The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-02-14
Our st. Domingo correspondence.

ST. DOMINGO CRY, Jan Is, 1866.
The steamer De Soto, Captain Walker, arrived in this
port yesterday, having board the Hon. william II.
Seward and his son Frederick, accompanied by Mrs
Frederick Seward and Miss Gordon The distinguished
party visited in the roadstead by jones'
the American Consul and General Cazneau, late United
states Special Envoy TO this republic They landed at
about ten O'Clock A. NJ and proceeded TO the residence
of Mr.. Fabens late Consul at Cayenne, where they
received the visits OF the diplomatic and corps
At midday official call made upon President
Baez, at the national palace.
The President surrounded by his Cabinet ministers
and the officers of his personal staff The Seward party
accompanied by Messrs Cazneau, Fabens and Jones'
and Captain Walker, Of the Dc Soto. On leaving the
Presidents palace the party proceeded to the great
Cathedral whore General Cazneau pointed out the spot
the ashes Of Columbus and his Diego reposed
ill their removal 10 Havana in 1895. As Mr.. Seward
paced the sounding aisles Of the grand old pile
he spoke OF the auspices under which II was
erected, the pomp and circumstances attending
the settlement Of St Domingo, once haughtly styled
the metropolis of the New World, and conrasted IL all
with the beginning Of the mighty empire growing up
within the limits OF his own country-a beginning made
pardonabe pride alluded to the present There power,
youthful freshness epressibe vitality here ruin and
desolation. Yet ST. Domingo City y majestic in It's
ruins, and this old cathedral begun In 1914 and finished
In 1910 yet outlast many OF the proudest odccs Of
grand New York; type OF that church which, AS
Mncauay says ssaw the commencement OF all the
ernmens and OF all the ecclesiastical establishments
that now exist In the world, and which, he suggests,
may be destined to see the end of them all.
From the cathedral the ruins Of the monastery OF
santa Clara thence 10 the roof OF splendid palace
erected in the style OF the Moorish palaces OF Granada
whence there fine view OF the picturesque city,
which caused Mr. Frederick Seward regret that they
had brought with them Photographic operntor and
a stroll through the streets where Columbus and his
panions rode their Barbay three hundred and ty
years ago; round by the crumbng forts at which
our Monitors would laugh: past the barracks OF the
barefootcd soldiers who humbled the pride OF mperous
spain; glance at the grave Of Santana, where the old
traitor sleeps frendless and alone-anon walking amid
decaTing but not lettering corridors, OF which
fhc Native OF to-day has built his hut and In of
which only the lizard shot forth from hole In the
Wondering wall 10 look upon the representative
the towering front OF vacant and desolae houses
and the open doors Of the be hut where this myster
working ut the problem that
10 have solution; crowds Of faces and crouchng
figures every door aud window, gazing with wonder
along-down again into the commercial quarter TO he
amused with tho grotcsque display OF European and
tropical wares commingled including parrots, monkeys
and fruits Of many luscious kinds which Haw-
thorne would have termed oothsome lunch mt Gene
raj cazneaus thence to the river side where Captain
Walker OF the De Soto Is Mortified to detect In Mr.
Seward symptoms OF a desire TO buy parrot From
parrot 10 a monkey the transition Is easy and the bold
mariner looking at his WATCH hints that II Is time 10 be
OF and ends memorable event In the history Of this
old town.
To-day the populace realizing that Mr. Seward has
been here and gone, are Wild With excitement They
crowd along the SEA wall pccrng across the waters and
perhaps Of the imaginative sort fancy they
detect trail OF smoke along the horizon where the
DE Soto was last seen.
As this l. particularly Seward letter will here close
merely adding that St. DOMINGO Is rapidly recuperatng
under the wise and fostering policy OF President Bacz
who j. a Of thousand The weather for the past
fortnight las been remarkably cool and pleasant and the
health Of the place excellent The British brig Ocean
Belle sails to-day for New York with iu cargo OF the
products OF the island including fine specimens Of
copper orc from the mines OF the New York and 81
Domingo Company There are no American vessels in
port