The Sun.
London, England, 1825-10-08 00:00:00

DESCRIPTION OF THE HAVANNAH.

HAVANNAIt is to be ranked with the principal
cities of our hemisphere, as well on account of
its population as its commerce. The number of
whites residing within the walls of the city is
about 44,000, and the suburbs and dependencies
of the city contain about 40,000 more. It stands
on a plain, west of one of the most beautiful of
harbours, and its walls, which enclose but a
square mile of ground, are between twenty
and thirty feet high. Cannon are mounted
at suitable distances on the walls ;_ and in
case of an attack from the land, there is a wide
ditch without, that can be filled with water from
the canal which supplies the city. Perhaps the
entrance to few ports, if any, in the world, is
more strongly fortified than the port of Ha-
vant-lath Although there is an admirable bay of
deep water within, its month is se narrow that
but one ship can enter at a time. Proceeding into
this bay, a ship first passes a lofty castle, called the
Moro, situated at the extreme point of land on the
left. A light-house rises from a corner of this
fortification. From the Moro, for nearly half a
mile up the harbour, the elevated bank is crown-
ed with immense batteries, denominated the
Cabanas, erected, it is said, at an expence of
more than 30,000,000 dollars. On the opposite
side is another strong fort, called the Punta, con-
nected with the walls of the city, and within the
walls is a citadel. These most expensive fortifi-
cations arose from a belief, very properly enter-
tained by Spain, that the dominion of Cuba was es-
sential to the preservation of Mexico, which pos-
sesses no good harbour on its eastern shore.—
The city is divided in solid squares, and its
streets, though narrow, are straight, and inter-
sect each other at right angles. The houses are
quadrangular, having a court in the middle.
All the rooms have a direct communication with
each other, and also open into this court. Most
of the houses have two stories ; the lower one
is commonly used for a warehouse, shops, &c.
The materials for building are small irregular
fragments of stone, which are united by a strong
cement ; and the wall is then plastered and
whitewashed. The roofs are tiled.—Most of the
inhabitants possess vast wealth, and have costly
habitations. There are also rich and spacious mo-
nasteries, con vents,and churches. The convents of
St. Domingo and St. Francisco were the only insti-
tutions of the kind which I visited. Each of
them occupies an entire square, having an open
court in the middle, which is surrounded by
piazzas in the first and second storks. The walls
facing the 'courts are covered with historical
paintings, representing transactions in the lives of
their patron saints. Both the buildings and paint-
ings are now going to decay. The convent of St.
Francisco had been converted into barracks for
soldiers, and had suffered wanton abuse. This
is one of the twelve convents that was suppressed
during the reign of the Constitution. But the
Cathedral interested rue more than any other
edifice. It is a massive Gothic structure, and
for magnitude and taste is incomparably supe-
rior to the other places of worship. Even a
Protestant might survey its walls, and pillars, and
even its altar, and find little to offend. There is no
tinsel, no parade. Every where is simplicity. The
paintings seem to have been placed where they
are rather by the artist than by the divine ; and
such are the subjects of them, and such their ex-
ecution, disposition, and moral effect, that, as they
seemed not to he objects of worship, I should be
sorry to have (twin removed. The images are few,
consisting of crucifixes,which are so small that they
must be near,in order to be seen. The churches
in general, however, abound with images as large
as life, and gaudily decorated. he Cathedral
is the more interesting,as it contains the ashes of
Columbus, which were brought into Ilavannab
iu 1796. They are deposited in the well On the
right side of the altar ; and the urn is concealed
by a marble slab, on which is sculptured in high
relief, a front view of this memorable man. Be-
yond the wall is the Pasco or Promenade, to which
the citizens resort morning and evening for exer-
cise amid air. It is a broad avenue for carriages
about a mile in knoll, with shaded walks son
each side, and WUS designed for a beautiful place.
But it was left unfinished, and now suffers for
want of re
pairs.---(American Paper.)

A LUXURIOUS THIEF. lbar n t "
Gtr ILDIIALL.—Mary Fitzgerald was brought before Alders
man Lucas, charged by Mr. Dean, wholesale dealer in poultry,
Newgate market, with stealing several articles, his property.
—lt appeared that Mary was suspected, and one of his young
men being cautioned, kept a careful eye upon her. At length
he suspected that she had taken a fancy to a pigeon, and a
search took place. The first article found was am elegant slice
of beef skirt ; next a pigeon, then another ; fourthly, a fine
barn-door fowl ; fifthly, a good fat duck ; anti lastly, the breast
of a fat Lincoln sheep. The whole of the poultry Mr. Dean
had no doubt was his property, which was corroborated by his
salesman. Mary, upon being called upon to defend or explain
her conduct, in the true Emerald brogue, said that "it was true
that she was a married woman, that she had cAilder, and that
her husband was a most unreasonable sort of a man ; that he
wished her to find mate and drink, and fire and candle;Tor
nothing; that she tried to do all she could in that way, and
found it was impossible; that she was both dry and hungry ;
that her spouse and she quarrelled some times; and that she
would lave him ; that after that she would go lime and make
it up." During her whole narrative, not one word about the
pigeons, the fowl, or the duck, the gravy beef, or the mutton.
—The worthy Alderman inquired if the officers had kr.ovra her
before as a " pigeon-fancier ;" but that did not appear to be
the case. Mary, notwithstanding a copious flow of tears, was
committed for trial.
AN HONEST VETERAN.

IIATTON-GARDEN.—John Peters, a veteran, who :lad lost
a right arm and a right eye in his country's defence, was, to-
gether with Anne Peters, his wife, brought up before the
sitting Magistrate, Mr. Sergeant SE LLoN, at th: instance of
Charlotte Sherwin, his landlady.
The complainant resides in Baker's-row, Clerken well,
where she lets ready furnished lodgings, a part of which the
lady and gentleman now presented before his Worship have
for sonic time occupied. Mr. Peters, said Mrs. Sherwin, is
certainly " wery good pay," but whenever he receives his pen-
sion he is sure to get drunk, and becomes " wery noisome ; "
she therefore wished, she added, to get fairly rid of them both,
and had repeatedly told them so, but they would not take the
hint.

Mr. Sergeant SET. LON' observed, that if the defendants were
such " good pay," he certainly thought it would be no very
difficult matter for Mr. and Mrs. Peters to procure other apart-
ments ; and to prevent any further unpleasantness on either
side he earnestly recommended that plan to he adopted by the
defendant, who, placing the back of his hand to his forenead,
a la militaire, thus addressed his Worship :
" Please your Honour, I never had no orders, yo•.sr Honour,
till now. I always pays my way, your Honour. lam willing
to march, your Honour, and will go directly and pack up my
things."
On the parties being dismissed, the landlady seemed to be
half sorry for having carried matters so far, and audibly re-
gretted that Mr. Peters, whenever he got a drop too much,
should be so " noisome," seeming half afraid she should be
some time before she got such a " good pay" again.