Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-05-29

mind, and carry you back in Imagination to
those old world cities which have existed for
ages the abodes Of oppression and the kennels
of the oppressed. It is painful to think of
having European dccrepitude broughts 50 near to
our own doors in this new world Of ours, and
We are led to think of the history of this Queen
of the Antilles, and in fact Of all the Spanish
American colonies,-old while they were yet
young, fashioned upon q corrupt and pcrishing
model, which while it was in the blaze and
zenith of its glory stunk with the foul exhala-
tions Of its own decay biased upon no other
principle than filthy avarice and soraid ambi-
ton, without any of the moral stamina of in
dependence and virtue which inspired the souls
and nerved the arms of the men whe landed at
Plymouth, and Weccacoe, how could we expect
such colonies to be any other thani OF the
parent stock, like cuttings from fruit tree, as
old the day they are planted us the original
tree. And so it is with Cuba her face wears
the furrows of age and debauchcry; the same
disease which reduced the bloated race, to do
creptude and inanity is fostering in her vitals,
and she must share her mothers fate. This you
cannot but see the moment you land in Havana,
the Metropolis of the island. Who would have
such City, such State engralted upon our
fair and youthful republic! Who would not
shudder at the prospect and shrink from the
contact as from the touch of an inmate of
lazaar house In heavens name are not our
shoulders too heavily laden al eady with our
own sins to admit Of on additional burden T.
Let it tsufice--let Cuba sink with her own load
or by degrees slough out the cancer, and then
rise in her own strength to the new life of beau
ty and goodness for which God and nature in
tended her. These may be first impressions,
but they are honest ones; let us see more of
the country and people before we judge fnrth-
or.
Let us take II survey of the appearance of
things in this strange metropolis. In the old
part of the city which is surrounded by u wall,
the streets are narrow and crooked, without
side walks, or at best very narrow ones, not al
lowing two persons to pass abreast. They are
paved or macadamized with the porous coral
limestone rock upon which the island is based
and of which all the houses are built, and the
fine white dust which arises, caused by the at
triton of the wheels, fills your eys and your
nostrils and covers everything, in doors as well
<x,.k fasl Ia la,
the city, there are some fine wide avenues plant
ed with palm trees, and ornanented with foam
tains, among which are the Calzado Do Belas-
coin, Calzado de Ia lnfanta, the Paseo dc Tacon
and the Paseo de Isabel, which are beautiful
thoroughfares and form the principal fashion,
able drives
Tho houses orc covered with stucco over
which is placed coating Of white, yellow, blue
or red, according to the builjcrs taste, which
is generally bad, the most glaring contrasts be-
ing frequently presented upon the same building.
But time and nature are constantly at work
soitcning down these incongruities and blending
the gaudy tints, which soon become soiled by
the dust of the streets and faded and peeled off
by the action Of the sun; add to which, over
he whole, the vegetable kingdom asserts its su-
premacy, by covering palace and hovel alike
with IL sort of linchn black cryptogamous
growth, very thin, scarcely more than a mere
mould, which commences in littlo specs and
grows rapidly into circular blotches, spreading
in every direction from the centre, like hugo
ring worms, covering up the fanciful decora-
tions Of the architect and painter; so that the
whole town presents rather rusty and shabby
appearance to eyes accustomed to the bright
clean fronts of our cities The buildings are
all in the Spanish style, surrounding court
paved with flags, and the only entrance is the
carriage-way, guarded by q pair of ponderous
doors, which are never closed but at night, and
which in the dwellings of the rich are of warm
ished mahogany and thickly embossed with
brightly polished brass studs. Tho windows
are hugo bulks, with iron gratings instead of
glass, projecting into the street and reaching
from floor to ceiling inside are blinds Or cur
tains which are almost never closed and thus
you have an excellent view of the cool, airy,
tile paved apartments within. Two rows of
comfortable looking rocking chairs or butacas
"a curiously fashioned easy chair in which you
may half recline) stand facing each other on
either side of the window, and there, if it be
evening, you will see the family group taking
their ease and looking out upon the passers by
who think it no harm to look in upon them
The great hall or passage serves the double pur-
pose of entrance and carriage house, and there,
alongside of the parlor, from which it is sepa-
rated by partition, in which are large, lanci
full iron gratings, and sometimes by no partition
at all, {for these Cuban houses are constructed
with especial reference to the freest passage o.
air. stands the elegantly kept volante, shining
: with its polished mountings Of silver plating
Further back, across the court yard, and ad
joining or underneath apartments appropriated
for eating, sleeping and the culinary depart
' ment, you may see the well groomed carriag,
Q horses switching their tails The Spanish
horse, like the Arabian, sleeps under the SAM
8 roof with his master but the rooms are gener
8 ally lofty and you are not much annoyed by tn
e proximity of the dining room to the stable
The roofs of the houses are often fiat in the ori
IS entail style, protected by stone battlemcnts sur
n mounted by painted urns or vases they ar
n brick paved OF covered with cement and forr
y livery delightful promenades or look'outs in tn
Q cool of the evening, The houses Of lesser pre-
@ tentions are generally of but one story wit
n steep roofs covered with semi-cylindrcal tiles
Y red burnt brick, which have q quaint, antiqu
o and often tasty effect, when arranged, as the
+ frequently are, to form faneiful corniee Blu