American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1826-06-30

commodous. Vessels lay with iur.r oow..
lthem and are so numerous end so Close ,o,,,
that small boat can scarcely End room 10 mai, NAB
landing. The moment a person steps ON ,bs M
he is besieged with crowds of wa,ernen. wiz. my
their services to all that pass along and win ,s
greater facility as it is impossible 10 walk fas w
account Of the piles Of boxes, bales, and casks ,t
every where obsruct the way Large vessels s..
daily loading and unloading and this labor j, No,
formed chiefly BY blacks, who covered with nst..
ration, hurry through their work, SHOUTING ~,
singing all the while. The heat of the sun a auu
the reflection from the harbor are nearly insunOa
able, and the hubbub that prevails, and the lrah,
!ul figures that create it, make the scene aoo.h..
Internal in its character. s'
| As one advances into the town, the hustle or rad,
ally dminishes but the streets exhibit suf6ci.n,
number of objects to attract the undivided a,tenon
of stranger. His eye is first caught BY The es,.
riages called uolantoS, which dash across his n.,l
wherever he goes. A volanto resembles lou
English gig, only the wheels are placed en,ir,l,
behind the centre of gravity, by which arrange
ment the motion of the body OF the carriage !,
rendered very moderate and agreeable. A curtain
OF blue cloth covers its front, and excludes tbo
dust and the glare OF the sun. A negro man rid,
upon the horse, which is generally small, mean
looking animal, almost striking under the weight Of
is driver. whose legs, cased in wide hussar boot,
bangle in the mud. large patches of which may Of
ten be seen on the embroidered coat and cooked hal
that envelope the upper part OF his figure. The
persons that frequent the streets are generally
slaves who wander about in groups, speaking hor.
rible argon, and filling The air with tunes Of ,obac
co. However, one may sometimes see Spanish
Don, in figured silk coat, parading conse quentialy
along, and pushing the negroes of the pavement
with his gold headed cane or have the pleasure Of
giving the wall to an elegant woman in long veil,
followed by servant boy, carrying a cushion and
prayer book to be used at mass Perhap. .,ou,
overgrown priest, painting with heat and fatigue,
will next brush forward, on his way TO the conysn,,
while the person who succeeds him may be Span.
ish officer in furnished uniform, stalking detected
ly slong, and casting wIstfu glances under the cur
tans Of the fashionable roiantos that pass and re-
pass, whlrllng his beautiful countlywomen from
one part OF the city to the other.
The streets Of Havana are narrow, and during the
rainy season, excessively dirty for scmr oil them
remain III state Of nature, having no pavement d
any kind, either for carriages foot passengers
The houses plain in their architecture, and
er exceed two stories and are usually painted blue
or some other bright color. All the good houses
are built upon the same plan, namely, that Of a
hollow quadrangle, which is the form best caleua
ted for promoting free circulation Of air. In
general gallery, surrounded by piazzas extends
around The upper fiat, and forms, along with the
court below, place Of recreation in the evenings
and shelter from the heat during the day The
puolic apartments are usually spacious and tasteful
ly furnished no carpets are used and in mos hous'
es the floor consists OF compositions which is as hard
as reestone, and admits Of being washed several
times day; but some Of the nobility have their
rooms paved with black and white tablets OF mar
Bile, placed alternately, and this has very beautiful
effect. The shops in Havana small and meany
furnished. Instead of the names OF their otcu'
pants being placed above the doors, as is common
10 some countries, each has some figuratise aTpela
ton to distinguish it from others OF the same de-
scripton. such as the shop oil victory, OF huml'y'
Of pearls, of happiness, of good fortune, &c.