Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-08-07
Hlisfellanp.
From the Rural Intelligencer.
A Voyage to Cuba.
LITTER V.

LOOK u flue, OUTSIDE the wallis, around the city !;
and then directed our course to the Bishops
Garden, to view the beautiful tropical trees and
plants there growing. We were accompanied
in our ride by little Joseph, a youth from Mrs
Almys, whom we had made use of, during ouI
stay there as guide, interpreter and errand boy
being very intelligent and willing, and without
any Of that trick Of asking for pay at every
turn, SO common to walters and servants. He
was our companion in the volante, describing
to US the plants, giving us the names of places
as we rode along, and protecting us from the
impositions Of the rascally calashero, who
would not scruple to carry US anywhere, over
the most uninteresting routes, if alone, satisfied
60 he consumed his hour, and oxtorted from us
double his lawful fare. Joseph would direct
where to drive; and then fight the war Of words
with the calashero at the door, on our return,
after we had paid the legal rate, and retired to
our room Joseph, too, would run after the
fruit mongers for us, and bring home the choic-
est bananas and oranges we could not Jaoge
of them as he could-and five times as many as
we could buy for the same money and he
would DO any other errand that we wished, and
never asked for medic He was pretty
bright-eyed Spanish boy, and spoke English
well, from having lived four years in New York
with his mother But to return to our ride.
The drive to the Bishops Garden is one of
tba r,ud
being lined with the princely mansions and sur
burban villas of the wealthy citizens, who pre-
fer the quiet and retirement of country life to
the noise and dust Of the city We pass by
the palace or summer residence Of the Count
Fcrnandna, one Of the wcalthiest planters or
the island. There is Il great deal of regal mag
nfcencc about these houses, and the variety O
beautiful and strange looking trees and shrub
berry growing about them adds to the Orienta
effect of the picture. The long ranges of beau
tiful, airy porticoes, paved with polished mar
BILE or porcelain tiles, half hidden by delicate
little vines, whose var-colored flowers load the
air with their perfumes, and behind which yor
sec the ever lasting rocking chairs and butaca'
Of the Cuhars, ever ready for occupancy and
further back the dim vistas of iairy-like apart
ments, seen through open gratngs and latticcs
where you can hardly tell whether it is in door
or out, so open and airy are they, suggesting
thoughts of flowers and fruits. vases, statuette'
and fountains, hut no where, of domestic com
forts, ian occasional couch. enveoped in gauzy
drapery, being the only thing like living that
you can discover in these birdcage houses, all
go polished and hright,) the tai column o
king palms ontside, with their crowns of feath.
cry branches and the great, broad leaves Of the
plantan trees waving right in at the windows
as if on purpose to fan the luxurious inmates
TO repose, ali give you an idea of fairy-land
of
"--he fragrant bowers Of Amb,ralad" "
---ot the famous jewelled cities os Shadukium
in lovely Jinnistan, the Land of Delight.
An elysian suburb, occupied chiefly by th'
English and American residences, now lines tht
road on each side and you are relieved by th
sight of glass windows and other home like &c
compartments, which, however needless in thi
climate, seem to be indispensable to your no
tions of living and, combined with the beau
titul tropical scenery around, give an air o
luxurious comfort. which almost realizes you
ideas OF terrestrial Paradise.
We now enter the gate Of the Bishops Gar
dens, and pass on toward the deserted Palace
Dllapidation and decay mark your footsteE
everywhere in this beautiful Eden. The wal
are oyergrown, the trees and shrubbery riotin
in wild confusion, all striving for the mastery
delicate exotics over ridden and borne down |
this rankcr and indigenous plants, and the des
and dying strewng the ground ; the building
neglected and forlorn and the fountains a
chokcd and ovcrhown, This sad state of thin
has been caused by the non-residence of propr
etors, the estate having passed out of the po
session of its former occupiers, the wealth
ease-loving and luxurious bishops. There
still, however, IN air of grandeur about
neglected house and grounds. which speaks
you OF the splendor of other days; and I
beautiful vistas opening through magnGct
gudarajahs of palm trees of every variety for
ing picturesque colonades between which +
set OF intervals the graceful fern-like crowns
the saeo plants; the prickly aloe, with its cri
Son tufts OF central leaves and it's downy ste
supporting enormous raccm2s Of beautiful W
work howers; the ever fragrant oleander, 10,
ed with its crimson blossoms; the South ,
rose. a gorgeous species Of hibiscus and 70
OF every description, from tho delicate . Nj
noa-tea' y to the ycddost Of the deep blush
sanguineas, now all unkempt, but rank d
Harrisburg as when at first in Eden they SPA
INTO exultant growth at the Creators fiat,
were pronounced "good " The delight
shady groves Of mango almond and lamar
trees ana hundreds Of Others of tropical grow
rare exotlcs, whose very names you are ig
rant oi.-'invite you to lnger under Il
branches, and study thei peculiar beaut
white your sens are rcgaed with the delici
odors OF their thousand blossoms and
wander on, from one new scene to another
bewiiJering maze of admiration, eurio
ana wonder TIL the shadows of approach
evening admonish you to return. We pa,
"wnile to look at some poor, imprisoned
mails In cages, and won Tered ut the kin
gfa'lhcatlon that can be derived in thus kee
these noble brctCs in perpetual misery.
many OF the trees and plants Of the gar
ana like their poor keepers, too, they