Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-08-04
THE ISLAND OF CUBA.
BY w. c. BRYANT.
Los GCINEs, April 18th, 1S4s


In the long circuit of railway which
leads from Havana TO Matanzas, I saw moth
ing remarkably different from what OBJ
served on my excursion 10 San Antonio.--
| There was the same smooth country, of
great apparent fertility, sometimes varied
with gentle undulations, and sometimes.
rising, in the distance, into hills covered
with thickets. We swept by dark green
fields planted with the yuca, an esculent
root, OF which the cassava bread is made,
pale green fields of the cane, brown tracts
of pasturage, partly formed of abandoned
coffee estates, where the palms and scat
tered fruit trees were yet standing, and
forests OF shrubs and twlnins plants, grow
ing for the most part among rocks. Some
ofthose rocky tracts have peculiar appear
ance; they consist OF rough projections of
rock foot or two in height, of irregular
shape and full ofholes: they are called d.
ente de perro, or dogs teeth. Here the trees
and creepers fnd openings filled with soil,
by which they are nourished. We passed
two or three country cemeteries, where
that foulest Of birds, the turkey vulturc, was
seen sitting on the white succeed walls, or
lowering on his ragged wings in circles over
them.
In passing over the neghborhood of the
town in which | am now writing, I found
myself on the black lands of the island
Here the rich dark earth of the plain lies
on bed of chalk as white as snow, as was
apparent where the earth had been excava-
ted to little depth, on each side of the
railway, to form the causey on which ii
ran. Streams of clear water, diverted from
river to the left, traversed the plain with
a swift current, almost even with the sur
face of the soil, which they keep in per-
petual freshness. As we approached Ma
tanzas, we saw more extensive tracts of
cane clothing the broad slopes with their
dense blades, as if the coarse sedge of
river had been transplanted to the uplands.
At length the bay of Matanzas opened
before US; long tract of water stretching
TO the northeast, into which several rivers
empty themselves. The town lay at the
southwestern extremity, sheltered by hills,
where the San Juan and the Yumuri pour
themselves into the brine. 1t is small but
prosperous town, with considerable trade,
as was indicated by the vessels at anchor in
the harbor.
AS we passed along the harbor remark
ed an extensive, healthy-lookng orchard of
plantains growing on one of those tracts
which they call diente de pe,ro. could
see nothing but the jagged teeth of whitish
rock, and the green swelling stems of the
plaintain, from ten TO fifteen feet in height,
and as large as mans leg, or larger. The
stalks of the pantain are juicy aud herba-
ceous, and of SO yielding texture, that
with sickle you might entirely sever the
largest of them at single stroke. How
such an array of succulent plants could find
nourishment on what seemed to the eye
little else than barren rock, | could not
imagine. 3G ff.. ..s.. ..... DO -H
The day after arriving at Matanzas we
made an excursion on horseback to the
summit of the hill Immediately overlook
ing the town, called the Cumbre. Light,
hardy horses of the country We're brought
US, with high pommels to the saddles,
which are also raised behind in a manner
making it difficult to throw the rider from
his seat. A negro fitted spur to my right
heel, and mounting by the short stirrups,
crossed the river Yumuri with my compan-
ions, and began to climb the Cumbre.-
They boast at Matanzas of the perpetual
coolness of temperature enjoyed upon the
broad summit of this hill, where many of
the opulent merchants of the town have