Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-08-04
Life in Havana.

line Stuart Wortley' Travels in the Uni
ted States, &c. during lsa9 and $780,"
brings many Of the aspects Of outer life iu
Havana brightly before us:
at is an extraordinarily gay-looking
town. Of course in the heat OF the day no
one thinks Of stirring out who can help il.
But when itbegns 10 bccool. the city seems
almost to shake with an earthquake Of car
riages, going in different directions, whose
la'r occupants arc visit paying, shopping,
Nc, usually ending with The paseo: and
beautiful and ia'ry-ike these carriages
mostly are. They are called rolanfes, and
are generally drawn BY mules. driven by
apostllhon IN some splendid livery. We
went ont the other day, and went little
way into the country--a very pretty drive.
indeed 1t was along broad smooth road
(what luxury 10 us, after the road 10 Mex
ico0 bordcred with lovely edge Of roses
and Towering pomegranates, in their great
est beauty. We then went to the paseo,
where carriages- multitndinous and mos
quitoes in IIavana-swarmed in double
lines, and al seemed like fairy tale in ac-
ton. Those graceful. mrial-looking. gay
ly painted open volantes, like cars fitted
for Queen Nab. and the ctheral beings
within, crowned with flowers, with no 9th
er covering on their gracious heads than
these delicate blossoms and their own mas
sivc braids OF superb black hair; for very
seldom did they ever wear the mautlla,
and when they did, its cxquisitely disposed
folds seemed little else thun the light shadow
cast by those abundant wavcsof silky sable
locks--all wascnchantinent. How grace
fully waved their fans, with which they
ilutcrcd light pretty salutations to each
othcrl those glistcning fcnthcry fans, like
the wings of sylphidcs; and their dresses!
surely Aruchne herself must have spun
them, Iris coorcd them! ! will try and
paint, in words, three Of these fur daugh-
ters of Cuba, as they reclinc in their luxu-
rious volantes. Ono is in dress Of the
most sky like azure; another in n diaphan-
Gus dreamy sort Of robe, OF the mot gos-
samcr texture, and the soiics, yet bright
est tint of rosc-color; and the third (who
sits forward in the middle) is in spotless
lilly-whtc; and these dresses float light
and full as very clouds pbout them. They
are all decoNetes and with very short
sleeves, and all are snow pale, with statues.
que features and magnificent hair There
seem TO be liundrcdsnnd thousands Of these
carriages. with equally fair and fairy-likc
doaselies within and, clad in every hue Of
the rainbow--lilnc, cmcral green, the faint
est, strawy yellow, Chat admirably suits
with their generally jet-black locks,) and
various delicate tnts and shades of all col
ors. The carriages, themselves, look like
enormous butterflies ghttering in the rays
Of, the descending sun, with their innumc-
rable colors Then. how beautiful are tho
long double rows of trees on either side Of
the paSco, and tho flowers, and the cxqui.
site sky above, and the splendid fountains,
falling into sculpturcd marble basins; and
how charming is tho delicious temperature,
and the soft breeze from the neighboring
sea! You do not see here, us in Mexico,
hundreds Of supcrbly mounted cabalcyos
making their stceds champ and prance
and caracoledr, ill their wcighiy silver or.
naments flash like lightning on the eye
Here the gentlemen are generally pcdcs-
TRAN promcnaders, if they arc not loung-
ing, stretched out in their luxurious rolun-
tes themselves They walk lcisurcly and
gently along, smoking the fragrant weed,
and gazing at their Habancras who are
passing in their fairy coracles on wheels,
and they tell me it is the fashion here, when
gallant. senor sees some particularly love
1 ly young donna, for him TO exclaim--
"flow bcauuiul--how lovcly!" and for
her to reply, with slight, gracious inoli-
nation OF her little stag.lkc hcad--'Gro.
clas, caballcro." | was not a little sur
prlscd, at first, at the answer the ladies
make TO the universally employed saluta.
tion-"A los pies dcV. scnorirav v-"Bcso
los manos dc V. caballcro!"-C"I am ut
your feet, madam!''-"l kiss your hand,
sir!") But the dignifcd gcntlcncss with
which they say il, seemed to take off from
the too great condescension apparently cx-
pressed. Il was ns snperbly gracious as
the bending Of crowned head in ock nowl-
cdgement OF subjects homage
| The streets are exceedingly narrow, and
the rolaatcs, with their immensely long
shafts and enormous wheels, turn in them
with tie greatest difficulty, but luckily,
they do not easily overturn. In the sub
urbs, the streets are wider. A single y0-
hantc stopping viii sometimes block n
whole cafic. The calies0o is urged, per-
haps, by some other driver behind to let
him pass by, but il is not alwaysths is CON
ceded by the fair Crcoles in The carriage,
at least SO says La Condcsa de Merlin in
her amusing 'Viac la Habana' Often
she tell us, is feminine voice heard from
the depths Of qaietrda or r0iante, crying,
No &c mncvas, Juan, no to mucvns por
nadicP They keep in rich families, one
roiante at least, constantly waiting, ready
at the door, in case any members Of tho fa-
niily should take sudden fancy for lit
tie drive; and IN wealthy establishments
each daughter--nay, cnch child hns her
own7rolante. Among the poorer classes
and poor they must be indeed, If tHcy
do not indulge themselves with one carri-
age at least-lt Is constantly the custom,
from want Of the necessary space and
building, 10 turn corner Of the drawing
room into a eoach-house. In fact, ! was
told ;hey consider handsome rolanfe (and
rather than not have handsome one tbey
would half staryc themselves on little
chocolate and cigarrto,) really great
ornament to their not otherwise much-iurn-
ishcd rooms. 1t looks very conspicuous
and very stately with its gigantic wheels
and it is occasionally used, am informed,
as sort Of elevated and sociablc arm chair
by two, or perhaps three Of the ladies' of
the house when the rooms are particularly
full; and thus, raised as it were on silver
embossed throne above their guests, they
chat with them condesccndmgly, and sur
vey them complacenily from au advanta-
geous position These apartments, in gen
eral, have "a great resemblance To each
othcr-largc, cool, and with little furniture