Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-05-02
FROM CUBA,
The Museum OF senior JImenO-An
Ingenio-The Lice0-The " OF
Bellamar-A S~ubteFranean Land OF
FaeFY.


three thousand species; the land and sea
shells, the insects, animals, birds, fishes,
minerals, metals and woods. His fish, in
stead of being bottled, are stuffed and the
naturally brilliant colors restored. He
has several thousand medals and many
curious things from foreign countries, but
very sensibly devotes himself chiefly to
the study and development of the produc-
tons Of his native land. He is not a pro-
fessed naturalist, but born TO a fortune,
expends his wealth in these most elevating
pursuits, and, Independent of his own
pleasure, contributes greatly to that of
strangers visiting the city. He arranges
all his specimens, and it is done with the
greatest nicely. There is not the slightest
appearance of heaping or confusion where
all this wealth in SO many departments is
deposited; every article has its fitting
place. His cabinets, made of exquisite
woods, are models of beauty and con-
venience, and his flowers are put up with
all q womsn's carefulness and precision.
Went through the valley on horse
back. Had q beautiful cream-colored
Arabian horse, but sitting him with my
feet towards the right instead of the left
of the animal, did not enjoy his easy
track as much as 1 might otherwise have
done. Visited an Ingenio, the most
primitive we have seen. The sugar is not
grained, is carried from the c~ooking-psns
to the hogsheads in buckets on the heads
of the slaves, up stairs and over a floor so
rough and rickety l could scarcely walk
yet many of them ran with their burden.
Men and women were working togeth-
er, all in very dirty, ragged clothe5. One
woman wore q chain with an iron anklet
that clanked as she walked, not q musical
sound to my untutored ears. They were
the most bold and forward persons l had
ever seen, and l was sorry to learn their
master was an American. In the scale of
goodness as q master the islanders put the
Frenchmen first and the American last,
NOT fattering, certainly. We went to the
negro quarters. Their huts are close to-
GtLu6It dEb u1d46 VI bllChs AdlA Ia AANA
the walls about six feet high, the roof
matched with palm leaves. An old crone
unpadlocked the door of one of them and
I went in. Itwas divided into two rooms,
the outer occupied by children, doves and
a cat. A rough board box had some
shelves across, on which was some broken
food, q plate and cup; the inner room had
q bit of sacking in one corner, and after
standing till my eyes were accustomed to
the darkness, l discovered two prints of
the Virgin in coarse frames. 1t was not
much to crafty an aesthetic taste but
pleased me as indicating a notion, howev-
er g it might be, Of something spir-
itual. As I stepped from the windowless
hut / could have cried " Hail holy light
with all the fervor of a Parsee.
And it is out of the sweat and blood of
these literally as well as spiritually be-
nighted beings that are madethese prince
" fortunes that make the word Cuban
suggestive of Cresus. Will this neither
stratum of humanity be always thus su-
pine? VIII ever "the generous chief
arise to lead them willing to be led" to
freedom and knowledge?
Quien sabe9
Passed an evening at an entertainment
given BY Hthe Liceo." Went at eight
o'clock, found a small but pretty han I'LL
ed with ladies en- grande tenae,
the gentlemen filing the entrances and
gallery. Had three Interesting comedies,
the acting excellent, a poem, an essay and
music by a band. The Liceo is a society
of gentlemen whose duty it is to provide
social amusements for their circle. They
have PLAYS, music, balls, &c. Every Sun
day they publish a little newspaper and
they teach night schools for artisans and
children of the poor.
Paid a visit to Fl Cumbre, a plantation
that crowns of the highest hills in the
region. The views on the way up are en-
chanting. To the right the valley of the
San Juan, the city, the harbor with its
hundred ships and the open sea, to the left
the whole valley of the Yumuri with its
palms, its Ingenios and its circling hills.
What was the coffee plantation is now
planted with cane or suffered to run wild.
A few plants with the ripened fruit we
saw, cane, orangetrees with their golden
balls and cocoa-nut palms. The mayoral
unbucklsd his sword, laid down his knife,
an ever present portion of their costume,
0lNcsLcA ululECA IA hAC dlns kOluk w
the tree like a monkey, threw down cocoa
nuts to us, which afterwards he chopped
open with his sword I was glad to learn
why it wa worm and offered us a drink.
While we were in the garden q negro |
woman with four little children, very |
black,came to US, and the urchins kneeling
down and placing their hands on their
breasts began to repeat something very
rapidly. The mayoral said they were
asking our benediction. l thought it was
medios rather, the more as n of them
in the midst of the scene changed her po-
sition to be nearer the dispensing hand.
March I5h-Drove over very bad road
three miles, TO the Caves of Bellamar. |
These were discovered four years since, and
extend more than halfa milein q straight
line at q depth o three hundred and sixty |
feet. At one point is an aperture, through
which one might crawl, into q chamber
which is determination of river, where, |
according to the guide, a negro swan five
miles. What possible means he had of
measuring I know not. But there is no
need of resorting to fabulous tales to en-
nance the wonders of this m~arVellously |
beautiful place. The ave is Of limestone, |
friable as possible. Overhead are etalac-
tites of every form that imagination could
conceive, and on the floor stalagmites |
wonderful for size and beauty. Fancy
has exhausted itself in naming the cham
bers in these grottoes and the formations
with which they are crowded. 1.-THE
grand Salon." the "Gothic Temple" the
Apostles the Organ with sonorous
pipes, the HVirgin's Mantle" a sheet of
translucent crystal to which the guides
taper impaired & roseate hue, and which,
as he waved his torch before it glittered
if sown with silver stars, 1.-THE mantle
of Columbus and many more only ind
cats these forms of beauty by their resem-
blance to the objects for which they have
been named. The roof in many places is
filed with projecting crystals delicate as
those traced by the frost on the window
pane; in others sslid pillars descend like
the clustered columns ia a cathedral to be
met, often at a single point by columns
as solid. Arches with fringed borders
pure as driven snow extend over the pas
and on, and on, as you go through
the tortuous ~windings some new element
of wonder strikes you. Now you .stoop
almost to the ground, striking your head,
in spite Of your care, upon the rock above
you, and crawling along a few yards lift
yourself up in a vaulted chamber whose
are so far above you that the glar-
ing torch enables you but dimly to trace
their outlines. Again you stop to listen
., H. 5ra,,;,. ~ 8afnr end aro ofrarod a |