The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-07-14

ABOUT %, a. M, Don - and myself
take our coffee the Don superintends the bar.
Messing Of his fiery little white horse into his
light American wagon, bought by him for the
purpose of driving over his thirteen miles of
sugar lands and coffee estate, on which he has
made broad, good roads; and then we dash
of at brisk road pace through the seemingly
interminable cane-felds to the cafetal. The
heavy dew, glittering on the countless waves Of
green, gives them soft delightful brilliancy;
the clear, cloudless sky, the bslmy air so mild
that to breathe it is a luxury, beguils the some
what monotonous drive, till we dash into the
cool shades Of the planteneria, an unfailing ad-
junct of all great estates in this land, where the
plantain is the staff of life
The plsntain tree though not by any means
lofty or imposing tree-looking indeed, more
like huge kind of long cabbage-leavsd reed, or
flag than like tree--still grows to the height
of twenty feet or more; and its heavy branches
nodding over the road make delightful shade,
from which we emerge only to pass into the
more outrageous sanctuaries Of the eafetal
The fullleaved orange tree-the thrifty, clean,
dark, glossy foliage of the mango-the tall,
elm-hke aguacate-the cone-shaped mamey,
cover the land on both sides as far as the eve
can reach. Everywhere are seen the light,
shrubby outlines Of the coffee-pla springing
up beneath the statelier fruit trees Avenues
of two and three miles in length lead to the
different quarters Of the estate and formed,
as they are, Of the full exuberant mango tree,
or the aguacate, planted alternately with the
glorious, royal palm, become, indeed, forest
aisles OF surprising nobleness and beauty The
height of the palms is immense, many Of them
towering more than hundred feet into the
air; and it is consequence of this great
height that the overlapping arches of the
graceful leaves do not exclude the sunlight
which pours through the intervals as through
the clerestory windows of cathedral, and gives
life to the green solemnity of the majestic col.
onnades.
The mansion of the cafetal is a model Of a
tropical cottage, elegantly proportoned, cool,
dark, with floors Of variegated marble, and
wood work of rich, deep-hued Indian woods. A
garden, filled with heavy blooms Of rose and
and jasmine, and the gorgeous purple Carolina
and hundred beautiful flowers, makes the air
faint with fragrance. A dense grove of orange
trees near by is lighted up through all its dusk
recesses by the glowing fruit, which lies all about
on the bright red earth-little naked negroes
kicking aside, and satiated pigs disdsinfully re-
jecting, great luscious fruits for which the
mouths OF Beacon street or Fifth avenue might
water. Whenever we ride over there We find
lying on the marble tables of the sttipg-room,
handfuls of these superb oranges, fresh plucked
for US or huge pine.apples, fine as any that
the art and wealth of England can command
in her magnificent lighthouses The pine-ap
alone of all the exported fruits of Cuba ap.
pears to me an entirely new thing when eaten
on its native soil The banana the bush
bananas never allowed to ripen on the tree
as it falls out of its sheltering purple glove i'm.
medately on maturity. When. therefore, we
get really good banana at the North, we have
it in almost if not in quite as Favorable condi-
ton as those are which one finds in Cuba. Nor
is the difference between the ripe orange from
the tree and the well ripened orange from the
fruiterer's shop 80 very remarkable as one
might expect. This | say specially of the
Harana orange. think the orange of South
ern Europe is very much better when eaten
"under the tree" than when bought for three
cents in School street But the pine. apple,
fresh from its scrubby pine, is absolutely an
other creature from that indigestiblc, sour.
stringy thing, which we try in vain to make
palatable by slicing it up and sugaring it. As
eaten here, in its perfection, il realizes our
vague notions of the aromatic fruits that ripen
beneath the tropical sun, and, like Burgundy
among wines, asserts for itself an unquestion-
able and unapproachable superiority. Then
we have the zapote-that strange, potato-faced
fruit which conceals beneath its rude exterior
richness and savory sweetness which neither
the nectarine nor the peach can surpass But
besides these, know no West Indian fruits
which can compare in delicscy and pungency
of favor with our best Northern fruits Al
Cuba has no summer, and the Cuban can
never know the quiet ecstacy of true New
England June day so she has no bountiful out
pouring Of Natures HOLIDAY fare to refresh
mankind, when emancipated from the wear,
works Of winter. The high favored, lordl,
strawberry the juicy, wholesome apple tn
melting pear the peach, that carries in it
rudy heart such odorous memories of its PEI
sian home-these are all unknown in Cuba
In eating her fruits, as in breathing her air
man, like the "heavy-winged thieves Glow
with excess of sweet All this write to YOU
at the dictation of my sober judgment. know
it must be so. But have not yet gathered
honey enough here to weary of the strange,
languid enjoyment of nero living
w. H. H.