The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-06-01
Correspondence Of The N. X, Evening Post.
CUBAN AFFAIRS,

/ In the long Circuit OF runway WHICH leads from
Havana TO Maianzns, saw nothing remarkably DIFF
ierent from what observed on my excursion 10 San
| Antonio There was the same smooth country of
great apparent fertility sometimes varied with gem
lie undulations and sometimes rising, in The distance
into hills covered with thickets We swept by dark
green fields planted with the yucca, esculent root
OF which the cassaya bread Is made pale green fields
OF the cane brown tracts OF pasturage partly formed
of abandoned coffee estates where the palms and
scattered fruit trees were yet standing and forests
of shrubs and wining plants, growing for the most
part among rocks. Some of those rocky tractahave
a peculiar appearance; they consist OF rough pro-
ecions of rock foot two in height, of irregular
shape aud full Of holes they called diente de per-
70, or dogs death Here the trees and creepers find
openings filed with soil, BY which they are noursh-
ed. We passed two or three country cemeteries where
that foulest OF birds, the turkey vnlturc, was aeen
sitting ON the white succeed walls or lowering on
his ragged wings In circles over them.
| In passing over the neighborhood of The town in
which am nav writing, | found myself on the
black ands OF The island, Here the rich dark earth
Of the plain lies on bed Of chalk as white snow,
us was apparent where The earth Ind been excavsed
TO little DEPTH each side Of the railway 10 form
/ the cnnsey on which II ran Streams Of clear wa,
ter diverted from river To The left traversed the
plain with swift current almost even with the sur
lace OF the soil, which they Keep in perpetual fresh
ness AS we approached Matanzns, We saw moro
extensive tracts OF cane clothing the broad slopes
with their dense blades, as If the coarse sedRe Of
river had been transplanled 10 the uplands.
At length the bay OF Muianzas opened before Us
long tract of water stretching the northeast, into
4 which several rivers empty Themselves. The town
lay at The southwestern extremity sheltered by hills
where the San Juan and the umuri pour themselves
| into the brine II Is small but prosperous town,
with considerable trade, as was indicated by the
| vessels al archor in the harbor.
| Az we passed along The harbor remarked an ex-
tensive healthy looking orchard of plnlnlains grow
ing on one Of those tracts which they call dienie dc
perr0. could see nothing but the jagged teeth of
whitish rock, and the green swelling stems of the
plalntain, from ten TO fifteen feet in height and
large as u mans leg, or lnrger, The stalks Of the
plantain are Juicy and herbnceous and Of yield
| ing texture, that with sickle You might entirely
| sever The largest of them at single stroke How
such an array Of succulent plants could find noursh.
meni what seemed TO the eye little else than bar
| rem rock | could not imagine
/ The day after arriving nj Malanzns we made an
excursion on horseback to the summit of the hill
| Immediately overlooking the town, called The Cum
I brc. Light hardy horses of The country were
brought rs with high pummels to the saddles, which
are also raised behind in manner making il difficult
| 10 throw the rider from his seat. A negro fit ed
| spur TO my right heel, and mounting by the short
stirfnpa crossed the river Iumuri with my COM
panions, and began TO climb the Cnmbre. They
boast Al Matanans of the perpetual GOODNESS of tenn
perainre enjoyed upon the broad summit Of this HILL
| where many OF the opulanl merchants OF the town
have their country houses, to which the mosquitoes
and the intermiltents which infcat the below,
never come, and where, aa one Of them told me- yon
may play at billiards in August without any ncon-
| ycnent peTspiration.
From the Cumbre you behold the entire extent of
the harbor the town lies below you with its lhicket
/ of mas's, and its dusty paseo where rows of the
Cuba pine stand rooted in the red soil On the OPP
posie shore your eye is directed TO a chasm between
! high rocks, where the river Canimar comes forth
| through banks OF romantic beauty, SO they are de-
scribed TO me, and mngles with the sea. But the
view TO the west was much finer there lay the val,
/ ley of the Ynmuri and eight of il s worth voy
age 10 the island In regard to this my expectations
suffered no disappointment.
Before me lay deep valley surrounded on all
/ nj ptnin hn ypr
| Yumuri twinine nj the bottom Smooth round hill
locks rose from the side next TO me- covered with
clusters of palms, and the sleeps Of The southeastern
corner of the valley were clothed with wood of in
tense green where could almost see the leaves gs-
ten In the sunshine. The broad fields below were
waving with cane and maize, and cottages of the
monieros were scattered among them each with is
tull Of bamboos and It's little grove OF plannlns In
some parts the cliffs almost seemed To impend
over the valley; but 10 the west in soft golden haze,
rose summit behind summit ard over them all,
oftiest and most remote, lowered the mountain
| called the Pan de lIafdn-ds.
We stopped for few moments at n country seat
on the top of the Cumbre, where this beautiful view
lay ever before the eye. Round IT, in garden were
cultivated the most SNOWY plants Of the tropics, but
my attention was attracted 10 little plantation Of
damnsk roses blooming proiusely, They We're scent
less the climate which supple the orange blossom
with intense odors exhauss the lragranceof the rose.
AT night allthe night ia lis suddenly in This latitude
| we again at our hotel.
| We passed onr Sunday on sugar estate AT the
! nDNplIaUie manson Oh Il from tIllitu
States about fifteen miles from Alaanzas. The
house stands emnence, empowered in
trees which The hurricanes have leyelled, overlook
! ing broad valley, where palms were scattered in
every directions; for the estate had formerly been
coffee plantation. In the huge buildings containing
the machinery and other apparatus FOR making SUI
gar, which stood al the foot of the eminence, the
power of steam, which had been tong all the week,
was now at rest IA the hour of sunset approached
a smoke seen issuing from its chimney present.
y puiia Of vapor issued from the engine, It's motion
began TO be heard and the negroes, men and women,
were summoned 10 begin the work Of the week.
Some fed the fire under the boiler with coal ohers
were rushing TO the mill with their arms full of
the stalks Of the cane, freshly cut, which they took
/ from huge pile near the buildings others lighted
fires under row of huge caudrons with the long
stalks of cane from which the juice had been crush
cd by the mill. 1t was spectacle Of activity snch
aa had not seen in Cuba.
| The sound OF the engine heard oil night, for
the work of grinding the cane once begun, proceeds
day and night, with tho exception of Sundays and
some other holidays was early next morning nj
| the mill A current of cane Juice was flowing from
the mill in long trunk 10 a vat in which il was claI
fled with lime, IL was then made TO pass successive
| y from caulIron TO another il obtained
thicker consstence by boiling. The ncqrocs, with
huge ladies' turning on pyots swept II from cauld-
ron cauldroD, and finally passed II into trunk,
which conveyed it TO shallow tanks in another apart
meni, where it cooled into sugar From these ano,
ther set Of workmen scooped il up in moist masses,
carried il in buckets up low flight of stairs, and
poured 1t ntorows OF hogsheads pierced with holes
AT the bottom. These are placed over large tank
into which the moisture dripping from the hogs
| heads Is collected and forms moasses.
| This is themelhod OF making the sugar called Mus
covado. II is drained few days, and then the rail
ways take il to Matan2as or to Havana. We visited
afterwards n plantation in the neighborhood, in
which cayed sugar is made. Our host furnished MS
with horses to make The excursion and we took n
winding road, over hill and valley by plantations and
forests, till we stopped at the gate Of an extensive
pasture ground An old negro, whose hut was at
| hand opened il for us and bowed low we passed
ride of half mile further brought us in sight OF
the cane fields Of The plantation called Saratoga, be-
| longing TO The house of Drake Il Company of Ha-
vana and reputed one Of the finest of the island. II
had different aspect from any plantation had
| seen. Trees and shrnbs there Were none, hut the
canes, except where they had been newly cropped
for the mill clothed the slopes and holIows with their
| light green blades, like the heritage of prairie.
We were kindly received by the administrator Of
| the estate, an intelligent Biscnynn, who showed us
| the whole process Of making cllyed sugar II does