The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-08-18
A VISIT TO HAYTI.
Notes Made at Gonaiyes.
Cor. of The n. Y. Tribune.
MAIDEN, Mass, April 30.
THE TOWN.

II " w NJ
Gonaives hasa population of fou. thous
and, or thereabouts; more probably hig b
er, | should judge, than less; althougI
Mr.. Darrell estimated the number of in
habltants at between three and four thou
sand only There are only thirty whites
IN the place; most of whom are English
men and Germans.
The town is situated on a level, sand ,
plain, which extends for several miles be
hind it; its noble bay. semicircular in
form, affords an excellent and deep har.
Dor, with natural breakwater of cora
reef; to the right, in looking at the ocean
from the land. rise lofty hills; while to
the left for many league extends the
fat fertile plain of Gonaives
The town is we'll laid out-the streets
both broad and regular; no traces here
Of earthquakes or of devastating wars,
for although the houses are generally old
one story high, greatly in need of paint,
and mere shells-frame houses uDplaster-
ed and uDceiled-s there is look OF
civilization and prosperity which, coming
from the Cape with its endless ruins, or
from Limbe with its Central African as
pect, is exceedingly pleasant and encour-
aging to the friends of Hayti. There are
numbers of good two story houses.
THE SOADIERY.
Here, as in Cape HaytieD, you con-
stantly meet bands of the ragged, indo-
lent and undisciplined soldiery, which are
at once the curse aud the folly of the ma
tion-justly the jest of all civilized peo-
pie. The Haytiens are exceedingly
sensitive to foreign opinion. Let them
learn from their friends that their army
is the laughing stock of the world, as it
richly deserves to be. Hayti is impreg-
nable; no existing power could perma-
nently hold her; but her defense is not in
her regular army. 1t consists of ber
mountains, gorges, rivers and fevers; the
bravery and self-sacriiciug spirit of her
people; the abundance of her minerals,
and poisons, and sulpher mines. There
is nothing more ludicrous than the ap-
pearsnce of Haytien regiment. Such
fearfully and wonderfully ragged troops;
such extraordinarily dirty and unuDiform
"uniforms;" so many barefooted, or Old
slippered. or old d-booted, or old -sandaled
poor fellows. it is impossible, fancy, to
see in any other country.
AT every corner of the street you see
the lazy fellows lounginiDg, their whole
dress very frequently not worth dollar.
Their arms-nearly all of which were
purchased by Christopher-too often are
as sadly in want of repair as their cos
tunes. They are kept under arms and
weekly drill, without the slightest need
of their services: for no foreign power
has the remotest idea of conqueriDg the
Island-all are satisfied with the disas-
trous experiment of Napoleon; and, even
if America or France, or any other ma
tion had such a design. better soldiers
than the regular army of Hayti could be
N manufactured from the people of the
mornes in less than a month at any
time.
THE RETAIL STORES.
Here, as at the Cape, there is large
number Of retail stores, the greater por-
tion with marvelously little in them. and
generally kept by mulatto girls. Even
the drug stores here, as at the Cape, are
kept By women. Here, too, as at the
Cape, there are not balf dozen sign
boards in town-nor glass in the win
dows, nor that scrupulously clean appear
ance, nor that assidous attendance which
the shops at home.
THE MARKET.
The market place, as at the Cape. is
large paved square, which, on the regu-
lar day, is covered by black women,
squattered on the ground. and surrounded
by the articles they offer for sale. The
shops at one side of the square are all
retail dry goods houses; and they display
their goods not only inside of their doors,
but also cover the pavement and half of
the street with their stands.
THE CEMETERY, CHURCH AND
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
The cemetery is truely dreray spot.
1t is on the outskirts of the town, and is
neither fenced nor divided with walks
There are numbers Of tombs:ones, and
head stones, and railiDgs around graves;
but the sand, continually drifting over
everything, gives the burying ground
very sad aud desolate appearance. | saw
the graves of several American seameD.
The Catholic Church is a large barn
ike structure, very rude, very filthy, aud
very old. 1t has no floor but the black
md unswept earth.
The military buildings | did not ex'
anime. though saw them at little dis
ance. | was told that they are worse
kept than the forts and arsenal at Cape
Haytien, and the latter were SO utterly
md deplorably dilapidated and redleu-
Gus that | did not care to visit any moro
ike them. | was assured that the arsen-
Il at GoDaiyes was little better than vii
age blacksmith's shop in America.
The same style of dress, the same
node of life, the same proportions OF
nulattoes, the same kind and character