Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-05-29
From the Rural Intellisencer.
A Voyage to Cuba.
LETTER II.
Havana.

HAVANA.
Hero you find yourself In the midst of q maze
Of novelty, and you hardly know whether you
ore In dream, or whether, like Rip Van Win.
klc, you have just awakened from some enchant-
ing slumber, during which every thing has been
metamorphosed but YOURSELF Only six days
ago, y@u were in the thralldom of winter now
summer reigns over your head But that of
course Why should it be any thing but sum-
mer, where every thing is evidently fashioned
to suit it! These houses turned inside out, as
fur as they can be, with their stone paved arch
ways in place of halls, their Gle and marble
flooring, in place Of pine and Brussels, and their
enormous bulk windows with iron bars in place
Of sash and glass-how out of place they would
be if old winter should ever visit them He
would have to put on linen pantaloons and turn
his iciclc-beard into sherry cobblers, I trow.-
The thing is not to be thought Of And soon
you accept this pitching of You into the middle
of next summer, by the fairy who has taken
of you, as matter of course, without
any surprise. You do not even wonder that you
have to wipe the perspiration from your fore
head, but only think what n simpleton you
were to be seen in the streets with beaver and
in broadcloth, when every body else wears q
Panama and linen or grass CLOTH and you has
ten to drag out from the bottom of your trunk
the most summer-ike gear that you can find
there. Your toilet is arranged. You ore not
too soon, for there goes the gong, sounding for
breakfast. Breakfast, did you say! Why,
bless my soul, it is ten o'clock
We are now at the Colon Hotel, kept by Mrs
Ahmy, an American lady, and one of the very
few American houses in the place but the
hours as well US the styles of cookery and the
quality and variety of the dishes, are decidedly
Spanish, as you will soon perceive. Let us walk
out to the dining hall and sec. Here are well
loaded tables covered with u great variety ol
dishes, all smoking and steaming from the kitch-
en- lie are roast chickens and boiled ham and
beef a la mode and mutton stakes and mutton
chops and bee stakes and boiled tongue, and
fish Of all sorts, both great and small, boiled
broled, and fried, besides any quantity of stews
and hashes and boiled rice, too, and great
variety Of vegetable many Of which you have
never seen before and ice and wine in the glas.
ses but there are no cups and saucers, and
nothing like your old fashioned notions of
breakfast there is little bakers roll beside
your plate which is evidently your allowance of
bread, and us for butter you look in vain for
the article until somo oily looking stuff in
covered bowl, which nobody pretends TO cat,
answers your call. However, you F" go it while
you can,' and eat what you like, call the meal
what you please. And, now you have finished
and the rest are not half done. Like true
Yankee you have bolted your food as though
breakfast was matter of business to be hasti-
ly disposed of; SO, not to appear singular, you
must pretend to eat for three quarters of an
hour longer and then prepare yourself for your
cup OF coffee, which you would be very unso.
phisticated to expect to take with your ham
and eggs. And it will not do for you to appear
in any degree verdant" or you will expose
yourself to the polite and gentlemanly observa.
tions of a party of young Americans, who evid-
emily imagine themselves appointed to entertain
the company by their brilliant and wit ~ re-
marks in an undertone, which arc not SO low
however, but that the whole table can heal
them. Their courteous department is in strik.
ing contrast to that of some more quiet gentle.
men who sit near, and who manifest no sucl
desire to distinguish themselves, but are evel
ready to pass you any dish that you may wisl
for and can converse quite huently upon th'
affairs of the day, notwithstanding their slight
ly foreign accent. They ever seem to rise su
perior to our young countrymen when any 9th
er topic is started than the last performance q
the Tacon, or the recent arrivals by the steam
er and you cannot full to be mortified at thei
terrible failures when they attempt to join il
any intelligent conversation and were it no
that one or two gentlemen of an older school
occasionally come to rescue. you would thinl
the character of our nation abroad would b.
ruined by such representatives. You are tn
more pained, too, to perceive amongst these sci
important gentry, number who wear the gil
and blue of our own navy uniform. Wha
must be the impression created by these dandie
upon tho minds of those staid looking foreign
ers, who have been the objects of their poo
wittcism! If these are specimens of the mel
who represent US abroad, no wonder that yo,
hear of occasional instances of insolence iron
the petty government officials with whom the
must sometimes come N contact.
Breakfast over, you propose walk to see tn
town. /" What, in this sun! Why, man, yo
are crazy Light your cigar, take book, fin
your case on sofa or rocking chair, and fa
asleep; or you may after while turn into you
cot, draw your musquito bar, and order batl
and the servant to waken you in time for dir
ner, wnlch Will De at f0ur.
Dinner you find to be the same as brcakfas
only you have soup and roast beef; and de
sert of sweetmeats and fruit after. You ma
now order volante and take drive to 500 Il
town and tho fashions
The situation of Havana is handsome it HI
one of the finest harbors in tho world, and
appearance from the water is beautiful. I'll
extensive Notifications and walls, which su
round it AID protect it alike from the incursio
of an enemy and of the waters of the harbor
times of hurricanes and northers give it
aspect Of massive strength and grand old beau
when seen from the water. On landing, d
city presents to the stranger visiting it for d
first time IN appearance at once novel, mel
and attractive. The strangeness of the eve
thing, streets, houses, objects and sounds 81
it atleast the charm of novelty, while the stri