The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-04-28

3 :" p"i'Noiiahu, Where there ~ room Tor a char
( odne 70 pass through, more appalling TO the
/ eye ana the imagination. is less dangerous 10
.he SOBER judgment Of the mind, than those
horrible guliies where to be upset is to be
smothered in mud after all your bones are
broken by the fall We. however were not
upset; and after fordng the little Rio de Ia
Columa, brook when last crossed il. now
swollen to river Of respectable width though
very shallow and more ANNOYING by the
weight OF water to our horses than dangerous
70 ourselves, we safely reached the Almacen Of
Coiuma. This name, which sounds we'll enough.
deslgnates town much like some that figure
| on our western maps; to wit consisting of
three houses, a barn and huge structure, at
once warehouse, shop and hotel Such places
are common enough in the States but these
| Spanish American establishments have peculiar
features OF their own. Instead Of the dreary
counter, with its rows behind of sinister-look-
ing decanters and demiiohns. we had here a
small booth-like apartment arched over with
painted arch, decorated with the Spanish
colors, and bearing the attractive inscription
Las Delicias de la Columa," the approximate
ness OF the title being apparent on a glance at
the shelves OF sweetmeats, cigars, sardines. cor
diais and aguardiente. The dispenser of these
delights was an olive complexioned boy Of Is.
with pair of laughing black eyes, Ike those
OF Murillos musical ragamufins at Dulwieh
Within the spacious warehouse were 10 be
found all manner of comestibles, from Goldfish
to preserved figs. Above, and in the corridors
| below, were the rooms of the hotel, occupied at
this season by the families Of the Vegucras in
the neighborhood, who come here for the sea
bathing" that is, for the privilege of spending
couple of hours n day, padding about in
| fiat nr 60 Of II
| Is feet by ~ in an enclosure covered with
heavy palm-thatch
The permanent population consists of three
men and boy, Eve cats eleven dogs, and
game cock-the latter beast during his "piping
times of peace" being tied by the leg to chair
in the storehouse. We asked the officer in
command, how many guests were staying with
him. Fifteen tcomen, u he replied besides some
men and children, perhaps forty in ALL! pro-
pose that the next "Woman's Rights Conven-
ton" be held in La Couma, for it is plain,
that the male population, though not numerous,
is better prepared for an unconditional surren-
der of the antiquated privileges of man, than
any other beyond the precincts Of California
or Australia. We spent four or five hours at
the Almacen, waiting for the steamboat, as is
usual, during which time the fifteen females SO
precious in the eyes of their host came out into
their saloon; this same saloon serving al the
same time as coach house for dusty volante,
and as a private dining. room for family par.
| ty, while its position ON one side of the house
and its mural arrangements-there being no
| doors-enablcd the occupants to observe the
arrivals and departures, and to enliyen their
retirement with watching the loading of obsti-
nate mules, diversified by an occasional dog
fight The women were very yellow, sickly-
| looking set of creatures dressed in very bright
colors. Their manners and customs were Pc
cuiariy naive and unconstrained | was par
ticularfy attracted by one old lady of sixty
with face like parchment She wore dress
OF scarlet apd white muslin, orange colored
stockings, blue silk shawl, gorgeOusly en-
bFoidered with large dahlias and roses, in green
| and yellow silk bunch of artificial flowers
adorned her hair, and huge gold earrings gilt
tered in her cars. Thus, wonderful in her ap-
pearance che glided gracefully into the store
house, purchased long Jenny Lind" cigar,
asked thefavor of light from Montero gentle
man in striped blue shirt with q sword at his
side and huge spurs on his stockingles feet and
then returning to the saloon" while the soft
hued smoke curled about her head, took up a
large BROOM and proceeded to sweep away
from her chair and from under her feet the
remnants Of the mornings meal Tho family
party dined in private ct two O'clock. They
kindly invited every one who passed by to share
their meal with them hut as four mules one
of whom liked to back viciously into the saloon,
whenever hia master came near him, were be-
ing loaded in tho storehouse during the repast,
We declined their invitation, hoping to make
decent meal on board the boat
But the boat came up, and refused to stop for
us till IT should return from Colon, Ia village a
couple of miles beyond Columa which was
sacked three or four years ago by company
OF lawyers and farmers of the country 30 we
were forced to dine at the Almacen in compa.
3 ny with the people Of the house, some laborers
} OF the neighborhood, the crew of lighter, and
halEdrunken dragoon And must saw, tc
the honor of these good souls that their manners
though by no means elegant were vastly bet.
ter, more decent, unselfsh, and becoming,
than ] have ever seen displayed by much bet
ter dressed companies on board Of steamboats,
and at railway stations in the United States
Even the halfdrunken Dragon evnced his
state chiefly in imprecations upon the dogs and
when they "fought shy" of him, in requesting
Maria sanctissma purissima" to interest her
self for their eternal perdtion. This dragoon
was short, rod faced, white haired, iaunty
sort of fellow, very like an freshman in features
|
lower classes here look more like true Mile.
slams than like Castilians All ones romantic
expectations of tho naughty, sad.eyed Spanish
face are miserably disappointed here. A more
commonplace set OF physognomies never saw
Once in while, to be sure, you meet the grave
Hidalgo countenance, or the keen, humorsoms,
Asturan face
| came across Sancho Panza one day. mas
querading in the white robe of Dominican,
and Lazari!le de Tonnes drove me to the Cerro
in a berlna. But the Catalan type is vul-
gar one generally, yulgarly good or bad as the
case may be-; and tho Creole faces are singu-
lsrly weak or singularly dsagreeahle Punchs
Juveniles are not more pitiably ludiorous than
the short thin, sallow, little fellows in high
hats, black dress coats, and white pantaloons,
who promenade the Plaza, or play practical
jokes on each other in the cafes. And but for
the eager, excited negroes and mulatt0es, a
Cuban cockpit, where you fnd the best repre-
sentation of the rustic Creoles, might be beliey-
ed to be in Kerry or Connaught.
On the way up in-thc boat nothing occurred
worth mentioning excepting that civil engi-
neer, TO whom | was introduced, told me that
he had just been selling hacienda Of land in
the wes,crn department of the Vuelta Abaio.
which had produced on an average $500 the
eabaLeria, Of about 80 acres This was regard.
ed as a very great price, and the hacienda
comprised some Of the best tobacco lands under
cultivation; one small vega or farm on tho
estate, worked by one man alone without savos, |
having netted 81, 900 TO its tenant during the |
last year. tits into this part Of tho island that
great tide of American immigration will |
flow when tho long agony OF annexation is over. |
The tobacco cultivation can be undertaken |
with very small means, while the sugar estates
demand great original outlay; and Kentucky |
and Virginia will probably disgorge numbers
Of their restless sons upon the v1elta Abajo.
The Ceeoles, who are looking forward now |
to the annexation rs to tho Milleuium, will |