CUBA AND THE CUBANS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 3, 20 May 1898, Page 28

CUBA AND THE CUBANS.

The following article which we cull from Chamhrrx' Journal is as interesting at the present juncture as when it was written, over 12 months ago :—: — The unfortunate struggle which is now devastating Cuba has drawn attention to that rich island, known to Spaniards by many endearing epithets, such as '• The Pearl of the Antilles," " The Eden of the West," and " The Ever-Faithful Isle "—though the last appellation can no longer be applied to it. The writer has visited Cuba twice, in the year 1885 and again eight years later, not long before the outbreak of the present insurrection. The following remarks apply to the island as it appears in time of peace and political tranquillity. Srcial conditions have changed for the worse since the outbreak of hostilities The first landmark which strikes the traveller who approaches Havana from the sea is the grim outline of the Morro, or fort, which guards thecntianco to the hnrbour. Tho Morro, which is also used as a prison, has stood many n biege by the French, Dutch, and British, and capitulated to our countrymen in the year 17G2, when the city was occupied by British troops. According to a Spanish account of the capture recently published, the amount of booty which fell to the victors was tremendous, and the prize-monoy oltained by the different members of the expedition ranged in valne from about five pounds, in the case of a common sailor or soldier, to a sum which we do not remember, but which ran well into six figures, in the case of the commanders of the land and sea forces. Havana is a fine city ; for, though it does not contain many striking buildings, there is an air of luxury and well-being about it that suggests " flush times," and there is probably no part of the

Spanish dominions where money is more plentiful in times of pence. It is-or was until recently- the greatest market in the world for !ob££ l W °, a l cS ~8~ 8U * ar ? nd tobacco - The fam * of Havanbr nnrnnn £th i i ■ P rit f .obtained for it are out of all pros - ™r%e wo^n^d ;^&^Sd-th^K^ hZrh?*" rfT^r^ 1 ° aP Hke a tMmble > Which is » s *d to thfut into the endsgof the cigarettes and close them with the ends of the IT/sZlUil^ is the manner in which they are ffenerlnno H ± V l na h Wa % ff ° r f er^ a WJ } ll6d Cit y- and thou Sb the walls have if ,?il? th f destroyed-only traces of them now remaining-it it still the custom to refer to the city « within » and « without h the comnrS Th'^'lH "? '*<™ Wl .»™)- The portion within the walls comprises the old city, with its narrow streets, which is still the business quarter, though fine new streets and boulevards mark £| (ySSiirE? c^ lty> , One of the princi P al streets is the Call « 0 Reilly so named after a former captain-general. It may be noted that Irish names are not uncommon in the records of the Spanish army, and bear witness to the strong Hibernian emigration which Cromwell 6 ** centurie s ago, especially during the time of The people of Havana are pleasure-loving and fond of luxury There are several theatres in which good companies perform, the most notable being the Tacon. This theatre, which was until recently the largest in the Western Hemisphere, was built by convict labour. Externally it has no architectural pretensions, but the interior is commodious and luxuriously appointed, the stalls and boxes rising in five tiers one above the other. Between the acts the audience will come out and promenade along the adjacent avenuea and boulevards, which are gaily lighted and filled by a well-dressed and well-mannered crowd.

On some nights the band plays in the centre of the square opposite the Tacon Theatre, and here fashionable society will assemble in the cool of the evening to meet and converse, promenading m evening dress under the leafy avenues, or sitting in the chairs which are provided for the public and rented for a small amount.

In the southern part of the island a large amount of fruitprincipally bananas— is grown for export to the United States. The port of Baracoa ships a considerable quantity of the red bananas, which find so much favour in the Great Republic. All tropical fruits abound ; oranges, mangoes, guavas, pine-apples, sour-sops, and many others. One which deserves special mention is the avocado, or alligator pear, so called from its shape, though it is not a pear at all but an entirely different fruit. It is six to eight inches in length, and contains a stone about an inch in diameter enclosed in a rich yellow pulp. In the West Indies, where butter is dear and bad th ls pulp is sometimes used as a substitute ; and apropos of this the following story may be told : A planter inquired of a friend, it it was true that he had discharged bis bookkeeper X "??l'- y^'" h f re s lied ; "* found that X used to eat butter with his bread, and a man who eats butter during the pear season on the salary that X had, cannot be honest." ' It was our lot to take a journey in a Spanish steamer from Santiago in the south to Havana in the north, touching at a number of intermediate ports. The steamer was very dirty, as may be imagined when it is said that she carried cattle for the Havana mark , c • •? C cattle were hoisted on board by means of a steam winch lilting a rope fastened round their horns, a proceeding which they took quite quietly, and seemed to regard as a matter of course Ihe Cubans, as a people, are polite, refined, and hospitable qualities which they inherit from their Spanish ancestors An opinion beems to prevail in England that the Spaniards are treacherous, blood-thirsty, and prone to the use of the knife Nothing can be farther from the truth. The writer has had many dealings with Spaniards, in diffeient parts of the world, and has almost invariably found them gentlemanly and honourable in business and social intercourse. We are afraid that this erroneous impression arises from the perusal in our boyhood days of yellowbacked volumes, with such titles as The P; rate of the Bahama* or Ihe Boy Terror oj thr Caribbeex, in which the author reserves all the virtuous parts for his countrymen, tha villains being generally foreigners, and Spaniards for choice. The false impression conveyed in early hie continues in later years, because few people have any means of correcting it.