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WALTER GOODMAN
WALTER GOODMAN
Henry S. King & Co. 65 Cornhill & 12 Paternoster Row, London 1873 ( All rights reserved ) TO MY TRAVELLING-COMPANION AND BROTHER-ARTIST SEÑOR DON JOAQUIN CUADRAS OF CUBA THIS VOLUME IS INSCRIBED IN REMEMBRANCE OF OUR LONG AND UNINTERRUPTED FRIENDSHIP AT HOME AND ABROAD...
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
Cuba having lately become a prominent object of attention, both to Europe and America, I venture to think that any trustworthy information that can be given respecting it, may prove acceptable to the reader. I approach my task with no great pretensions, but yet with an experience acquired by many years' residence in the Island, and an intimate intercourse with its inhabitants. I arrived there in 1864, when Cuba was enjoying uninterrupted peace and prosperity, and my departure took place in the f
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CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER I.
A CUBAN WELCOME. Our Reception at Santiago de Cuba—Spanish Law—A Commemorative Feast—Cuban Courtesy—Coffee-House Politeness. My companion and brother-artist, Nicasio Rodriguez y Boldú, is a native of Cuba, and as he has signified his intention to visit his birthplace in the West Indies, we bid 'addio' to fair Florence, where for three years we have dwelt together and followed our profession, and, embarking in a French steamer at St. Nazaire, we set sail for the Pearl of the Antilles. Our officia
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CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER II.
DAILY LIFE IN CUBA. A Cuban Home—My Bed-Room—A Creole Breakfast—Don Benigno and his Family—A Cuban Matron—Church-going in connection with Shopping—An Evening Tertulia—A Tropical Moon. Like most of his neighbours, Don Benigno keeps 'open house' in more than one way. The huge street-door of his habitation remains unclosed at all hours of the day and evening, and anyone who pleases may walk in and partake of the Don's hospitality. Don Benigno's house is constructed after the pattern of the good, ol
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CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER III.
ART-PATRONAGE IN CUBA. Our Studio—Our Critics—Our Patrons—Still-Life. Assisted by Don Benigno's nephew Tunicú, Nicasio and I in time meet with a residence suitable for art purposes. Our habitation consists of six rooms on a single floor, with a wide balcony in front, and a spacious patio, or court-yard, at the back. We have no furniture worth mentioning; furniture in Cuba being represented by a few cane or leather-bottomed chairs, some spittoons, and a small square of carpet. But our walls are w
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CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER IV.
A CUBAN 'VELORIO.' More Still-Life—A Night Wake—Mourners—Doña Dolores—A Funeral Procession—A Burial. To be summoned from his couch at all hours of the night is not an uncommon occurrence with a medical man, but for a follower of 'the divine art of Apelles' to be thus disturbed in his slumbers is, to say the least of it, an unreasonable proceeding. Nevertheless one of us must rise and don his clothes at three A.M. ; for a black varlet has come to inform us that his 'amo,' Don Pancho Agüerro y Mat
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CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER V.
CUBAN MODELS. Tropical Birds—The Cocos—La Grulla—Vultures—Street Criers—Water Carriers. My companion has a weakness for bird-painting, and it pleases him to have the living originals on the premises. Therefore does our spacious court-yard contain a goodly collection of the feathered tribe, with one or two animals without feathers. A large wirework aviary is filled with fifty specimens of tropical birds with pretty plumage and names hard to pronounce. A couple of cocos—a species of stork, with cl
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CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VI.
CUBAN BEGGARS. Carrapatam Bunga—The Havana Lottery—A Lady Beggar—A Beggar's Opera—Popular Characters—Charity—A Public Raffle—The 'King of the Universe.' Despite the dearth of patrons for the 'legitimate' in art, my companion and I continue to occupy our leisure moments in collecting such material as may prove attractive in a more art-loving country. Suggestions for pictures and sketches are not, however, wholly derived from the street vendors I have described. The beggars of Cuba are equally wor
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CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VII.
THE BLACK ART IN CUBA. A Model Mulatto—A Bewitched Watchman—Cuban Sorcery—An Enchanted Painter. It is not always easy to secure the services of a better class of model than our peripatetic of the pavement. Before we can induce such a person to walk into our studio, many arts, unconnected with our calling, must be employed, especially if the object of our solicitation happen to be young and fair. Having directed our professional gaze upon such a Señorita, it behoves us first to visit her family,
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CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER VIII.
A TASTE OF CUBAN PRISON-LIFE. Two Views of the Morro Castle—The Commandant—The Town Jail—Cuban Policemen—Prisoners—A Captive Indian—Prison Fare—A Court of Justice—A Trial—A Verdict. I dream that I am Silvio Pellico, that the prisoner of St. Helena is my fellow-captive, and that an apartment belonging to the Spanish Inquisition is our dormitory. Clasps of iron eat their way into our ankles and wrists; gigantic rats share our food; our favourite exercise is swinging head downwards in the air, and
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CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER IX.
A WEST INDIAN EPIDEMIC. A Cuban Physician and his Patient—A Nightmare—A Mystery—A Cure—By the Sad Sea Waves—A Cuban Watering-place—Lobster-hunting—Another View of the Morro Castle—What 'Dios sabe' means. Not many days after the events recorded in the last chapter, I am on a sick couch. What is the nature of my infirmity? Neither I nor my companion can tell. Don Benigno, who comes to offer me his condolences, attributes the cause of my complaint to confinement in the close, vaporous dungeon of th
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CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER X.
GENERAL TACON'S JUDGMENT. Pleasant Company—The Cigar Girl of Havana—A Tobacconist's Shop in Cuba—A Romance of Real Life—Spanish Justice abroad. My health being now perfectly established, I signify my intention of returning to my companion and duties in town. As my military friend, Don Manuel, must also depart—his leave of absence having expired—I accept his invitation to share the boat which is to convey him to Santiago, and bid adieu to Don Benigno and his family, who contemplate remaining at t
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CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XI.
(VERY) HIGH ART IN CUBA. On the Ceiling—'Pintar-monos'—A Chemist's Shop à la Polychrome —Sculpture under Difficulties—'Nothing like Leather'—A Triumph in Triumphal Arches—Cuban Carpenters—The Captain-General of Havana. Our incarceration proves of professional service to us. It spreads our renown and procures us more congenial patronage than we have hitherto received. While I have been rusticating at La Socapa, my brother limner has been busily employed on work in which he takes especial delight.
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CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XII.
A CORRESPONDENT IN THE WEST INDIES. American News-agents and their Work—Local Information—The 'Glorious Campaign' of Santo Domingo—'El Cañon de Montecristo'—Wounded Soldiers—Still Life again!—A Visit from the Spanish Fleet—Escape from Jail. 'Here is something in your line,' remarks Nicasio one day, handing me a letter which has just been brought to our studio by a black messenger. The letter is from Don Elijio, of the firm of Bosch Brothers, and states that the Havana agent of the New York Trigg
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CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER XIII.
CUBAN MUSIC. A Soirée at Don Laureano's—An eminent Violinist and Composer—Cuban Pianos—Real Negro Minstrels—Carnival Songs—Coloured Improvisatores. All work and no play makes even a 'follower of the divine art of Apelles' a dull caballero; so when the day's toils are over, my companion and I amuse ourselves in various ways. The theatre, the Retreta, or promenade, a ball at the Philharmonic, and masquerading during the carnival season, are among our favourite diversions. Sometimes I enjoy these a
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CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XIV.
MASQUERADING IN CUBA. Deserted!—'Los Mamarrachos'—A French-Creole Ball—Street Masquers—Negro Amateurs—Masks and Dominoes—The Plaza de Armas—Victims of the Carnival—A Cuban Café in Holiday Time—'Comparsas'—White and Black Balls—A Moral. It is the twenty-eighth of December, and the thermometer stands at eighty-five in the shade. I rise with the 'ganza grulla'—our bird chronometer—that wonderful creature of the crane species, with a yard of neck, and two-feet-six of legs. Every morning at six of th
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CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER XV.
AN EVENING AT THE RETRETA. A Musical Promenade—My Friend Tunicú—Cuban Beauties—Dark Divinities—A Cuban Café—A Popular 'Pollo'—Settling the Bill. The Retreta is a musical promenade, or 'retreat,' held upon the evenings of every Sunday and Thursday, between the hours of eight and ten, in the Plaza de Armas. Here all the fashionables of Santiago congregate, to converse and to listen to the military band. Those who reside in the square itself, or in the adjacent streets, have a few ordinary chairs c
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CHAPTER XVI.
CHAPTER XVI.
AT A CUBAN BALL. The Philharmonic and its Members—A Street Audience—The Guests—Engaging Partners—'La Carabina'—'La Danza Criolla'—Dance Music—Refreshments—A Pretty Partner—A Night with Cuban Gamblers—Spanish Cards—An Old Hand—'Temblores!' The saloons of the Philharmonic are well suited for dancing as well as for other purposes. The spacious apartments are entered by enormous doors, and those which are set apart for the use of the dancers are separated one from the other by narrow slips of wall.
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CHAPTER XVII.
CHAPTER XVII.
CUBAN THEATRICALS. The Stage Door-Keeper—A Rehearsal—The Spanish Censor—A Cuban Audience—Dramatic Performances—Between Acts—Behind the Scenes—A Dénouement in Real Life. A Call for seven A.M. would hardly meet with a punctual response were such an announcement posted behind the stage-door of a London theatre; but in Cuba the more important business of the day is transacted during the cool hours of the morning, and it does not surprise Roscius of the West Indies when he finds himself summoned to a
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CHAPTER XVIII.
CHAPTER XVIII.
MY DÉBUT ON A CUBAN STAGE. An Engagement—A Foreign 'Star'—A Benefit Night—A Local Play—First Appearance—A Serious 'Hitch'—Re-engagement. I have already noted how Nicasio and I have lent our art services at the theatre whenever scenic decorations were required. Our colour boxes have also been in demand on certain occasions when the leading performers were particular respecting the correct pencilling of their eyebrows, the effective corking of their cheeks, and other attributes of an actor's 'make
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CHAPTER XIX.
CHAPTER XIX.
COFFEE GROUNDS OF CUBA. Going out of Town—On the Road—A Wayside Inn—A Cane Field—West-Indian Fruit Trees—The Arrival—A Dinner in the Country—The Evening Blessing—Tropical Reptiles—A Farm-Yard—Slave Flogging—Coffee—Tropical Scenery—A Siesta. My experience of the Spanish West Indies warrants me in the assertion that a tropical climate has but one season throughout the year, and that season is summer. The months of August and September, however, are favoured with a special season of their own; but
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CHAPTER XX.
CHAPTER XX.
COUNTRY LIFE AT A SUGAR ESTATE. An Artist's Tent—Early Sport—An 'Ingenio'—Sugar and Rum—Afternoon Sport—A Ride through the Country—Negro Dancing—An Evening in the Country—'La Loteria.' With my companion Nicasio Rodriguez y Boldú, behold me passing the sultry months of August and September at the plantation of our worthy friend Don Benigno, who, with his wife and family, have encamped for the summer season at a farm-house on his sugar estate. Our host's party is somewhat larger than usual, consis
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CHAPTER XXI.
CHAPTER XXI.
LOVE-MAKING IN THE TROPICS. My Inamorata—Clandestine Courtship—A Love Scene—'Il Bacio' in Cuba—The Course of True Love—A Stern Parent. I am in love. The object of my affection is, I need scarcely explain, the fair Cachita, who lives in the heart of sunny Santiago. She has the blackest of bright eyes, a profusion of dark, frizzled hair, with eyebrows and lashes to match. It is universally admitted that the complexion of my inamorata is fair for a daughter of the tropics, but truth compels me to s
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CHAPTER XXII.
CHAPTER XXII.
A CUBAN CONVENT. Without the Walls—'El Torno'—A Convent Letter—Accomplices—A Powder Plot—With the Nuns—Don Francisco the Dentist. My creole inamorata has been already immured five long weeks in the nunnery, expiating there her 'sin' of secret love-making. Nearly five months must yet elapse before she will be released and restored to her stern parent Don Severiano: that is, if the nuns' report of her be favourable; but should the efforts of those estimable ladies prove unsuccessful, and Cachita p
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CHAPTER XXIII.
CHAPTER XXIII.
A CRUISE IN THE WEST INDIES. Cuban Telegraphy—The New York Trigger —News from Porto Rico—A day in Porto Rico—Don Felipe—A Mail Agent—Coasting—Aguadilla—Mayagüez—Santo Domingo—Sight-seeing—Telegraphic News. There has been a sad dearth of news in the tropics for many long months. The war of Santo Domingo is at an end. The great hurricane at St. Thomas has passed into oblivion. The rising of negroes in Jamaica is forgotten. The civil war in Hayti is suspended for the nineteenth time. Not so much as
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CHAPTER XXIV.
CHAPTER XXIV.
A STATE OF SIEGE IN CUBA. A Cuban Newspaper Office—Local Intelligence—The Cuban Revolution—Spanish Volunteers—A Recruit—With Bimba—- 'Los Insurrectos'—At a Fire—Cuban Firemen. 'We are in a state of siege!' says my friend, Don Javier, editor of a Cuban periodical called El Sufragio Universâl . 'Y bien, amigo mio; how does the situation affect you?' 'Malisísimamente!' returns Don Javier, offering me a seat at his editorial table. 'The maldito censor,' he whispers, 'has suppressed four columns of t
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CHAPTER XXV.
CHAPTER XXV.
CUBAN WARFARE. Spanish Soldiers—A Sally—Prisoners of War—'Los Voluntarios'—A triumphant Return—Danger!—Cuban Emigrants. Our vacillating governor having at last consented to another chase after the rebels, under the leadership of a certain Spanish colonel, a body of volunteers—myself among the number—join the troops on the appointed day and march with them from town. The Spanish troops muster some five hundred strong. Their hand weapons are of the old-fashioned calibre, and they carry small field
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CHAPTER XXVI.
CHAPTER XXVI.
HAVANA CIGARETTES. Cigars—The Etiquette of Smoking—A Cigarette Manufactory—The Courteous Proprietor—The Visitors' Book—Cigarette Rolling. That the characteristics of Cuba, and the ways of the people, are better observed in the Santiago end of the island than they are in Havana, is apparent to me after my arrival in the latter city. Here I am reminded in many respects of a fashionable European town—indeed, by reason of its modern innovations, the Cuban capital has been styled the 'Paris of the tr
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CHAPTER XXVII.
CHAPTER XXVII.
A MULATTO GIRL. An Obscure Birth—Bondage—A Bad Master—A Good God-Father—A Cuban Christening—Anomaly of Slavery—A White Lover—Rivals—An Important Event. My contemplated departure for New York is for many days postponed by the unexpected meeting with Don Benigno's family, who, under extraordinary circumstances presently to be related, have recently arrived in the Havana. My old friends are also bound for the great American city; but at present they are full of preparations for the approaching marr
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CHAPTER XXVIII.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
A MULATTO GIRL ( continued ). The Slave Trade—Ermiña and her Lover—Panics—'Los Insurrectos' v. 'Los Voluntaries'—A Wounded Patriot—Spanish Law and Cuban Law—The 'Mambís'—A Promise—An Alarm—All's Well that Ends Well. You already know how, during the early stages of the Cuban revolution, the inhabitants of Santiago were called upon to enroll themselves as volunteers; that those who evaded the order were regarded with suspicion, in many cases arrested, and occasionally shot after a mock trial; that
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CHAPTER XXIX.
CHAPTER XXIX.
A CUBAN WEDDING. Open Engagements—A Marriage Ceremony—A Wedding Breakfast—The Newly-Married Couple. A number of Don Benigno's relatives and friends have, like ourselves, taken refuge in the peaceful city of Havana. Some of them purpose remaining here till affairs at Santiago are more settled, while others, like Don Benigno, intend to make New York their temporary abode. Surrounded by his friends, the Don begins to feel at home again. Every evening he holds a tertulia at his temporary residence,
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CHAPTER XXX.
CHAPTER XXX.
CUBANS IN NEW YORK. The Morro Castle again—Summer and Winter—Cuban Refugees—Filibusters—'Los Laborantes' of New York and their Work—American Sympathisers. I am a prisoner in the Morro Castle again, and this time my fellow captives are more numerous. We occupy separate apartments. The chamber which has been allotted to me is considerably smaller than that of the fortress at Santiago. So small that the floor measures barely four feet in width, and seated in my narrow cot, my head approaches within
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NEW BOOKS OF TRAVEL.
NEW BOOKS OF TRAVEL.
The Fayoum; or, Artists In Egypt. A Tour with M. Gérôme and others. By J. Lenoir . Illustrated. Crown 8vo. cloth, 7 s. 6 d. Tent Life with English Gipsies in Norway. By Hubert Smith . 5 full-page Engravings, and 31 smaller Illustrations, with Map of the Country showing Routes. In 8vo. cloth, price 21 s. A Winter in Morocco. By Amelia Perrier . Illustrated. Large crown 8vo. price 10 s. 6 d. Ireland in 1872. A Tour of Observation, with Remarks on Irish Public Questions. By Dr. James Macaulay . Cro
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