but as I passed the barred win
dows, a view of the inner life of the Cuban family
was readily obtained, for the windows reach the
ground, and being without glass, the temptation
to look in at the ladies was, of course, irresisti
ble ; and, when dressed for display, they present
themselves for this kind of observation.
On returning to the hotel, our courteous friend
proposed that we should accompany him to Ma-

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DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 21
tanzas, his place of residence ; and being desirous
of having at once a rural view of the tropics,
the proposal was gladly acceded to; and this
decision was the more prompt-after having been
introduced to an American gentleman at the
hotel, whose countenance resembled a skull with
lemon-colored parchment drawn over it, and who
was being congratulated by his friends on his re
covery from yellow fever I
So we bade farewell to Santa Isabel, gath
ered ourselves into vehicles drawn by emaciated
ponies, who were lashed and spurred, as is the
custom, until the ferry to the railway station was
reached. A steam ferry-boat, like those of the North,
crossed the bay to Regla, whence a railway train,
of American style, soon started for Matanzas,
going at very great speed.
The country was for some distance barren and
rocky, and, with the exception of the peculiar
tropical vegetation, did not differ from our north
ern waste lands. As the journey proceeded, the
country became more attractive ; verdant and

22 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

waving cane-fields bordered the road, large tracts
of banana plants, weighed down by their heavy
branches of the fruit, and groves of orange trees
were on every side; and above all and ever in
sight was the tall and graceful royal palm, with
its straight light-colored trunk, surmounted by
its waving tuft of fern-like leaves, the most beau
tiful of nature's forest productions.
The country is evidently rendered bare by the
destruction of the forests for fuel, but the gor
geous palm is alone spared in the devastation,
• and remains an object of ornament and utility,
so that it is seen cresting every hill-top, and in
groves on the plains.
Before reaching Matanzas, its surrounding
mountains, which are familiar landmarks from
far out on the ocean, were seen, and soon we
were among the variegated blue and yellow build
ings of the environs of the city.
Located at the Hotel Leon de Oro, the singu
larities of Cuban life become the subject of ob
servation ; and on entering we are impressed at
once with the savors of cookery, including, of

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

23

course, the prominent flavor of garlic; for the
culinary arrangements are immediately under our
eyes, and, unfortunately, under our nose also.
The dinner was soon served, made up of varied
familiar articles disguised into strangeness, and
some unfamiliar ones in which tasting could not
solve the problem, and wliich would have needed
the services of an interpreter for comprehension ;
but it finished off, as is the cutsom, with the odd
combination of guava jelly and strong cheese,
and an abundance of fruits.
Our room holds two beds conveniently, and
has the invariable tiled floor, and the ceiling is at
a great elevation, probably nearly thirty feet ; but
the beds, so called, are merely sacking-bottoms
stretched at great tension, and resemble in every
respect the head of a drum. Such is a Cuban
bed for all of high or low degree, and it may do
for those whose bones and integument are not
too near together, but as only the salient points
of the body can touch it, the arrangement seems
more calculated for the production of aching
backs and bed-sores, than for repose. The pil-

24 DIARY OF A SPRINO HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
lows are very small, inelastic, and sodden, as if
filled with dough.
Sunday, March Sd — Matanzas differs from
Havana in being much smaller, but has the same
characteristics of narrow streets, massive low
stone houses, and retains even more of the
ancient Moorish peculiarities.
Like other Spanish cities it has its grand
plaza, where the higher classes throng in the
evenings to see and to be seen, and to listen to
the music of the military bands, the ladies sitting
languidly in their volantes,' while the gentlemen
promenade about the walks, saluting them in
the complimentary and fulsome fashion of the
country. .¦¦' .,¦ ;.',• .'• •. , •• ' ;
I have been expecting to see the population
with their faces tinged with the livery of the
burning sun, but have been impressed with the
pallid and anamiic countenancesof most of the
people, particularly the ladies, and the men of the
higher classes. Our own party really look, ac
cording to my ideal, more Spanish than the
Spaniards. None but the laboring people expose

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DIARY OF A SPUING HOLIDAY TN CUBA. 2,1
themselves to the sun's rays, and there is preva
lent a most indolent aversion to bodily exercise ;
and the ladies flit out only in a moth-like exist
ence when the shades of evening veil them. No
ruddy cheeks are seen, no lithe forms and brisk
tripping feet patter on the pavements as in the
North; but the Cuban belle, with her dark lan
guishing eyes, placid, dignified countenance, pro
fuse black hair, and dressed in some lace-like
tissue, ventures out only in her volante, and re
clines languidly on her cushions for the evening-
drive on the paseo or plaza.
- There are many showy stores, at least in their
inside display, for the goods are not arranged in
windows, which are merely heavily barred grat
ings without glass ; and the fronts of even the
best stores have a most forbidding appearance.
They are invariably attended by males, and the
same sex seem to be- almost the exclusive vis
itors. When the ladies go out to do their shop
ping it is in their volantes, which they do not
leave to enter the stores, but the goods are
brought out and displayed to them by the very

26

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

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attentive and polite clerks. Some of the stores
are distinguished by remarkable appellations as
sumed for them by their proprietors, and painted
on signs, man)7 of which are singular for their
oddity and inappropriateness. Thus the titles of
a few of the quaintest when translated are : My
Recreation ; My Pleasure, Sweet Name of Jesus ;
Son of the Town ; Poor Devil ; Rich Devil ; and
others are called the Green Cross ; Hope ; Ori
ental; Norma, etc. Funny attempts at trans
lating aro noticeable on store signs, to make the
business comprehensible to foreigners; such an
one is, "Joni sei her," which intends to say,
"Honey sold here!"
It is curious to observe the manner in which
the daily supply of vegetables and market com
modities comes into the city, all on the backs of
horses and mules, whose bodies are often almost
entirely hidden under thek bulk)' loads of packs
and panniers. This is particularly so with the
animals laden with almost a stack of green corn-
fodder, when only the nose can be seen project
ing from the moving mass, and only the clatter

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DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 27
of hoofs heard beneath. Trains of burdened
mules and horses come into the town in long
processions, single file, being kept in line by
each one's head being tied to the tail of the one
in front of him.
There is heard here the same unmelodious ring
ing of bells which saluted us on disembarkation ;
it is the same tin-pan sound, commencing at day
break, and reiterated at intervals until the vesper
hour relieves us of the noisy jargon. Notwith
standing all this noisy summoning, on visiting the
ancient cathedral at the hour of evening prayers,
I found but three persons iii the sombre and dimly
lighted hall, kneeling devoutly and in silence be
fore the crucifixes.
As the visit of the Russian prince is expected
for to-morrow, preparations are- being made to
receive him, including the putting in order of some
streets through whicli he will pass, and for this
purpose the chain-gang, composed of convicted
criminals, chained in pairs by the waist and by one
leg, is actively at work under the control of an
armed guard.

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28 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 29

I have returned this evening from a most in
teresting sailing expedition down the bay of Ma
tanzas and up the Canimar River. The water of
the bay is of a bright blue color, such as we see in
Italian marine pictures, excepting in the shoaler
places, where an emerald green blends beautifully
with it. A stiff breeze was blowing, and the
mouth of the river was soon reached, passing a
little fort mounting two guns, located at the en
trance of the channel, and formerly used to keep
slave-traders from harboring there. The river is
narrow but deep, and its scenery is of the most
rugged and romantic character. Its rocky sides
are higher, and more broken and precipitous than
those of the Wissahickon, and are clad with the
gorgeous and enormous tropical vegetation. The
tall royal palms majestically top off the rocky
crests, and smaller varieties of the palm, and the
fan-leaved palmettos, spring forth wherever they
can get a lodgment for their roots in the rocks.
A remarkable and beautiful effect is produced
by the orchids, and other varieties of air plants
which are conspicuous on every large tree. Some

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trees are conspicuous only by the orchids which
fasten on them at every bifurcation of branches,
and large, entirely dead trees are in appearance
resurrected to vernal life by the enormous growth
of these parasites. The night-blooming cereus is
ever in sight, and the maguey or century plant is
now in its gorgeous bloom of reddish-yellow, at
the top of stems sometimes twenty feet high,
with masses of flowers, one to two feet or more in
diameter. The rugged rocky cliffs which border the
stream arc evidently upheavals of coral and shell
formations, and are even at their tops composed.
of marine fossils. They have an eroded or water-
worn appearance, and large caverns exist in
them, which in their dark recesses have for ages
been the homes of vast numbers of bats. The
floors of these caves are deeply covered with a
guano-like material, deposited by the bats, and in
one locality it was attempted to make a commer
cial article of it, but it is said without success.
I saw no evidence of stratification of the rocks,
excepting at the mouth of the river.
3*

30 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
Tracts of bamboo on small, low, or level places,
and many plants of exuberant tropical growth,
but unknown to me. varied 'the vegetation on the
banks. The only birds I saw were pelicans and
herons, and some varieties of small birds with
brilliant yellow and black plumage. An interest
ing visit was made to a country store, at a rope
ferry across the river, where the people, Sunday
as it was, were gathered for purchases, and for
drinking spirits. The store was filled with the
varied commodities required by this peculiar com
munity, and among those in demand, was what I
.at flrst thought to be sole-leather, but it proved to
be meat, salted and dried in the sun, called jerked
beef, and which is the only form that meat
usually reaches the laborers. On returning at
night a chilling north wind was blowing, and,
weary with the day's excitement and exertion,
with appetites sharpened, we returned to our—
garlic, and found as much repose as could be
obtained on our drum-head couches.
Tuesday, March 5^—Last evening we visited
socially by invitation the residence of a friend, and

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DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 31
had the pleasure of meeting a gathering of Cuban
ladies and gentlemen, some of whom could speak
our language. The residence is a fair specimen
of the general style of dwellings of the refined
classes, of one story, the roof being high but
flat, and covered with tiles. The windows reach

CUBAN DOOR.
almost from the floor to the ceiling, and have the
invariable jail-like iron grating instead of glazed
sashes. The front door is as heavy and strong as
that of a prison, and is ornamented with heavy

32 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
metallic castings, and has great locks and bolts.
The family carriage is driven through this door,
and when not in use, remains in the hall, within
observation from the principal rooms.
The rocking-chair is a feature in the Cuban
parlor, and the other chairs are formed for louno--
ing and repose. Rooking-chairs are arranged
facing each other in rows, and the company sit
in these formal lines, but in quite social prox
imity. Refreshments in the form of chocolate, coffee,
and cakes, were served during the evening, and
were agreeable.
The remarkable subterranean caves of Bellamar
are in the neighborhood of Matanzas, and were
the subject of an interesting visit this morning.
Volantes were ordered, and we went off at a dash
ing pace along the side of the bay, the blue and
emerald waters glittering in the morning sun ;
and when we arose to some elevation, overlooking
the water, the transparency was apparent, show
ing the white, shelly bottom at considerable
depth. On this ride was first demonstrated to

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DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 33
me the real and essential merits of the volante,
with its enormous wheels and Jong springing
shafts. The road was rocky, with deep ruts and
steep hills, yet the vehicle, with its two horses,
one in the shafts and another in traces, mounted
by the driver, went springing and swaying along
over obstructions that would have wrecked an
ordinary carriage.
The entrance of the cave is a perpendicular
opening on level but elevated ground, overlooking
the bay and ocean. On alighting from the vo
lante, one of the drivers climbed a cocoanut-palm
tree, and threw down some of the nuts, from
which we were refreshed by cool draughts of the
water contained in them. A portion of the green
covering of the nut is cut off, and a pint or
more of water, with the peculiar flavor of the
nut, is a ready and agreeabje drink.
Before entering the cave, it was essential to
remove superfluous clothing, as the air within is
very warm and damp. Descending a flight of
steps, a hall of splendor was seen, of pure
whiteness, overhung with drooping stalactites,

34

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

all glittering, their crystalline surfaces reflect
ing the light from two wax candles, which we
followed through the intricate and dark pas-.
sages. The interior varied from narrow aud low-
roofed paths to lofty chambers,- everywhere lined
with dazzling white crystals in gothic arches,
arborescent hangings, and other fantastic forms.
Some pools of clear water, and deep, danger
ous-looking chasms were seen. We wandered
through this labyrinth for a mile and a half, and
then turned on a backward course along other
avenues of interest and beauty. The sight of a
glimmer of daylight was welcome when the wan
dering was near its end, and, with red faces and
dripping with perspiration, we enjoyed again the
fresh air on emerging from the cave. On our
way, some fair specimens of the crystalline and
stalactite formation were picked up, to be re
tained as mementoes of this wonder of nature,
which is said to exceed in beauty all other caves
in the worid.
This evening we are packing up for an early
start for the interior of the island to visit, by

V
fr

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

35

special invitation, the sugar plantation of Santa
Barbara, located about sixty miles distant. In
leaving the Hotel Leon de Oro, it will be with a
knowledge that, notwithstanding its discomforts
and oddities to us, it is commended as one of
the best in the country. With its marble floors,
open and airy halls, courteous attendants, aud the
liberality of its table, we have been pleased ; while
we have also been pleased to laugh ever its quaint
and disorderly accumulation of old furniture, like
the contents of an antique garret ; the curious
and out-of-place position of everything useful and
useless ; and, while indulging deeply hi the many
really good and novel dishes before us, have
taken the privilege of turning up our noses at its
compounds of garlic and oil. Its total absence of
the female sex for attendants — not a woman
being seen in the house — and the substitution
of Chinese masculines for cooks, waiters, washer
women, and for the ordinary duties of a chamber
maid, seems very funny, especially so when they
carry coffee at early morning to the ladies, still
in dishabille, or shrinking under the sheets. Of

¦i

36 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
its lively little parasites, in the form of fleas, I
will find no fault until time allows me to know
whether it be, as is reported, that the insect
is ubiquitous in the island. However, of its
enormous cockroaches, I have one word to say ;
they are of the most aristocratic kind — at least,
they are big bugs 1
In leaving Matanzas, it will be with the recog
nition of our indebtedness to the good people
who, though we were strangers, met us with out
stretched arms, led us to their homes, and made
us gratefully to know that the tradition of Cuban
hospitality is not a- myth, but a reality which
must leave its impress so long as memory shall
last. - ; - ¦-¦ "> ¦:¦ ' i
Wednesday, March 6th  With delightful an
ticipations of visiting a sugar plantation, in the
early morning we saw, from our balcony win
dows, the volantes ready, and were speedily
whirled away to the station ofthe railroad, which
leads in a southeasterly direction to the interior
of the island. In the first-class car we found but
few passengers, and before the end of the journey

1 i ¦¦
V'"
fe

i .-

*»fc

»

A

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 37
was reached, our party were its sole occupants ;
but the second and third classes were well filled.'
The three grades of cars did not seem to dift'er
materially in the style of accommodations ; all
that I noticed was that the first class have cane
seats and backs, whilst those of the inferior rate
were simply wooden; yet the general difference
of caste of the three classes of travelers was
apparent. Whenever the train was about to start from a
station, a Chinese attendant walked along the
platform jingling a hand-bell — for bells seem in
deed in favor in'this country — and soon off' went
the train without anything like our familiar, "All
right! " or, " Go ahead I "
The morning was bright and pleasant, and the
air invigorating; but our fellow-travellers did not
seem to so appreciate it, for our windows were the
only ones opened ; and there they sat, whilst the
smoke of the omnipresent cigar gathered densely
around them. At every station a couple of sol
diers, in blue linen with red trimmings, entered
the train and walked through in a scrutinizing

¦-:4 i

38

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

manner. At these stopping-places were stands
for selling refreshments to travelers, such as
cakes, guava jelly, cheese, and fruit; but the
ones most patronized were those which dealt out
the usual alcoholic beverage — a kind of rum
made from the sugar-cane.
As the interior of the country was reached, the
resemblance of the level ground to our western
prairies impressed me. The soil is deep and rich,
generally of a red-chalk color, but sometimes
almost black, and the profusion of tropical vege
tation increased as the journey proceeded.
In the midst of a region of sugar plantations,
indicated in the distance by the towering chim
neys of the sugar mills, we were set down from
the train, and found a volante and saddle horses
kindly sent for us from the plantation of Santa
Barbara. As I sit down now to write at this tropical
Eden, with bloom and fruit and the sweet har
vest of the cane around ; with the glowing sun
dipping behind tho distant palm trees and cast
ing their long shadows on the heated earth, I

¦ j
fe -;

*

¦> i

1

DIAHY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 39
can well understand the enthusiasm which Co
lumbus, the great discoverer- of the Island, felt

COUNTRY GARDEN.

when, addressing his sovereign, he wrote: "This
is the most beautiful land eyes ever beheld."

40 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 41

Friday, March 8th — A Cuban bed is conducive
to early rising. By the time your angularities
give you the sensation of lying on a gridiron,
turning hopelessly over and over again to find a
soft spot; when your ears ache from compression
on the hard pillows, and you are tired of amusing
yourself by drumming a tattoo with your fingers
on the tense sacking-bottom, then a streak of day
light in the dappled east is welcome.
The Cuban habit of taking coffee on rising, with
or before the sun, and then starting oft' for the
morning ride, returning for a late breakfast, is an
agreeable practice in this region, where exposure
to the mid-day sun is oppressive. The horses
were ready saddled at the door this morning as
we sipped our coffee, just as the stars grew pale
and the mist lightened up to the eastward. The
heavy dew matted down the grass, and the long-
leaves of the sugar cane drooped and dripped
with excess of moisture.
Our way led by the endless cane fields, through
groves of palms, and brushed through the broad-
leaved patches of bananas, until a stream of water

>*

rVfe

fe
f:S\

was reached, in which some beautiful wood-ducks
paddled away into the seclusion of a thicket over
hanging the bank. Along the edge of the forest,
too dense to penetrate, the singing birds, always
most musical at early hours, mingled their, to my
ears, unfamiliar notes.
I plucked some sour wild oranges, for they
looked too pretty to pass by as they shone in
bright yellow contrast to the deep green leaves,
and were plentiful within reach as we rode under
the trees. As soon as the sun gets a little eleva
tion, with the aid of the strong winds that arise
with it, the dew is gone, and before we reached
home, at the late breakfast hour, the pathway
was already dusty.
Sunday, March 10th. — An early ride yesterday
morning, gave a view of some of the agricultural
processes of the plantation, for this season is an
active period of the sugar-cane harvest. At this
early hour the laden ox-carts were returning
from the field, for the laborers had been at
work, as is the practice, since daylight, and the
4*

42 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
rude monotonous song of the cane gatherers
could be heard from a distance.
Before neariug the field, the polished cutting-
blades could be seen flashing in the morning sun.

SUGAR-CANE.

The cane cutters were in long line, each armed
with a broad sword-like blade, wide and square at
the end, and about two feet in length. Each

-i

n

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 45
stalk of cane is seized in the hand and cut sepa
rately, one swing of the knife cutting off the
spreading leafy top, and another cut severing the
cane near to the ground. As the stalks are cut,
they are thrown into rows to be picked up by the
gatherers with the ox-carts, the green tops being
left on the field to be eaten by the cattle. The
troop of laborers was made up of negroes, a few
of whom were women, and of some Chinese, or
coolies, as they are called. ,
It seemed as if some mechanical substitute
might be made to relieve all this hand labor of
such large forces of workers, and do it much
more rapidly aud cheaply, such as a large reap
ing machine. But the difficulty is, perhaps, in
the necessity for each stalk to be cut at least
twice, above and below ; and also in some meas
ure to the. confused manner in which the canes
are massed together, some erect, others inclined
or entirely fallen.
The carts, with their shouting drivers and
three or four yokes of oxen, follow, and the cane
is piled into them, each holding two or three

46 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
tons ; and when filled, they slowly move off
towards the crushing mill.
The oxen of these teams are smaller and more
tractable and intelligent, or under better train
ing, than the oxen used in the North, being
obedient when each is separately called by name,
and some ofthe teams are under remarkable con
trol by the voices of their drivers.
The drivers keep up a continued calling or
Ordering the animals, in a tone that is not un
musical, and I have been amused at the names of
the oxen, given to them by the negroes. Some of
the names which I heard this morning, when
translated, were, " Diamond," " Good Friend,"
" Dove," " Grain of Gold," " Poison," " Pretty,"
" Sailor," and " Runaway."
The laborers are directed in their field work by
an officer called the mayoral, who is the same in
authority as the slave driver of former times on
the plantations of our Southern States. He is an
ordinary sort of fellow, who merely knows the
work before him, and is mounted on a horse or
mule, and carries a sword and a large whip. The

T

V V

J.

DIARY OF A SPRINQ HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

49

use of the lash is forbidden by law, yet it is said
to be often used; but I have not seen any in
stance of it on this plantation. It is, however,
probable that the whip will of necessity be more
or less used so long as slavery exists, as compul
sion and the fear of punishment must be, in such
hopeless servitude, the only incentives to work.
The punishment ordinarily resorted to, usually
for criminal conduct, is confinement in the stocks
and the wearing of chains. These forms of pun
ishment simply detain or inconvenience the of
fender without inflicting pain.
The breakfast for the laborers was brought to
the field about eight o'clock, and consisted of
boiled jerked beef and boiled sweet potatoes, in
a large wooden box or trough. Folding some
cane leaves into a sort of basin, each laborer
supplied himself liberally with the food, and sit
ting in the shade of the uncut cane, ate large
quantities. This diet is varied at other meals with
the plantain and rice, with sugar and water for a
drink; and at all moments of idleness the negroes
are seen gnawing and sucking the sugar-cane.

50 DIARY of a SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 51

It is said that during the sugar-making season,
notwithstanding the hard work, the laborers and
working animals all become fat, due to the con
sumption of sugar or the cane. I have seen
horses and dogs eat sugar, hogs and chickens
fatten on the refuse of the mills, and flocks of
birds feed on it where it is exposed in the sun
and air to dry.
In case of heavy rains, particularly during the
wet season, the laborers are protected by large
sheds mounted on wheels, which are moved from
place to place, and into which they gather until
the heavy rain-fall is over.
Last evening was the occasion of great excite
ment on this plantation and the vicinity. On re
turning homeward, from our evening ride, there
was a bright light in the horizon in front of us,
but it did not attract much attention until it sud
denly flared up, when, spurring our horses, it was
soon seen that a cane-field was blazing and the
fire rapidly extending.
This burning of cane-fields is the dread of the
planter, and often the cause of great loss. On

i

this plantation of Santa Barbara a fire once de
stroyed an amount of cane equivalent to two
thousand boxes of sugar ; and the blaze of cane-
fields has extended over a continuous track of
twenty miles, consuming property worth millions
of dollars.
For the purpose of detecting fire in its in-
cipiency, a watchman is, during the daytime,
stationed in the cupola of the sugar-mill to strike
an alarm.
Fire is most dreaded during the high winds
that prevail from nine in the morning until five
in the afternoon ; the rest of the twenty-four
hours being usually calm.
When we reached the cane-field the whole force
of negroes and coolies was at work, some cutting
a road through the field of cane at a distance
in advance of the fire, so as to leave a space
over which the fire could not advance, and others
beating out newly ignited spots where sparks or
coals were carried by the wind.
The heat was intense, and the stalks of green

^>

52 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
cane, as they burst from expansion, kept up a
sound like the rattle of distant musketry.
Fortunately the evening was of the usual calm
ness, and the vacated space where the cane had
been cut and carried away before the fire, ended
its progress.
Tuesday, March 12(h.— My morning and even
ing rides always present some new object of in
terest; indeed the whole pathway is among beau
ties and novelties which create admiration and
surprise. My recent transition from a climate of
winter makes these impressions the more strik
ing. The profuse bloom of tropical flowers, the
most of which are to me unknown exotics, is
always attractive ; but there are among them
some old familiar ones, such as the convolvulus
with its blue and white or purple flowers, which
are ever in sight, covering the hedges by the
roadsides. Many flowers are large and gaudy in color,
among which the American aloe is very conspicu
ous, as long hedges are frequently formed of it,
and the flower-stalks often reach to a height of

V"

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 53
twenty-five feet. Hedges are used for the parti
tion of fields and to edge the roads, and many
beautiful flowers peer out through the dense en
tanglement of the thicket.
The hedge is usually formed of a plant called
the pvha raton, which has long sword-like leaves
edged with the sharpest points, and as it grows
with rapidity and density, an impenetrable bar
rier is formed. The leaves are usually of a
bright green color, but are curiously and beauti-.
fully varied, and some are a brilliant red.
Nothing in the way of vegetation has inter
ested me as much as the parasites, which spread
themselves over larger growths until they are
completely enveloped. Some of these parasites
become far larger than the object on which they
at first effect a lodgment. The most remarkable
to me is one which commences its growth up in
the branches of a large tree and spreads itself;
some of its offshoots descend and take root in
the ground, and the tree is so entwined and en
closed by the parasite that it dies in the fatal
embrace. Dead trees thus enclosed are abun-
6*

54 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 55

dantly seen in the forests ; and where a large
tree has in this death-grasp been long dead it
may be decayed, and in time disappears, so that
sometimes this enormous growth of what was
once a mere parasite, now stands up alone with
the size, form, and firmness of the original tree.
I occasionally see dead trees covered with para
sitic growths whose life is being again sapped
out by other vegetation upon them : " Thus death
takes the glow and hue of life, and life the gaunt
and ghastly form of death."
The density of these tropical forests is ex
treme, entangled as they are by intricate vines
hanging from aloft in festoons, and interwoven
with the drooping mosses, lichens, and small
undergrowth. In such places they can only be
penetrated, as is the custom, by cutting a way
with the short sword that is usually carried. In
the depth of these woods there is, on a calm day,
a grandeur and intense silence that produces a
feeling of awe.
Among the hanging vines of the forest is one
called the water vine, which has a curious utility.

fe.

ii

When a piece of it is cut off, pure water flows
rapidly in a stream from its porous wood, suffi
cient for the thirsty traveler, and I have several
times had a cool and refreshing draught from a
section of the vine. Some kinds of vines are
long, smooth, and have a rope-like tenacity, and
are used by the country people for tying fences
and for bindings about their rudely constructed
houses. I have seen no animals in these forests except
birds, snakes, and lizards; but an animal nearly
the size of a rabbit, called the jutia, or wood rat,
is abundant, and deer exist in some localities.
Lizards vary in form, and are often beautifully
colored. Snakes in this locality are not venom
ous, but some kinds, as the boa constrictor, are
large. I have preserved the skin of one which
living measured fifteen feet.
Thursday, March 14th. — This day has been
one of great enjoyment, as it has been spent in a
romantic picnic gathering of our social party in
the woods.
After our cup of coffee at six in the morning,

56 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
aud while the air was still fresh and cool, the fo
liage glittering with dew, a row of saddled horses
and a volante were ready at the door. A mule
cart with servants and provisions had preceded
to make preparation for our breakfast at the en-
camping-ground. The rising smoke from the fire, and when
nearer, the savory aroma of roasted meat, led to
an open grove by the side of a stream of water.
A whole pig was revolving and roasting over a
fire of glowing coals, and was being attentively
basted with orange-juice. The party amused
themselves by wandering about, or by fishing in
the stream, the ready fishing-poles being cut from
bamboo growing on the bank, and with my gun I
added a little to vary the fare with some game
birds. On returning to the grounds for breakfast, we
found that a hungry party, sitting in silence aloft
in the trees, had anticipated us. Flocks of tur
key-buzzards had been seen, soaring high in the
air, and were now in quiet dignity settled, like a
coroner's jury at an inquest, over our roasting

l

i;

J1;'

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 57
pig. They were harmless, and only aided in
making the scene more picturesque.
A tablecloth was spread on the ground, and
the breakfast was enjoyed as such fare, in the
open air with its novel surroundings, always is.
A part of the bill of fare was to have been
turtle soup, but this item was missing, as our
only receipt for making the soup commenced
with "first catch your turtle;" and this trifling-
preliminary was, after some efforts, decided to be
a failure. Some roamed while others dozed, the horses
browsing on piles of sugar-cane tops cut for
them, until the hour for departing homeward,
when we left the spoils to a party of waiters
dressed in black — the buzzards.
Their verdict, in these troublous times, will be
an agreement that they, like other hungry Span
ish officials, who are birds of a feather, will send
in their bills, with clause added to report a casus
belli; which, where the pig was eviscerated, will
be au intestine war.
Saturday, March 16th — So much life in the

58 DIARY OF- A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
open air, late and early, from the first glimmer of
dawn until the stars shine out aud the glow
worm marks the pathway, gives me a full appre
ciation of this delightful climate. This is the
latter part of the dry season, for the word winter
is here unknown ; but I anticipated that the dry
season would show a general desiccation and
withering, and am now surprised at the prevalent
verdure. Occasional showers have fallen through
out the season, and the country is of the bright
greenness of our " leafy month of June."
Some few trees, it is true, are bare of foliage,
and others merely budding forth; for even here,
" Leaves have their times to fall, and flowers to
wither," but not at the " north wind's breath."
The air is clear and pure, without much vari
ation in temperature or moisture. The extremes
now are from seventy to ninety degrees, and the
average temperature of the island for the entire
year is eighty degrees. The sun's rays are hot
for exposure from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.; before
and after those hours riding and walking are
agreeable.

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 59
All visiting, riding, and amusements out-of-
doors are done in avoidance of the mid-day sun,
yet the sunshine is quite tolerable to me, on ac
count of the strong wind that almost invariably
arises by nine or ten in the morning, and blows
until four or five in the afternoon. I have not
yet experienced a day that could be called sultry.
The nights are calm and sufficiently cool for
sleeping under blanket coverings.
The sky is clear and blue from sunrise until
sunset, varied by white fleecy clouds, and the
only rain, up to this date of my visit, has been
an afternoon shower of an hour's duration.
The sunrises and sunsets are beautiful on ac
count of the clearness of the atmosphere. At
daylight there is a low mist on the ground, but .
as soon as the horizontal rays of the sun gleam
over the tops of the distant palm-trees on the
plain, it vanishes, and glowing sunlight reio-ns
until the palms on the western horizon again
cast forth their long shadows. The sun goes
down red, and the clouds about are aglow with
crimson and purple, but soon all is sombre even-

60 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
ing, for there can hardly be said to be a period
of twilight. The transition from day to night is
vapid, and light drops into darkness as the cur
tain falls at the end of a performance, and an
economical manager puts out the lights. The
poetical hour of twilight, when " Fades the
glimmering landscape on the sight,1' is lost in
the intense tropical realities of sunshine and
darkness. Thus, when riding at a distance from
home, late in the day, I have been surprised by
being quickly overtaken by the darkness.
The only marked change of temperature is
during the dry season, when the wind blows from
the north, which is not frequent or of long du
ration, but the air may then be chilly at night and
early in the morning. This chilliness must at
times, during the winter months, be uncomfort
ably felt by the people, as they universally wear
linen clothing, and the beds, so-called, on which
they sleep, cannot give warmth. It is not that
the temperature actually falls so low, but the en
tire absence of all means of protection from cool
ness and dampness may produce discomfort, as

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Y

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 61
the houses are everywhere built to be cool and
airy, offering only shelter from sun and rain.
The houses throughout the rural localities are of
but one story, with tiled roofs, aud usually floors
of stone or tiles.
The doors and windows open almost from floor
to ceiling. Windows are guarded only by iron
bars and heavy inside shutters, without any glass
sashes, and of course a chimney, or other arrange
ment for artificial warmth, is unknown in the
island. Thus it will be seen that the houses offer
no protection from a chilly atmosphere, and it is
certainly true that such protection is very rarely
needed ; but I am prepared to advise every friend
who may be inclined to run away from winter,
and to experience this delightful climate, to bring
with him an overcoat for emergencies, and if he
should travel much through the beautiful inte
rior, it would be well to be provided with his own
blanket, as he will find such articles scarce among
the country people.
The houses of the smaller farmers and the
country people generally, even among some who
6

62 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
are said to be wealthy, are of a character which
we in the North would consider most wretched.
But the wretchedness pertains to outward cir
cumstances which do not exist in this tropical
climate, where merely protection from sun aud
rain is desired. These houses are constructed
of thin strips of the palm-tree or bamboo, with
sometimes a fibrous material from the cocoanut
tree packed in between them. The roof is
thatched with palm leaves, and the floor merely
the bare ground, and that is worn into a rough,
uneven condition. There may be partitions
dividing the space into several rooms, which
seem usually dark on account of closure of the
window-shutter, if there be one. A few rough
chairs and a table constitute the furniture,
which with some enormous and ornamented sad
dles, some ox-yokes, and a piece of jerked beef,
with small sheafs of unhulled rice, or bunches of
herbs hanging from the rafters, make up the
household property.
I rode this morning through a country beyond
the sugar plantations, among the poorer orders of

fe

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

63

country people, who live in this style of bouses.
They are an humble class, of marked peculiarities ;
but their manners and courteous deportment in
general are their best features. Their dress is
primitive, being merely a linen shirt worn outside
the pantaloons, which are of the same material,
and a pair of low shoes or slippers on bare feet.
They continually wear swords, either long or
short, often ornamented with silver, and ride with
large rattling spurs. It is impossible to be among
them without being impressed with their kind
ness, and, even among the humblest, with a little
' polish of manner.
Monday, March 18th. — I have been wandering-
to-day in some new directions, leaving the broad
plateau of the cane-fields, following streams of
water or the winding edges of the forest, and oc
casionally dismounting to penetrate the deep
shades and observe tropical nature in its seclu
sion and wildness.
It is interesting to see the peculiarities and the
exuberance of growth of trees and vines, but par
ticularly the varieties ofthe parasites on trees, and

J

64 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
those particularly which we would call air-plants.
There is great variety in the forest trees, the
largest being the ceiba, some specimens of which
are the greatest trees, both in height and size of
trunk, that I have ever seen. There are trees
which have the semblance of our larches, but the
forest is almost made up of unfamiliar foliage.
The great tropical characteristic among trees
is the royal palm, for it is the most conspicuous
and most abundant of all. It is never out of
sight, being spared in the clearing of forests ; is
cultivated in groves, and in long lines to form
ornamental avenues ; its branching top surmounts
and waves over the smaller trees of the forest,
and the horizon almost everywhere is a crest of
palms. The tree has great utility; the outside
hard incasement of the loose fibrous trunk is
used as boards in building houses, and the
branches serve for thatching. Near to the top of
the tree, where the branches start out, is a mate
rial that is eaten on the table as a vegetable. It
is a delicate and pure white substance, and I can
attest its agreeableness as an article of diet, either

4

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DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 65
boiled or raw. The palm has a long straight and
bare trunk, reaching directly upward for even
sixty or eighty feet. It has a smooth and clean
grayish-white appearance, as if it had received a
coat of whitewash, and my first sight of it, in the
vicinity of dwellings, gave me the impression that
such was the case.
Another tree of prominence and beauty is the
cocoanut. It grows everywhere throughout the
island, and is of utility for its fruit, as a beautiful
shade tree, and for a peculiar mat-like texture
which incases it, and which has various mechan
ical applications.
Nothing that grows has, to my view, such an
air of tropical luxuriance as the banana plant,
in its different varieties, having immense graceful
leaves of a bright-green color, and it is of rapid
growth. A large and coarse variety of the fruit
takes the place of bread for almost the entire popu
lation, eaten boiled or roasted; and a smaller and
more delicate kind is a most luscious fruit. The
kind which serves as the ordinary food of the
laboring masses is cultivated in large fields, which
fi*

66 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 67

produce extensively with but little culture. A
field of the banana plants, with the heavy pendant
bunches of the fruit, is the best display of profu
sion in tropical production.
The wild orange and lemon trees, now laden
with fruit, are beautiful objects as the fruit shines
among the dark-green leaves ; but the oranges
are too sour to be agreeable.
Guava trees arc abundant, and the fruit is now
ripe and ready for making the popular jelly and
marmalade. The fruit is sweet and has a rich but
not very attractive flavor, and a surfeit of them
can soon be attained. I gathered to-day ripe
tamarinds, riding under the now leafless trees.
An esculent, which is very productive, and
. forms a considerable portion of the laborer's
diet, is the sweet potato. It is reputed to be
better than the sweet potato in the North, but it
is, in my opinion, not near so good, being more
insipid, heavy, and solid.
The great deficiency in diet for the masses of
the people is in regard to fresh meat, its place
being poorly supplied by the salted and dried

:"*-

article. Cattle look pretty well in the fields, and
there seems to be abundant provender for them.
Sheep do not thrive so well; they are thin, and
their wool is very scant and coarse.
The animal wliich seems the most degenerate
under climatic or other influences, whatever they
may be, is the hog. A Chester County farmer
would not recognize in them the animal which he
has bred up to such perfection. They have long
legs and longer snouts, and are singularly flat
and thin. Taking a front and rear look at them,
they are" so narrow as to be almost invisible, but
on broadside view, they make a wonderful slab-
sided display. They must be specially con
structed to work their way through the thick
undergrowth in the woods. They are black, and
almost minus bristles. I first saw some of them
in the forest, and thought at a distance that they
were wild goats; but the familiar grunt saved the
life of at least one of them, and avoided another
buzzard inquest.
Nevertheless I can attest that the)' make good

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68 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
meat with a somewhat gamy flavor ; and they cer
tainly look more like game than gammon.
I had supposed that in this region of endless
summer the grazing animals would be harassed
by insect annoyances, but it seems not at any
seasons to be so much the case as in the North.
During my observation not a fly has been seen
on horses or oxen, aud even the ordinary domes
tic fly seems to be scarce. When I first noticed
the practice of plaiting horses' tails and tying
the end to the saddle or girth on one side, it
seemed to be a cruelty to restrain the animal
from the use of his natural fly-brush, but it is
apparently not needed.
I do not notice at this season many insects of
any kinds, excepting some varieties of ants, and
the evidence of their work, constructive and de
structive, is prodigious. The whole country is
marked with prominent tumuli which are ant
hills. The height of some of these pyramids I
have estimated at ten feet. Another kind of ant
inhabits a nest which is a large mass, from two to
three feet in diameter, fastened on trees, and it

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 69
is often very destructive when it secures a lodg
ment in the woodwork of houses, reducing the
strong framework to a crumbling mass.
Wednesday, March 20th — I have returned from.
a long ride, and am impressed with the merits of
the Cuban horse. He is a pony-built horse, of

— . — s'
CUBAN HOUSE.

good form and capable of long journeys with
endurance, but his great merit is his gait as
a saddle-horse. The movement is a rack, all
horses used under the saddle being trained to
it, and long journeys can be accomplished with
out fatigue to the rider. The saddles are large
and cumbersome, well suited for novices in riding
to keep their position by the hollowness of the
seat arid by holding on with their hands, but

4>
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70 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
they seem awkward and inconvenient to expe
rienced riders.
There is some attention given to the stock
and training of these horses, and, among the
better class of people, they are objects of pride
aud are well cared, for, but I have seen the
saddest abuse of them among a low class of
people in the cities.
When this island, so blessed by nature and
so oppressed by misrule, shall become linked
with our own country, one of the first humane
enactments should be for the prevention of
cruelty to animals. Every traveler here will be
impressed with the great disproportion of the
size and strength of the animal to the amount
of labor required. The horses are mere ponies
in form, but are spurred and beaten to excessive
struggles to move their burdens. They are thin
and jaded, scarred and haggard-looking, and
although naturally of great spirit, their heads
droop to their knees as soon as the burden is re
moved and the lash ceases its work. In the city
of Havana it is wonderful what these poor beasts

*v

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 71
can be made to struggle through under the stim
ulus of the spur and lash. The spur used is
capable of penetrating the flesh, and the heavy
clubbed handle of the whip is the favorite end for
use. And after such a toilworn existence is near
its end, the horse may be sold for a few dollars,
to be ridden blindfolded and under goading spurs
into the bull-ring to be gored to death ; for with
only such horses is the wretched bull-fight sup
plied. Such is the style of horse and the character of
his treatment among the lower classes of the
people in Cuban cities; and other animals, as the
ox, are liable to similar abuse. I have often seen
the yoked ox urged forward by one person pulling
on a rope attached to a ring through his nose,
while another goaded him in the flanks with a
pole tipped at one end with a sharp iron point.
We have a new sensation on this plantation in
the arrival of a lot of Chinese laborers, called
coolies, just from the vessel, after a voyage of
nearly five months. They came to labor under
contract for eight years, receiving, beyond their

72 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
living, the remarkably low wages of four dollars
a montb. They look remarkably neat, in dress of Chi
nese style, with hair in a long plaited tail. They
have rather dull, submissive faces, and their
smiles are, as is reputed, " childlike and bland."
They are rather slightly formed, and, with their
small hands and feet, with long finger-nails, I
have been wondering what kind of occupation
they have been accustomed to at home. It will
take some time to inure them to the hard labor
they are destined for.
Some of them are weak and sick, due probably
to scurvy produced by the privations of their
long voyage; but they seem happy, and are
greeted by a number of their countrymen who
have served for some years on this place.
Their condition here will be, while under con
tract, but little better than that of the negro
slaves with whom they will labor and associate,
and they will be subject to the same compulsions
and punishments of the lash or stocks, at the
mercy of their employers.

Pi h '.

\

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 73
Every plantation has a number of coolie labor
ers, and the importation of them will probably
increase with the demand for them. They will
take the place of the negro, whose condition of
slavery, will soon be over, as by government en
actment of a few years ago all are born free, and
it is the experience here that the freed negro will
not labor. I have visited the great plantations,
such as Santa Rita, with its nine hundred laborers,
and Flor de Cuba, Tinguaro, and others, and have
seen large numbers of these coolies. They are
preferred for all kinds of skilled labor, but do not
bear field work in the hot sun so well as the negro.
I saw, while riding through this cane country
this morning, a party hunting a runaway slave.
They were mounted, armed with swords and
guns, and had with them the traditional Cuban
bloodhounds, tied with long cords to their saddles.
Instances of slaves running away, occasionally
occur, and it is remarkable that they are not
more frequent, considering the fact that the run
away can so easily find concealment, and sustain
himself on the wild products of the country.

74 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
Sunday, March 24ih — Yesterday morning we
started early with a volante and saddle-horses for
a visit to the fine plantation of Tinguaro. The
morning was bright, as every morning is, and the
air cool as it ever is before the sun's rays get
much elevated above the horizon. After a few
miles ride through the country of red soil, rais
ing clouds of dust, a great change was experi
enced in reaching a region of the black land, and
the marked difference in the soil characteristics
was disagreeably manifest. The transition to
the black land was rapid, and instead of its being
dry and dusty, the mere surface was somewhat
dried, and the depth a stiff plastic kind of mud,
the roads having deep ruts through which only
teams of three yokes of oxen could drag the loads,
and the volante had to seek ways which avoided
the traveled roads. Yet no rain had fallen for
some weeks, the soil retaining moisture so as to
form a sticky mud, which is long in drying, and
is a great impediment to the operations of the
planter. The dark soil is, however, more produc-

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F^fe

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

75

a .

tive than the red, which is more liable to suffer
from drought, but is more readily tilled.
The productive qualities of both soils for some
plants is wonderful. I have been informed that
there are instances of successive crops of sugar
cane having been taken from fields uninterrupt
edly through a period of forty years, and without
the application of manure. Such cropping for
fifteen or twenty years is usual.
After reaching Tinguaro, aud accepting the in
variable hospitality of the planter, the beautiful
plantation of Flor de Cuba, with its fine porti-
coed mansion and gorgeous tropical garden, was
visited, and gave us great pleasure, and then I
took my departure for a tour along the south
coast of the island.
The railway travel to Cienfuegos was a hot
and dusty ride through a country of no particular
attractions. It was varied, but in an uninterest
ing way, by crossing some desert savannas, pro
ducing little more vegetation than the palmetto,
which flourishes ou the poorest soil. Over these
dry and parched soils the air seemed like the

76 DIAUY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
sirocco of an African desert, aud water, at least
for drinking purposes, was as scant as there; but
rum could be had, and was in demand, at every
station. As we passed through some regions the grass
and undergrowth were on fire, and heat and
smoke were added to the already stifling air. The
breeze died out as the afternoon passed, the pal
mettos did not shake a leaf, and my fellow-travel
ers smoked and dozed, and dozed and smoked
again. Some fruit-sellers came up to the' train,
and the fresh and juicy oranges were refreshing.
I noticed at a station that some of the railroad
timber was mahogany, a useful application of that
usually only ornamental wood. I felt a home
like sympathy with the engine, bearing the name
of a Philadelphia maker, and with a sharp-vis-
aged, restless-looking Yankee who managed it.
Some fine plantations were passed, but most of
the regions seemed sparsely occupied by people
living in small houses built of bamboo, plastered
with mud, and with roofs thatched with palm
leaves.

fe

fe

i

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 77
The misty hills and the blue waters of the bay
of Cienfuegos came in sight as the sun went
down, and I breathed the warm soft air from the
south coast sea.
In the " Hotel La Union " I found rest in the
heavily walled rooms, closed during mid-day from
the burning sun, and open from floor to ceiling at
night. The hotel is the neatest I have seen on the
island, and the fare less outre to my taste. There
is an air of stiffness about the place, caused by
the extraordinary use of starch ; for I sit down
to a starched table-cloth which crackles on ap
proaching the table ; crawl into starched and rust
ling sheets on the beds ;— even the napkins and ¦
towels are rigid, and I am informed that the laun
dress always starches the pocket-handkerchiefs.
'I went this morning to the Plaza, being at
tracted in that direction by the bell of the old
cathedral, and saw the faithful going into the
church. The old bell tolled sonorously and sol
emnly, but soon a very small bell in the same
belfry joined in, and made a most discordant
clatter. 7*

78 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 79

In the street in front and. at the door of the
cathedral were rows of music-stands, and a mil
itary band came up, and played some beautiful
operatic selections, and I sat on the steps, enjoy
ing at least this part of the religious ceremonies.
After this was over the band entered the church,
and I sat observing with curious interest the
varied styles, ranks, castes, and colors of people
as they arrived. The ladies came with bare
heads, or were covered with veils, and many
were followed by servants who Carried chairs
for them to sit on, and also handsome rugs to
kneel on.
The day is Palm Sunday, and some unusual
performances, including an abundant display and
distribution of palm branches are in order ; but
besides the religious display the day has not the
' air of a -Sabbath, for business goes on as usual,
and some laborers are engaged in repairing the
street, even in front of the church.
Within the church the congregation were gen
erally standing or kneeling, and I walked around
looking at the paintings and the stained glass of

fe

the windows. People were mingled miscellane
ously in their worship, and I was impressed with
the extremes of complexion — very dark white
people and very light negroes — and came to the
conclusion that color alone will not go very far
in the distinctions of races on this island.
The practice of whitening* the face with cos
metic powder is universal among the ladies, and
I noticed it abundantly applied on the faces of
very little girls. It was so excessively smeared
in some instances as to be accumulated in masses
in their ears, corners of the mouth; and folds of
skin on the neck and face. But there were many
beautiful faces among the ladies, even after allow
ing a heavy discount for the cosmetics — certainly
to those who can appreciate the poetry of a face
of waxen pallor, with dreamy, languishing eyes,
and a profusion of drooping black tresses.
There was much ceremonious performance in
the church, which was led off by a fat priest, who
perspired profusely under his exertions and the
burden of his robes. One ofthe devotees offered
me a piece of palm leaf, which I accepted without

80 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
any increase of devotional feeling, and I strolled
off, ruminating on the antithesis of religion as a
faith and religion as a life praotioe— on creeds
versus conduct.
I noticed some doves flying about the old ca
thedral, lodging on the cornices and belfry, and
they seemed at home ; but as emblems of peace,
humility, and simplicity, with their plain attire,
they looked out of place, and I thought how
much more appropriately they might be shelter
ing under the eaves of our old Arch Street Meet
ing-house. They were, however, well offset by
the buzzards, which grovelled in and wrangled
for the offal in the street.
My repose last night was broken regularly
every hour by a watchman, who bawled out, in a
drawling and melancholy manner, immediately
under my window, the hour of the night and the
character of the weather, information well enough-
for those who desire to be so informed with that
frequency, but I thought it not of sufficient im
portance to compensate for the loss ofthe night's
rest. I intend for to-night to bribe him into a

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 81
sin of omission, or to try it on those whose slum
bers or potations are deeper than mine. These
watchmen are curiously preserved relies of an
tiquity, going about the streets at night with a
long spear in one hand and a lantern in the

l

WATCHMAN.
other, and making night hideous with their
moaning cry. As the weather is so generally
clear, their usual cry is Sereno! aud they are in
derision called Serenos.
The weather is extremely hot, and the south
wind, although it blows strongly from over the

82 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
bay and the near open sea, is not refreshing.
The people have a wilted look, as if oppressed by
the heat. Among the lower classes, black aud
white, the small children go about entirely naked.
The hotel " La Union" is probably one of the
best on the island ; but this is no great commen
dation where hotels are uniformly bad. Mr.
Trollopo, in an article commenting ou hotels in
general, says that: "The worst hotels that I
know are in Havana ; nothing can beat them in
filth, discomfort, habits of abomination, and ab
sence of everything which the traveler desires."
The hotels of Cuba are all deficient not only in
the essentials of comfort for the traveler, but
most especially in those of decency and pro
priety. I found my bed a piece of canvas,
tensely stretched, and with merely a starched
linen sheet upon it ; but I asked for and obtained
a blanket, not for covering, but to lie upon. I
have occasionally noticed travelers carrying with
them heavy rugs, intended to be placed on the
hard sacking-bottoms. It is said, in extenua
tion of the comfortless beds and bare stone or

-1*

fe

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 83
tiled floors, that mattresses and carpets would
harbor fleas ; but . that the present arrangements
do not secure an immunity from them every trav
eler in Cuba will attest.
The manner in which Cuban hotels are built,
with the doors and windows of lodging-rooms
opening on an inclosed area in which all the dis
agreeable and dirty work is performed, in an en
tirely exposed manner, renders them unpleasant
to travelers. The view and odor of cooking are
always prominent. As you step from your room
in the morning, it is to see a dirty fellow wring
ing the necks or plucking the feathers of chickens,
or cleaning fish for your breakfast. The cost of
living in this style, or absence of style, is about
that of really first-class hotels in the North.
The table is excellently supplied with what are
considered delicacies. Oysters are abundant, but
are extremely small, such as would not be gath
ered in the North ; but they have a good flavor.
Coffee served early in the mornings came in
an ordinary glass goblet. Wine of fair quality,
even at the humblest hotels, is supplied without

84 DIARY OF A SPRINO HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
extra charge. Notwithstanding the abundance
of wines and spirits, drunkenness is rare among
the native population.
The great number of volantes and other forms
of vehicles is characteristic of Cuban cities, but
in Cienfuegos they seem scarce.
Wednesday, March 21th. — 1 took the cars from
Cienfuegos for the more agreeable climate of the
elevated interior, and arrived at the ancient city
of Villa Clara last evening. Part of the way was
through regions where the guava trees reached
for miles, and where the confections of it are
made. At Esperanza, a village noted for its
guava jelly and paste, large quantities were seen
and offered for sale in the cars. There were sev
eral different kinds, and all were delightful and
superior to any I had heretofore tasted.
It seemed out of time to be gathering crops of
Indian corn, as I noticed on the way, in the glow
ing verdure of these latter days of a tropical
March; but the stalks and blades were withered,
and the fields reminded me of home-days in Oc
tober. Two crops of corn are raised in the year.

Ii!'

?! ¦X. "i
t\

I

s

%

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 85
During the route we have had in view, to the
eastward, some ranges of mountains, and have
been surprised at a curious illusion as to their
distance. Some guesses located them as near as
three miles, but they were actually from forty to
sixty miles away.
Villa Clara looks like an old Moorish city,
and here may be seen the purest types of Cuban
people. It does not seem to have a business
character, but there is evidence of wealth among
the citizens. I should think that the population
is mostly made up of wealthy and retired planters.
I was attracted in the evening by a band of
music on the Plaza, and on reaching it, was sur
prised to find such an ornamental promenade,
large, and brightly lighted with gas, which, with
the more romantic illumination of a full moon,
shilling on light stone buildings and through
heavy foliage, made it a kind of fairy-land spec
tacle. While the band played in the centre, a
large number of prettily dressed ladies prome
naded around the enclosure, and as Villa Clara

-¦¥«

86 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
is noted in song and story for its beautiful ladies,
I took the opportunity of verifying the fact.
Hotels here are of humble character, but with
grandiloquent names. I lodged at the Hotel "La
Cinque Villas," and would have slept but for an
other noisy peripatetic watchman, who lugubri
ously stated that the weather was cloudy, in
wliich information I was previously posted by
rain pattering on the tiled roof above me.
It is evident that people do not travel much on
this island ; the cars are not well filled, particu
larly the first class cars, and there are but one or
two trains a day, even ou the most traveled roads.
Before the days of railroads there could not have
been any active intercommunication, on account
of the bad quality of the common roads. For
this reason a vast proportion of the masses of
the people have seen but little beyond their'im-
mediate vicinity.
At this dry season the roads in the level coun
try are good; but the difficulty is after rains,
when they become impassable to vehicles on ac
count of the depth of the mud. The wheels sink

fef

:¦!&-¦

1

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 87
to the axle, and the sticky mud adheres until
spokes and rim are hidden in one mass. This is
truly a land of mud in the wet season, and I
have heard in Spanish the exaggerated expres
sion, that " the roads become so muddy that a
bird cannot fly over them."
It does not seem possible that even the most
traveled roads can be constructed to remain
good during the wet season, on account of the
scarcity of timber and hard stone.
The quaint-looking volante, with its enormous
wheels, has some merit for dragging through
these roads when three horses are geared to it
abreast, one being ridden by a driver who urges
them on. But this vehicular oddity will soon
disappear or will be retained merely as a conven
tionality of style for a nobby family equipage.
. Saturday, March 30th. — I engaged a volante
driver, who, by the way, stated that his name was
"Jesus of Mary," to rouse mc for the early train
westward yesterday morning, and, ere the dawn,
he shouted between the bars of the lodging-room.
After groping for some time, a pint of water was

!

88 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
found, which my friend and I divided between us
for our ablutions, and we left this comfortless inn
without even the offering of a morning draught
of coffee. Thence we journeyed to the plantation
of Tinguaro, and, after a welcome from its hos
pitable household, mounted saddle horses, and
nightfall found us in the sociality of home life on
the plantation of Santa Barbara.
The sensation of this morning is the melan
choly announcement that one of the newly arrived
Chinese laborers was found dead, having com
mitted suicide by hanging himself to a beam
across the bathing-house. The self-murder was
effected in a determined manner, as the feet were
almost touching the floor, a ledge was within
their reach, and objects of support could have
been readily seized by the hands. Suicide has
been of frequent occurrence among the coolies in
Cuba, and the practice has often been followed
by imitation of their associates. Sometimes it
seems to have been accomplished in a spirit of
vindictiveness towards their employers, and,
again, in a curious belief of their transmigration

X

., ;

1M

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 89
back to China after death. I have been informed
that on one estate, after several single suicides,
six coolies were found on one morning hanging by
the neck. It is said that further instances were
prevented by making in the presence of their com
rades a complete dissection and mutilation of one
of the bodies. With a similar object, the bodies
in some cases of suicide were placed on a pile of
wood and totally destroyed by fire. These hor
rible sights, it is said, took from the Chinese
their romantic ideas on the subject of self-de
struction. The Chinese laborers are of mild and tract
able temperament, seem to be contented with
their humble duties, and are submissive to the
abuse to which they are on some plantations sub
jected; but when once their revengeful nature is
aroused, they mutually combine with each other
and have proved dangerous in their rage. I saw
yesterday an officer of a plantation whose arm
had been severed in an attack, and in another
neighborhood a white employer was murdered
by them, his skull having been hacked to pieces
8*

90 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
by their hoes, each one of the infuriated coolies
striking a blow at him.
The body of the Chinese suicide has been in
terred outside the walls of the little enclosure
which, by church regulation, must receive the re
mains of those only who have been baptized in
the Catholic faith. In digging the shallow grave
to receive the body, another sleeper was uncere
moniously turned out by the spades, and I saw
the decaying remnants of mortality, including a
skull with some matted hair and portions of
clothing, scattered on the ground, aud they were
left so to remain. Such disregard of propriety
in regard to the repose of the dead is the custom
throughout the island. The poorer classes are
buried without coffins, just beneath the surface,
and the bodies quickly decay in the perpetually
heated earth.
Monday, April Isi.— At sunrise this morning
the volante and saddle-horses were ready for a
ride of a few leagues to Colon, one of the more
modern of Cuban inland towns. It seems to be
the flrst place in the island to bear the name of

. I-
•-¦Srcr-

DIAUY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 91
its great discoverer. In the name of Cristobal
Colon we seem hardly able to recognize its Latin
ized and, to us, familiar rendering of Christopher
Columbus. I felt curious to know whether these old-fash
ioned people would build a new town after the
quaint and semi-barbaric styles of the old, but
was gratified to find some evidences of progress.
The streets were wide and regularly laid out. In
some of the old Moorish-styled towns of the
island, it would not be a very long leap to cross
the street by jumping from the projecting eaves
of the roof on one side to those on the other.
There is also the modern improvement of side
walks to the streets, which they have actually
gotten wide enough for two persons to walk
together. The pavements are edged and shaded
by long and beautiful rows of laurel trees.
An ornamental plaza, the inevitable pleasure
resort of every Cuban town, is being laid out,
and I took some interest in watching the prog
ress of building a cathedral, whicli will be large,
but not grand. The work was crawling along in

i ! *•

92 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
the usual national style. Some coolies and ne
groes were removing a heap of gravel at the
building by putting it into small boxes and plac
ing them ou their heads. They then slowly
walked off with them, emptied the contents, and
returned to the heap. A man with a large whip,
in slave-driver style, superintended the work.
I pictured to myself, by way of comparison, a
smart Irishman, with spade and wheelbarrow, at
that gravel heap, doing in less time the work of
the dozen laborers, and not requiring an extra
i hand to wield the lash.
At a farrier's shop in the vicinity I noticed
that it required three men to shoe a horse, one to
do the work while another held the hoof, and the
third held the horse's head and gave general as
sistance ; yet withal the work progressed slowly.
The streets are macadamized with white stone,
and the glare from them and from the light-
colored houses was intolerable under the vertical
sun of mid-day.
A visit to the prison was interesting, and a
keeper courteously showed the interior. The

*.

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~Yr

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 93
prisoners were mostly coolies and negroes, and
were employed in braiding palm-leaves for hats,
and in making cigarettes. The garrote was an
object of grim interest. The keeper apologized
for its being dirty and out of order, that it had
not been used very lately. My attention was
attracted to some rudely made, high-backed
chairs, the use of which was explained to be, "to
seat the dead ones upon before the spectators, to
make room for others on the garroting stool 1"

NEGRO HUT.

Wednesday, April 3d.— We have to-day jour
neyed from the interior of the island to Havana ;

94 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
from the fresh air of the country, with cool nights
and breezy noons, to the unvarying heat, dust,
and close air of the city. The course has been
through varied regions, from the level cane-fields
and the farm lands to the fruit groves and gardens
near the metropolis. The view was over a country
mostly level, but it was on the north side termi
nated by a distant mountain range, or by the hills
bordering the north coast. Many of the most at
tractive towns were passed through, and near
Havana were to be seen palatial villas, romanti
cally located on eminences, the brilliant contrast
of their blue, yellow, and white colors with the
light and dark-tinted foliage being beautifully
effective. The general adoption of blue as a part
of the color of buildings gives a picturesqe addi
tion to the landscape.
After a brief experience of the Hotel el Tele-
grafo, I am inclined to recant at least some of
my anathemas against Cuban hotels in general.
Some of the abominations so conspicuous in the
court-yard enclosures arc here partially hidden
by a conservatory of (lowers, in the form of a

"V~.

1

DIAItY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

97

-fe

ij;

li

garden, on the tiled roof of a lovv building that
almost fills the space; but there is the same
tendency to the accumulation of empty boxes,
barrels, and trash in corners, and there are
offensive adjuncts that diffuse horrible odors.
The fare at the table is really good and free from
the disgusting qualities of garlic and oiliness,
wliich is a relief after a few weeks' feeding on the
usual fare everywhere in Cuba. In commending
the fare in general, it is not necessary to except
the article of butter, for that will never be even
tasted by the traveler anywhere on the island, as
its rancid odor is sufficiently diffused to be a safe
precaution. Some of the rooms at this hotel are little en
closures, singularly but advantageously located
on the roof, and they have decided merits with
regard to ventilation. About them there is a
spacious promenade on the level roof, enclosed
within battlement-walls, and its elevation gives a
good lookout over the city and surroundings. It
also gives to the curious observer an opportunity
of prying into the customs and doings of our
o

98 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

99

neighbors, one of whom, I notice, keeps his
goats on an adjoining roof; and on another tiled
roof is a horse enjoying high life in that unstable
position. I havo been interested in observing the rem
nants of the massive ancient walls which once

V „

OLD CITY WALLS.
enclosed and, in their day, strongly fortified the
city of Havana ; but the town has long since out
grown its enclosure, and the outlines ofthe walls
mark but an oblong section of the centre of the
city. Building and street improvements have
generally removed the walls, but enough remain
for objects of curiosity and interest as ruins.

-**-/

4

¦ h

One of the great entrances of the city, called the
Tierra Gate, which is architecturally ornamental,

TIERRA GATE.

still remains. I noticed in one place that the
keeper of a monkey-show had made an excavation
in a part of the wall, leaving its exterior but a
hollow shell, and was peacefully amusing the peo
ple ; to such base uses had it come at last.
The remains of Columbus lie in the ancient
cathedral of Havana. If there is a tomb at which

i
¦!¦¦

100 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
homage is due, it is that of the man who, dis
covering a world, received naught but insult and
sorrow as his earthly reward, and to whose honor
small tribute has since been paid. The remains
of Columbus, after the third removal, were finally
deposited in a metallic box, which is now encased

¦ 3-Cffe .. .......miilliliOill;'

TOMB OF COLUMBUS.

in the masonry at the side of the altar of this old
church. Some years after his death his ashes
were removed from Spain to the island of St.
Domingo, and about seventy-five years ago they

^

9*

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 103
were brought to Havana. I have been informed
that when disinterred for the last time, which was
nearly three hundred years after his death, but
little of even dust was found, and but one bone.
A tablet in the wall, and a bust of the great dis
coverer, upon which some unworthy lines of com
monplace sentiment are inscribed, are all that
indicate the tomb.
The cathedral was built about one hundred and
fifty years ago, and, besides its being honored as
the mausoleum of Columbus, is interesting on ac
count of its great size and quaint architecture.
It is constructed of coral limestone, originally
white, but now dingy from age, and I noticed the
arborescent tracings of coral branches and shell
impressions on every stone within reach of the
eye. The building was closed when I reached it, but
curiosity led me to grope around a yard in its
rear, where I found a man who held a bunch of
keys in his hand, and some small coins caused
those keys to grate musically in the rusty locks
which led through recesses dark and mysterious,

104 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
until the inner temple was gained. A " dim
religious light" was cast over the sculpture,
paintings, and on the grand mosaic floors, and
two perpetually burning tapers in large vases of
oil glowed faintly on the altar.
I had reached the heart of the man with the
keys, and he continued to invade for me the
sacerdotal privacies of gorgeous priestly robes,
and showed all the costly machinery of religion,
in pure gold and silver, including the parapher
nalia of parades, locked up in great mahogany
chests and closets.
What a chance here for sacrilegious plunder
may some day come, should anarchy precede this
island's political day of reckoning and redemp
tion from bondage !
The very name Havana is so associated with
cigars that visitors are curious to see something
of their production, and knowing that the great
cigarette factory of " La Honradez " is courte
ously open for inspection, we saw the manner in
which more than two millions of cigarettes are
made every day, mostly by the labor of Chinese

VM

!4

&

fi-

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 105
operatives, who have acquired great dexterity in
the manipulations. There is a large amount of
fine and ingenious machinery in the establish
ment, which, I notice, bears the name of American
manufacturers; and indeed it is elsewhere, as
here, on this island, that all that represents inge
nuity, invention, and the progress of intelligence,
may be referred for its origin either to the United
States or England.
" I have never been in any locality, from the
capital to the most obscure village, where the
lottery-ticket venders are not noisy annoyances
and disagreeable importuners. They are seen in
every public place, press the stranger in the
hotels, at railway stations, and in the streets, and
are indeed scarcely ever out of sight where people
are passing or are congregated. The ticket-sellers
are of all ages, from children to the old and
decrepit. The lottery is under government patronage ; a
large revenue being derived from it, as one-fourth
of the amount of the money slaked is appropriated
by the state. It is therefore the wretched policy

106 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
to encourage the demoralizing institution, to the
great injury of the people, as it appears that few
in the community avoid yielding to the temptation
to "try their luck."
The successful drawings are publicly announced,
and thus the cupidity of persons is kept excited
by hearing of money in great sums, as from one
to three hundred thousand dollars, being drawn.
The number of persons who continually invest
all above a bare subsistence in these schemes,"
and still keep hoping on for a chance fortune,
must be very great. The few successes are
loudly proclaimed, while the vast number of
blanks is forgotten ; but a sure prize every time,
is to the government which withholds its propor
tion of the capital as revenue.
Friday, April 5th  The botanical gardens,
located in the suburbs of Havana, are beautiful
beyond any gardens I have ever seen, and ex
ceeded my anticipations of them. Indeed the
place, is such as might have formed the fabric of
a dream of Oriental romance, or of an Arabian
night's talc. Tropical foliage, flowers, groves,

'>

4-

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 107
streams, and fountains make it up — all too much
of beauty for description.
After leaving the gardens, we rode in the
volante to the top of a great hill which overlooks
the city and surroundings, and over the blue ex
panse of the Gulf of Mexico. The hill slopes
down in a single declivity to where the white
surf marks a line between the grassy verdure and
the blue water.
On this hill is an object which is a sad transition
from the blooming gardens below, — the cemetery
in which the dead of the poorer classes are de
posited. Here are pits in which the uucoffined
bodies are piled, one upon another, and over each
is strewn a little lime and earth, until the surface
is nearly reached, when all is made level over it,
and another pit is dug, to be in the same manner
filled. I have been informed that bodies are
sometimes brought to the ground in coffins in
which the bottom is arranged on hinges so as
to drop its occupant into the pit. When the
bodies come with clothing on, it is said to be
the custom to first mutilate the garments and

,K

108 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
render them useless, so that they may not be
stolen. In another cemetery, located near the Gulf
shore, are deposited the bodies of those who have
not died iu the faith of priestcraft, and are not
privileged to repose in holy ground. Here the
space for burial is so limited that the defunct
have even but a temporary occupancy of their

— -'^^

3:fe|g!§§

Mill

i i pi i §

CUBAN TOMBS.
charnel-house, and a new incumbent cannot be
deposited without turning out previous occupants.
As a consequence, therefore, the ground is strewn
with the bleaching relics of mortality, find in one

;fe-;

f

7 'I"

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 109
corner is a heap, mostly of skulls, several yards
high. I visited another cemetery, or rather a great
mausoleum, where the bodies of those whose faith
and pockets are both deep, are deposited, lt con
sists of courses of masonry, above ground, in
which are left caverns like baker's ovens or large
pigeon-holes, each of sufficient size to hold two or
three coffins. When a body is placed in one of
them, the end is sealed up with a slab on which
is inscribed the name of the deceased. When I
saw these mural abodes of the dead, the walls
were heated under the burning sun, and I thought
of the thousand or more dead bodies within,
undergoing a process little short of cremation.
The most popular amusements in this country
are those which depend for their interest on the
sufferings inflicted on animals. The most' uni
versal amusement of this character, prevailing
throughout the small towns ofthe interior as well
as in the cities, is cockfighting, evidence of which,
in the raising and trading in game-cocks, is con
tinually observed. They are seen in all regions,
10

1 i

110 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
carried about in a kind of cage or basket woven
from the palm-leaf, so constructed that the heads
and necks of the chickens project through an
opening in the top. There is a wretched practice
of plucking out the feathers from their bodies,
excepting the wings and tail, inducing, of course,
suffering in the operation, and a painful exposure
of the tender skin. I suppose that the battles
are purposely fought in this nude state to add to
the severity of wounds, and, therefore, to the
enjoyment of the spectators.
The amusement which would in these times
disgrace even the most barbaric horde, and which
lacks every vestige of manliness in sport, is the
so-called bull-fight. It is not entitled to the name
of a fight, which would imply a combat involving
two sides more or less matched, but is the tortur-
ina- 0f a bull into frenzy, to escape or to wound
aged, dilapidated, and enfeebled horses, who are
blindfolded so that they cannot avoid receiving
injury. [ have not witnessed this amusement of tortur
ing a bull and mangling horses, but know its

I

-.**,

i- '

i? ^
ft i

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. Ill
horrors from those who have lately been present
at it. The bull is irritated by smarting wounds
before he is brought into the arena, and if not
infuriated enough, his skin is pricked with barbed
darts that remain in the flesh. Should his struo--
gles not be sufficiently exciting to the crowd,
burning fuses are added to the darts. He is also
wounded by the spear of the rider who is mounted
on the miserable horse. The horse is at len°tli

LANCER.
disabled by the horns of the bull, or he may be
killed outright. I have been informed, that when
the abdomen of the horse happens to be ripped
open so that the bowels protrude and trail in the
dust, the rent is roughly sewed up, and the poor

112 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA,
beast is spurred on to endure still greater suf
fering. To the credit of humanity be it told, this hor
rible show is declining, and that it is now merely
attended by the lower classes of the community,
and that women are not usually present ; but the
continued national recognition of the abomina
tion is evinced by a bull-fight having been gotten
up by the authorities to entertain the Russian
Prince at his recent visit. It is also proper here
to state that these authorities are native Span
iards, and not Cubans.
This "Ever Faithful Isle" will remain faithful
iust so long as the present powerful military
government can continue its authority. The
people are held in subjection by a large Spanish
army, and by a perfect military system which is
spread over the island,
» The entire governing power is in the hands of
the Spaniards, the native Cubans being excluded
from military appointments or offices under the
government. The people aro ready and anxious for relief

|. !

¦k

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 113
from the tyranny of Spain ; but there seems to be
now but little hope for, and apparently no gen
eral sympathy with the rebellion, which has been
in existence for several years at the eastern end
of the island, and which does not, and probably
has never acted as an organized force. The
hatred of the Cubans against their Spanish rulers
is extreme; however subdued may be its appear
ance under military subjection, I know from in
timate communication with the people its heart
felt intensity.
Soldiers are almost ever in sight in all local
ities, city and rural, and the Cubans are severely
taxed for the support of this proportionately
great standing army.
The hope for relief of the Cubans must, I
think, come from liberal and enlightened nations
abroad, and they will, at the proper time, patriot
ically sacrifice life and property in a hopeful
effort for release. Their course is to be com
mended to all friends of liberality and human
progress. Monday, April 8lh — As a winter resort for
10*

U

114 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
invalids of a certain class, the merits- of Cuba
have long been recognized, and with the increase
of domestic comforts for health and pleasure-
seekers, and the improvement of facilities for
traveling, the time may soon come when the
flight of valetudinarians to escape the severity of
northern winters will be generally to the genial
climate of this island. The climate is probably
more faultless than that of any locality at an
equal distance from northern homes, for the
avoidance of coldness and rapid transitions of
temperature, particularly if proper locations on
the island be selected.
The south coast of Cuba has the advantage of
being protected by the mountain ranges from the
north winds, wliich occasionally prevail for a day
or two at a time, and are the cause of the only
marked depressions of temperature. Besides the
rural localities on that coast, the best resort, and
that whicli is most frequented by invalids, is the
city of Trinidad. Other cities of the south of
Cuba are not so well located as to the hygienic
influences in and about them, and thoy are sub-

1
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a

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 115
ject to malarial taints, to which foreigners are
very susceptible, and even yellow fever, during
some winters, continues to prevail in them to a
limited extent.
Locations on the north coast, or its vicinity,
are too much under the influence of changes pro
duced by north winds, for the secure residence of
impressible invalids. -
From observation ofthe hygienic conditions of
Cuban cities in general, I would, however, advise
invalids to avoid them all, and to resort for per
manency of stay, to the villages or rural localities
of the interior. Havana has, far beyond other
cities of Cuba, its comforts, conveniences, social
attractions, and amusements, for the advantage
of residence for invalids ; but the temperature,
while it is liable to suddeu northern influences, is
apt to be too high for comfort during most of the
time, and the city is scarcely ever absolutely free
from cases of yellow fever. The causes of yellow
fever seem to exist always in the vicinity of the
harbor, and during my short stay, I know that
there have been five cases of this terrible disease

116 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
in one popular hotel in such proximity ; and it
should be borne in mind that foreigners, as in
the above instances, are usually the victims.
The harbors on wliich the largest Cuban cities
are located are almost landlocked, tideless basins,
without a current washing through them ; and as
they receive the entire surface drainage and
sewage, the waters become foul and liable to
engender pestilence.
These unfavorable conditions pertain especially
to the harbor of Havana, the water of which is so
foul that, as a naval officer informed me, even the
washing of the decks of vessels with it is avoided,
and that when an anchor is raised from the bot
tom the adherent mud has a most intolerable and
sickening stench. A plan has been projected for
producing a current through the harbor by cut
ting a canal from its upper extremity across the
narrow strip intervening between it and the shore
of the Gulf of Mexico. Should the project be
successfully accomplished, it will undoubtedly
have a favorable influence on the salubrity of the
city

T

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DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 117
Invalids frequently resort to certain baths and
mineral springs in Cuba, which have a traditional,
but, I think, a dubious reputation, as specific in
certain diseases ; and the climate of the Isle of
Pines, which is about fifty miles south from
this island, is claimed to be remarkably bland
and free from vicissitudes, and patients with
bronchial affections are said to be well suited
by it.
The want of good accommodations and the
subjection to unavoidable annoyances are the
drawbacks to such places. The diet that is
offered may not be endurable to the fastidious
invalid, hard beds may not permit his repose,
and fleas and mosquitoes may be the climax of
his miseries.
The cold, earnest North is the land of labor,
and this is the land of idleness and ease. That
Cuba has produced nought of value in literature,
and added nothing to science, may be attributed
to climatic influences. All who come here from
the stimulating atmosphere of the hard-working
North soon yield to a sense of ease and tranquillity

118 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
as " the South's soft languor o'er their senses
steals." It is the climate for the overworked and the
care-worn ; for the many in whom the nervous
system is strung to morbid tension until its vibra
tions are painful; for all who, weary with the
battle of life, would seek for rest from the stim
ulus of their own excitability. It is the place for
an idle, dreamy existence, and labor here is only
done under dire necessity, or by an inferior race
under compulsion of the lash.
To breakfast at eleven in the morning and then
to retire for a nap would, in the North, give the
idea of the intensity of laziness ; yet such is the
general custom, and Northern sojourners take
very kindly to the easy fashion. My own per
sonal experience is that the lazy ways of the
country are easily adopted aud followed. It is
easy to have the drowsiness of the night shaken
off by a cup of hot coffee brought to you as you
still recline at sunrise. It is agreeable afterwards
to ride on a horse whose movement is so easy
that it cannot jolt the sentiment out of you, or

DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 121
break the thread of your reverie. Such a ride,
not over the stale conventionality of traveled
roads, but through untrodden, ever-varying ways,
amidst scenery made up of objects new and in
teresting, while the air is still cool and fresh, is
all the exertion that the morning requires. Then
follow the hours of idleness and repose, while the
sun's rays arc burning and almost vertical. The
dinner-hour comes as the day declines, and the
after hours may be again pleasantly spent in out
door exercise or amusement. In this easy man
ner time passes away, until the visitor is reluc
tantly compelled to think of his interests in the
severe and earnest North, and begins his prepara
tion for turning away from this land of listless-
ness and ease.
Mental activity is as little prevalent among the
Cubans as is physical. Books are but little seen
in the houses of even tho higher class, and I have
never detected any one in the act of reading.
The people, however, are generally bright and in
telligent, and they have a suavity of manner and
courteous deportment towards each other which
U

122 DIARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.

DTARY OF A SPRING HOLIDAY IN CUBA. 123

o-ive, even among the humblest, an air of culture
and refinement above their actual intellectual.
attainments. The lives of Cuban ladies must be, according
to our Northern ideas, dull and wearisome from
ennui and restraint. In the cities, 'custom pre
vents their going out unattended, walking seems
to be considered vulgar, and their daytime is
spent ih~ talking, dozing, and rocking, followed
perhaps by a languid evening ride in the volante.
But my Cuban days are at an end. Home
thoughts steal in even while I am looking on
scenes of interest, and in the burning heat of this
city I feel that a cool draft of northern air would
be refreshing. In my stroll in the streets last
evening, a band of wandering minstrels played
the air of "Home, sweet home,". and I was unu
sually impressible to that ever-impressive melody.
The approach of our old friend, the steamship
"Juniata," was announced by signals on the
Morro Castle this morning, and she is now
moored in the harbor, ready for her northward
course. The meeting with her good commander

/*""*¦(

seemed a harbinger of home. How welcome was
the sight of his manly face, glowing warmly with
good nature like a tropical sunrise, and in the
genial grasp of his hand I felt that a true sailor
was spliced fast to me.
Wednesday, April 1 Oth. — The time has come at
last to turn away our faces from this beautiful
land, and we now see the sun set for the last time
over the purple hills of Cuba, as the vessel heads
northward — homeward bound I What a radiant
and glowing tropical sunset scene of sky, sea,
and land is spread before us as ends with the day
our real visions ofthe "isle of undying verdure!"
A glittering pathway leads over the sea towards
the western horizon, and clouds, land, and water
are fused in the red aud golden tints of parting
sunlight.

" The golden sen Ms mirror spreads
Beneath the golu n skies,
And but a narrow strip between
Of land and shadow lies.

124 DIARY OF A SPUING HOLIDAY IN CUBA.
" Tho sea is but another sky,
The sky a sea as well,
And which is earth and which the heavens,
Tho oyo can scarcely toll.
" So when for us life's evening hour
Soft fading shall descend,
May glory, born of earth and heaven,
The earth and hoavens blend."

THE END.

YALE UNIVERSITY

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