The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-02-26
Interesting Letter from Hon. A. @. Rid
dle.

Ole.
tThe following letter from Hon A. G..
Riddle, U. s. Consul at Matanz,s, though
not written for publication, is SO full of in.
terest tba. we take the liberty to give il to
Dur readers .1-ED. Dem.
MATANzAs, Feb. Sd, 1864,
FRIEND CONVERSE -
l came out in the British Steamer Corsica.
via Nassus, that.out of.tho- way, rocky little
town of free negroes, small donkeys and |
blockade.runners, where spen. part of a
day and one night. Jan. sth and 9th. We
reached off Havana Sunday evening, and
lay tossing there all night, entering tho har.
Dor or bay Monday morning.
The Moro is humbug, neither formida.
bio nor imposing, save in the letters and
books of tourists. The bay, perfectly land.
locked, is spacious and most beautiful
formed by'no river, 1t is merely basin with
a narrow outlet. A bottle lying with its
neck to tho sea, is bettor. Though of two
miles in depth, IL seemed crowded with
shipping. The level rays of hot sun we're
flooding everything as we steamed in, aud
anchored mile and half from the landing
dock. A shoa of light boats, with sail aud
awning, swarmed about US, in ono of which,
with trunk and satchel, was pulled ashore.
The sensations of one who, for the first
,i,no approaches the shore of one of these
tropical islands, covered with q great city,
is.a series of strange surprises, which follow
each other so rapidly that utter confusion
ensues. The land itself, with its oriental
type of vegetation, the royal palm, cocoa
trees. plantains, oranges, Sc; tho city, as
here, rising from tho waters edgo, mostly
of one,story houses, painted light yellow,
or palo blue, or bright pea green; the dark,
thin, bilious people. with linen dress and
pink or purple umbrellas; tho myriads of
boats; the crowds of scrambling, half-naked
slaves, with the tattoo of native Africans on
half of them the clamor of q strange but
not unmusical tongue the narrow streets
and grated, unglassed windows, giving u
free look to the whole intoricr, whcro may
be seen groups of dark-eyed languishing,
bare. shouldored, bare bosomcd, dark -browed
women, who cannot 60 in the streets, save
in the eternal uolante, that timber Petor on
two uhAnls -thnan narriaeas, sraneiAd u'ti
silver, drawn by little,snubby Cuban horse,
overwhelmed with hugo saddle. and loaded
down with livoried rider and driver, and
htched at tho end of the Is or 20 feet long
shafts the long trains ofdininutivo horses,
overloaded With vegetables and fruit and
tied to each others tails tho curious shops !;
the fervid sun driving you to the shady side I;
the sounds and cries. the very atmosphere,
and all so unlike anything you ever saw,
that, for day or two, you arc only bewil-
dered.
l was at Havana two days, stopping at
the Hotel Americana, and was the first
American that was ever seen there. It
would take small book to give my expo
risnce there. One feels awfully green and
awkward, like great BOBBY with his finger
in his mouth, staring and being stared at.
That first dinner we'll, l dent like gar
lie myself; think it is unconstitutional /;
and / don't think thoy will put it into NUT
ton chops for another "Americano."
From Havana to Matanzas there is a
railroad, 60 miles. Ferry across the bay,
and take the cars. The ride, with its strange
scenery, was the most interesting of my
life. The island is huge limestone, honey
combed at the top. which, in places, for
large regions, crops out or grows out Jagged
and ragged, so as to preclude human cuti-
vation. The soil is dark chocolate or
lively red. and, in this climate, of a fertility
utterly amazing. These rocky regions that
man can hardly walk over, are overgrowu
and tangled aud matted with a wilderness
of Towering shrubs, trees and plants, and
interlaced, and tied, and overrun, with a
world of Towering vines, among which. the
purple Of tho Morning Glory is everywhere
present. So thick and wild is it, that the
whole route vas lonely and desolato with
vegetation. We pass many cultivated Gas
they cultivate) estates-a matted mass Of
Oahc-o Po'ooo'o'j Pian'ou oooo IL s"ohiJ
years. Regions run wild with that giant
plant, the Plantain, one species of which is
the Banana. Groves of Cocoa trees. and
clumps and colonades of the Royal Palm,
that wondrous tree-a beautiful, round and
perfectly straight column, gracefully swell
ing and tapering away, with its green, sym
metrical, cone-like section at tho top, sur
mounted with the huge, plumo.like leaves.
Oranges grow wild, and Pine Apples with
| little cultivation. Cotton is tree SO are
ferns and the Cactus. This is the season of
oranges, plantains and the red Pine Apple
an inferior kind of pine apple, but better
than any seen in the United States; and 80
of all other pulpy fruits. The thoroughly
ripe decay on the voyage, and are not sent.
Well, l am here, at an American house-the
headquarters of Americans here, and there
are a good many. .-.s .....--~
e
Mantanzas has population Of some 49,
900 or moro, and is one of the principal
sugar and molasses ports. That business is
just in season, and there are about IL or l5
| American sbips here. against about twice