Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1851-01-29
THE HAYTIEN SABBATH.

n correspondent oI lle JouTudl vi Coih-
merce, writing from Hay,i, gives the follow
ing account Of Haylen Sunday, which is
parade day and review, attended by the
Emperor and his suite:
! The various companies are dashing by Oh
horeback, or marching TO the music Of their
bands. They assemble FIRST in the large
inclosure IN front o[the palace, and afterwards
march to beautiful plain outside of the
city, where they are busy for an hour or
two. When all things are in readiness, the
Emperor and his suite come dashing out,
and ride around the entire line, when he
makes a stand, and they all march before
! him.
Blu, all that is going on here by no means
leaves the city quiet. Every store and shop
is open, and the goods displayed more al
trac,ively than on any other day Of the week,
and the streets are full Of people going and
coming, some with mules loaded with vege-
tables, wood, grass, coal, SC; some with
bananas, plan,ains, sugar-cane, Sc, on their
heads; some with few chickens some
with one thing and some with another
! They thus crowd on, bartering, selling, dis
| putting, quarrelIng, swearing, singing, laugh
| iDg-all in the most boislerous tones, max
| ing altogether a scene Of confusion, Of which
you can have but slight conception. But
the great scene and centre Of confusion is
the market This is large open square
in the city, where perhaps two thousand
persons many of them from a distance in the
country, are assembled, and all eager in
driving their bargains and disposing of their
various articles. ! shall attempt no descrip-
ton of this scene.
Strangely enough, as ! have stated in a
former letter, the Catholic Church is upon
a 81 ht elevation directly fronting upon one
Of these markets. Old women who are
busy either in selling or buying, come along
TO the church-lay their baskets upon The
| steps,-go in and cross themselves with
holy water, kneel and count their beads for
time, and then come out and 90 on with
their trading. Thus mulliludes come, and
these who are able to stay and engage in
the services for longer period, seem to be
not a, all disturbed by them, nor indeed to
be conscious of their Inconsistency.
AT length the parade is ended, the COM
psnies of soldiers. preceded by their music,
dIsperse to the various parts cf The city, and
The Emperor, attended by hundred or more
guards, gallops through the principal streets
of the city, around the market and past the
church, to his residence.
Thus with noise and excitement the day
passes on. By two or three o'clock the
business begins TO subsde, and sports Of
various kinds begin. The boys fly their
kites, spin their tops, and run and laug h and
shout in their various plays. The young
men walk or ride, or visit, as they prefer.
The more wealthy having finished late
dinner, amuse themselves with dancing or
cards; and thus each, according to his taste
seeks his pleasure. As the evening ap-
proaches, new and still stranger news begin.
The more comm on and ignorant part of the
people assemble in large companies in the
open air, and engage in what is called a
dance though II is perfectly unlike any
thing that is called a dance in the u. States.
Their music is made by pounding with the
flat of their hands upon drum. which is
made by stretching skin over the head Of
barrel, like drum head This drum they
accompany with singing, clapping of hands,
SC. The noise thus made is very loud,
and by sundown you hear it in all direc-
,ions. There is something most remarka-
bic in the passion of this people for this
kind of music and dancing. To an ear un-
accustomed TO the sound, there would seem
to be as much music in the din and confu-
sion Of a lin or cooper's shop; and yet to
them there is nothing more exciting. AT
the sound of one Of these drums in neigh
boring yard, have seen the children that
were passing along the streets, begin to
move TO the sound of the tune, and hop and
wheel and balance most gracefully, as they
went on their way; and the effect seems
much the same upon those who are Older.