In the Tropics—First View of Havana—Entering the Bay—Surrounded—Landed—A Street in Havana—“Queen’s Hotel”—A Breakfast—The Harbor—The Coolies—The Plaza de Armas—Cuban Women—A Volante—Fine Avenues—A Priest—Shopping. Havana , March 1, 18—. T HE first dawn of day found me already on deck, to assure myself we had really arrived at the shores of a tropical-world. I was not disenchanted. A mist had possessed, like a dream, the blue quiet of the entire bay, half dissolving its masts and sails, softening

Celebrating a Victory—General Serrano—a Cuban Sacristan—His View of Mary Magdalene—Sunday—The Theatre de Tacon—General Serrano’s Wife—A “Norther”—The Fish Market—Brilliancy of the Fish—A Venerable Cosmopolite—The Slaves—The Chain Gang—The Cerro—A Count’s Country-house—No Twilight—Oranges—Polyglot Dinner—Lottery Ticket. Sunday , March 4th. T HIS morning high mass was celebrated, and the Te Deum sung in the Cathedral. As this is in honor of the victory, all the church dignitaries and officers of s

Drive to the Sea-shore—Evening Boat-ride—Splendor of the Waters—Campo del Marte—Low Mass—The “Madonna”—Beautiful Children—Church of San Filipo—Sacred Names—The Mount of Jesus—Corruption of the Clergy—Cuba Misrepresented in Books—Growing “used to it”—A Creole—Cascarilla—Warm Weather—The Cortina. Saturday , March 11th. T HIS morning we drove, or more properly rode, for no one drives in a volante, to the sea-shore. Although the sun was burning down upon us with his customary ardor, a “norther” cool

Departing Guests—The Varieties—On Board, but not Gone—No Chimneys—Dog-Pails—Horses’ Tails—Tall Negroes—Ecclesiastical Torch-light Procession—Watchmen—Leaving Havana—In the Country—Stopped—Seeking a Breakfast—A Cuban Village—A Primitive Well—A Peculiar Palm—Guiness—Our Quarters Therein. Monday , March 19th. O NE by one, our guests have left the hotel. The swarthy Portuguese gentleman whose acquaintance we made on shipboard, and who told us so much of the interiors of Asia and Africa, where he has

A Palm-grove—A Planter’s Household—Coolies as compared with Negroes—Anecdotes of Coolies—Robbers—Heterogeneous Dinner—Creole Politeness. Thursday , March 22d. T HIS morning comes intelligence that death has occurred in the family of the owner of the plantation and that his sister is become insane. Our visit there is necessarily abandoned. However, we are not uncomfortable in our present quarters, and its independence reconciles us to the disappointment; for you must know a Cuban planter would as

"Nice pretty House in the Country”—Wrong Side of the Horse—Discovery in Mental Photography—Visit to the Country House—Not to be obtained—Contrast of Palms and Bamboos—The Youth of Tropical Nature—A Remarkable Phenomenon—House of the Marquise of V——“Le Armistad”—Burial of an Officer’s Child—A Shock—“Cafetal”—“La Providencia”—A Sugar Plantation—The “Royal Highway”—A Grand View. T HIS evening comes Mr. S—— from Father P——, full of a nice pretty house we are to get in the country. Immediately a hors

It Rains—The Effect—No Miserere—Guirappa-seeking—A Skeleton Horse—B——’s Pantomimes—A Day More—The Bells of Guiness—Market Day—An Invitation—Another Plantation—A Remarkable Tree—Palm-Sunday—A Sundayless World—Dreamland—I Didn’t Smoke—Cushioned Heads. Wednesday , 28th. E VER since our arrival in Cuba, nature has kept in her after-dinner mood; but to-day, for the first time, clouds are come over the sky with another motive than that of simple ornament. If every cloud is an angel’s face, and no ange

Dear old Mr. R—— — Chess and Whist and Life—Good Friday—A Religious Procession—The silence of the Town—The Miserere—To Matanazas—Company in the Cave—Father M——’s approach to Matanzas—The Bay—Valley of the Yumuri—The Plaza—The Dominica—The Ensor House—Easter Sunday—The Paseo—Steamer to Havana—A Night on board—“Queen’s Hotel”—Tricks on a Travelling Author—Theft on the Almanac. Thursday , April 5th. Y ESTERDAY the train brought dear old Mr. R—— to see us. In addition to our former chess and convers

A Discovery for the Benefit of Smugglers—The Steamer Karnak—Adieu, Cuba!—An English Ship—Nassau—The Negro Custom-officer—English Hotel—An Ex-President—What the Island is and has—The Negro Element—The “Eastern Road”—The Air—The Beau Monde—Turtle Houses. April 11th. L AST evening, after visits from nearly all our friends; after a long walk in search of Spanish books, to find them much dearer than in New York; after looking as a matter of curiosity at the diamonds which are so lavishly displayed in