The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1859-07-02
Dana on cusa.-Iu Rural Scenery.

AS we leave hlhtduIuSi We iie0 W -
ascending grade, and the bay and city lie
open before us. The bay is deep on the
western shore, under the ridge of tho
/ Cumtre, and there the vessels lie at
anchor; while the rest of the bay is shall
| low, and it's water, in this state OF the
sky and light, is of pale green color.
The lighters, with sail and oar, are plying
between the quays and the vessels below.
All is pretty and quiet and warm, but the
scene has none of those regal points that
so impress themselves on the Imagination
and memory in the surroundings OF Ha-
vana.
lam now to get my first view of the
interior of Cuba could not have more
favorable day. The air is clear, and not
excessively hot. The soft clouds float
midway in the serene sky, the sun shines
fair and bright, and the luxuriance OF
perpetual summer covers the face OF ma
ture. These strange palm -trees every
where! / cannot yet feel at home among
them. Many of the other trees are like
our own, and, though tropical in fact, look
10 the eye as if they might grow as well
in New England as here. But the roya!
palm looks so intensely and exclusively
tropical! 1t cannot grow beyond this
narrow belt of the earth's surface. Its
long, thin body, so straight and so smooth,
swathed from the foot-in tight band
/ age of gray canvas, leaving only its deep
green neck, and over that its crest and
plumage of deep green leaves +! 1t gives
no shade, and bears no fruit that is valued
by men. And it has no beauty to atone
( for those wants. Yet it has more than
beauty--a strange fascination over the
eye and tho fancy, that will never allow
it to be overlooked or forgotten. The
palm-tree seems kind Of iasas nature
/ to the northern eye-an exotic wherever
/ you meet it. 1t seems to be conscious OF
! its want of usefulness for food or shade,
yet has dignity Of its own, pride OF
unmixed blood aud royal descent-the
hidalgo of the soil.
What are those groves and clusters OF
small growth, looking like Indian corn IN
a state of transmigralion into trees, the
stalk turning into trunk, a thin, soft
coating half changed to bark, and the ears
of corn turning into melons? Those are
the bananas and plaintains, as their
bunches-of green and yellow fruits plain
ly enough indicate, when you come near
er. But, that sad, weeping tree, its long
yellow. green leaves dropping to the
ground What can that be? 1t has q
green fruit like melon. There it is
again, in groves! interrupt my neigh
boris tenth cigarrito, to ask him the name
of the tree. Il is the cocoa! And that
soft, green melon becomes the hard she'll
we break with hammer. Other trees
there are, in abundance, of various forms
and foliage, but they might have grown
in New England or New York, so far as
the eye can teach us but the palm, the
cocoa, the banana and plaintain are the
characteristic trees you could not possibly
meet with in any other zone.
1 Thickets-jungles might call them
abound. 1t seems as If bird could hard
ly get through them yet they are rich
with wild-howers of all forms and colors
the white, the purple, the pink, and
the blue. The trees are full of birds Of
all plumage. There is one like our brill
liant oriole. l cannot hear their notes for
the clatter of the train. Stone fences,
neatly laid up, run across the lands-not
, Of our cold blnish-gray granite, the color,
, as friend once said, Of "a miser's eye, but
of soft, warm brown and russell, and we'll
, overgrown with creepers, and Hinged With
flowers. There are avenues, and here are
clumps of the prim orange tree, with It's
, dense and deep green polished foliage
cleaning with golden fruit Now We
come to acres upon acres OF the sugar.
cane, looking at distance like fields OF
overgrown broom corn. 1t grows TO the
) height of eight or ten feet, and very
thick. An army could be hidden in i.
/ This soil must be deeply and intensely
, fertile. 49,
/ There, at the end of an avenue Of
! palms, in a nest Of shade trees, Is group
of white buildings, with sea of cane
, fields about it, with one high furnace
chimney, pouring out its volume OF black
smoke. This il a sugar plantation-my
first sight Of an ingenio; and the chimney
is for the steam works Of the sugar.house.
:, Il is the height of the sugar-seasoD. and
the untiring engine tolls and smokes day
and night Ok carts, loaded with cane,
: are moving slowly to the sugar-house
from the fields; and about the house, and
:, in the fields, in various attitudes and mo-
tons Of labor, are the negroes-merI
!, women and chiliren-some cutting the
& cane, some loading. the carts, and some
tending the mill and the furnace.- IL IS
busy scene Of distant industry, in the al
ternoon sun of a languid Cubau day.
= Now these groups Of white one story
! buildings become more frequent, some
times very near each other, all having the
= same characterize group Of white build
- ings, the mill, with its tall furnace-chim.
ney, and the look Of distillery, and al
Q differing from each other only in thu
>. number and extent Of the buildings, orr
= the ornament and comfort of shade-treei
= and avenues about them. Sjme are ap
:. preached by broad alleys of the palm, o
- mango, or orange, and have garden
y around them, and stand under cluster
=, =. and shade trees; while Others glitter II
"a the hot sun, on the fat sea of cane-fieldi
i. with only little oasis of shsde-trees ant
i. fruit-.rees Immediately about the houses
!! | now begin TO feel that am in Cuba
:. in the tropical, rich, sugar-growing, slave
81 TILED Cuba. Heretofore, have seen on
:, " the cities and their environs, in whic
=" there are more things that are commo
to the rest of the world. The COUNT
Ie. life tells the story Of any people that hav
A country life. The New Eogland farm
'n' house shows the heart Of New England
The mansion house and cottage show th
heart of Old England. The plantatio
life that I am seeing aud about TO see, tel
las the story of Cuba, the Cuba that has bee
to and that is. ~
M