Litchfield enquirer., 1859-06-09
CHARACTERISTICS OF CUBA.

l cannot weary of gazing upon these new and strange scenes the stations with the . groups of peasants aud negroes and frult-seilcrs that gather about them, and the stores of stl- gar and moiasses collected there the ingeni- os, gmmerng in the heat of the sun, witl'their tall furnace cLi.nneys the cane-tieds, acres upon acres the slow ox-carts carrying the cane to the mill theu the intervals of unused country !; the iungles, adorned with little wild flowers, the graves of tue weeping, dropping sad, humcsick cocoa the royal palm, which s to trees what the camel or droniedafy is among aninlals-seemng to have straycd from Nnb;u or Mesopetamia the stiff, close orange-tre, with its golden balls of fruit then the remains of a cafctai. t'i' eoiee-l,lant growing untri;l- med and wila ander the .reprievcsl groves O plantain aud banana. How these tire an ey' that two weeks ago to-day rested OH the mid winter snow and mud of the close streets oi lower New York
 It is certainly true that there is such 8 thing as industry in the tropics. The labor of the tropics gees on. Notwithstanding all ". hear and know of the encryating influence of e the climate, the white man, if not lahor;ons himself is tie cause that labor is in others. With aii it's social and political discourage ments, with the disadvantages of duty of about twenty-five per cent on it's sngars laid in the United States, and a duty of full one hundred per cent. on all flour imported from the United States, and after paying heavier taxes than any people OH earth pay at this moment, and yielding revenue which nets. after every deduction and discount, not less than sixteen millions year-agailst all these disadvantages, this island is still very product i've aud very rich. There is, to be sure little variety il it's industry. In the country, it is nothing but the raising and making Of sugar ; and ill the towns it is the selling and exporting of sugar. With the addition of ltilc coffee and copper, more tobacco, and some frs sh fruit and preserves, and the commerce which they stimulate, and tic mechanics and trading nc cessities of the towns, we have the sun of its industry and resources. Science, arts, letters, arms, manufactures, aud the learning and dis cnssions of politics, of theology, and of the great problems aud opinions that move the minds of the thinking word-in these the peo- pie Of Cuba have no part. These move by them, as the great G ulf Stream drifts by their shores Nor IS t!lcre nor has there been in Cuba, In the memory of the young and middle aged, debate, or vote, CT jurics or one of tht least and most rudimenta processes of selFgov. Ciu'utHt' 1hc huiCeN dDQ CI!noSG GO tlt naiu;il labor the Cubans hold the land aud the capital, and direct the agricultural indus try the commerce is shared between the Gu baiis, and foreigners of all nations and the government, civil and military, is exercised by the citizens of Old Spain. No Cuban votes, or-attends lawful political meeting, or sits or, ajury, or sees a law-making assembly, except as d curiosity abroad, even in a municipality ; nor has he ever helped to make, or interpret, or administer laws, Or borne arms, except by special license of government granted to such as are friends of government. Iu relig on, he has 10 choice, except between the Roman Catholic and none. The laws that govern him are made abroad, and administered by cen tral power, foreign Captain c cneral, through tue agency of foreign civil aud military eff cers. The Cuban has no public career. If he removes to Old Spain, ard is known as su) porter of Spanish royal power, his Creole birth is probably no impeachment to him. But al home, as d Cuban he may be a planter, q merchant, physician, but he cannot expect to be civil magistrate, or to hold commits sion in the army, or an office in the police and though he may be q lawyer, and read, sit. tug, written argument to Court of .!udgcs he cannot expect to be himself Judge. He may publish book, but the government must be be the ed.torn-chief
 Dana's Trip 70 Cuba.