The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-02-06

ttf--tsI--~T-- -
Havana to see one Of these xpansive Afri-
can matronsfogpdsring along the high
WAYS Witt d long mine. stuck iii her mouth
and rircredS out IN TIE height Of fsshion,
with o broad scarf drifting from her shoul-
.Siers, and q trail whose length has been adj,
iosted In liberal proportions with her own
width. But the most wonderful thing OF
all is to hear them speak Spanish. am
aware that travellers before me have mar
yelled to hear the children in France dig
coursing French so fuently. This is doubt
less extremely curious p but 70 nests. u
niger talk Spanish lit is over snslnt1ng
In resurn for the kind sreatme ut they ex,
3perisnce, the negroes do the citizens Q COCO
service by gathering up the oigaEs..aqnps'
that might otherwise breed Pesslience'
and, driving, powdering, and consuming
= sn, insthe shape Of cigarettes. 1gt st..yt7I
/. - Ave been to sees ball-fght::2I do not
snnrove of bull-fghts PEI. Sc, but, as 9 ira
yaller after infcrmationeI could not feel
that nv thirst for, knowledge was ade-
Soussely slsksd till had seen 90 pronounced
a feature of Spanish civilization. It took
place on Sunday, which 10 The sensational
',day-bpll- fights, coekfghts, operas, and,
In fine. all the best things coming on on
Sunday-and the announcement stated that
.. six famous bulls, Yankees and natives OF
the country would fight in honor OF II the
volunteers; and the management went on
To declare that sit would be ungrateful II
i did not say, in view Of the legitimate
r;ohts unclaimed In this noble land, Hiua
Espana Yiua C,lbat glory to Gene y
DuIce n'-a sort Of patriotic outburst now
become ldreadfully common, and fgurlng
On every printed thing--Tfrom the theatre
bills TO an advertisement Of q corn plas-
ter. A large and appreciative audience
collected at the plaza de Toros to see the
fight. among whom were nearly oil
the Americans in Havana. Three or four
ladies were present, who, to their honor De
Il recorded, soon got sick and left. The
plaza de Toros is large amphitheatre, with
4 fine arena, and tiers of seats admirably
arranged for seeing. 1t has no roof, ana
hence the prices of admission are graaeo
according as you sit on the, shady or the
sunny side-being one dollar for the for
mer. and sixty cents for the latter. me
mode of conducting the performance is
about as follows: A bull Is turned In, VINO
goes rearing and rampipg around, and IS
excited to deeds Of daring by oolored eio'ns
continually Haunted into his eyes. Two OF
three horses whore days OF usefulness as
beasts of burden or Of draft have passed
are blindfolded and ridden into the arena,
the object of their riders being to place
them where they can be most commoolousiy
tossed and gored by the bull. Presently
one of these miserable creatures has his
bowels ierked out of him with tremendous
applause. This Is the fem. As general
thing, the poor horse shows very little emo
ton. Doubtless, compared with what ne
has undergone during his life long Vassai-
age to the coachmen of this town, q scratch
with q BULBS horn is but gentle
titillation, He knows that "peace waits
him on the shores of Acheron," and thlther
he departs without unnecessary comment
In order to stimulate the bull to put Iortn
more determined efforts, q man goes IN front
of him, and by de4terous movement IN
serts o long dart, covered with pieces OF
colored paper, into each shoulder. Blk OF
these darts are planted in him before ne is
done with, and where extra stimulation is re-
ouired these darts have fireworks attached to
them, which, fixing and exploding around
the bulls head, drive him raving distracted.
Great is now the havoc among the horses,
and correspondingly great is the applause
from the enraptured audience. On this
occasion boy about twelve years old who,
if he had been son of mine should have
been most thoroughly and emphatically
spanked for being in such company yolunT
teered to insert pair of these darts. The
daring feat he accomplished most dex-
terously, and the long, wild, and enthusl-
astic greeting he received for it will prooa-
bly lead him to his ruin. The last scene is
q single combat between the matador and
the bull, in which the man, armed with q
sword, essays to kill the animal. His miss
ticks excite great contempt from the specta-
tors, but the successful blow is hailed with
deafening acclamations, and the remains of
his antagonist are ANONYMOUSLY dragged
off by pair Of gaudily-bedizoned mules 10
the sound Of triumphal music.
At this entertainment, where " six famous
bulls, Yankees and natives" figured, one
fought indiiferently, two well, and two very
well: while one-who was Of the Falstatf-
ian breed, that deems discretion to be the
better part of yalor--would not fight at oil:
This one was dragged, and beat, and kicked
ont. laden with the scorn and contempt Oh
an outraged people; and having saved his
nusillanimous beef, no doubt lives to this
day an object of contumely and derlslon
to all true bull. fighters. An old rebel
grsy-colored bull performed prodigios OF
yalor. and from the way in which ne upset
his assailants had great hopes OF seeing
the final departure of some of them from
amongst us but, like the brave fellows
whose uniform he wore, the superior re-
sources of his enemies were too much for
him, and he had to succumb. Five or Six
horses were transferred from Havana to
another and o better place but with pro-
found regret have to add that not a man
was seriously Injured. ....... .s
The, dullness that has brooded over this
city since my arrival has ali at once been
d;spelled. On last Friday night there oc-
CURED riot at the Villanueva Theatre, in
which o ribbon, said to be Of the rebel
colors, was pulled off lady's head, and
the better part of her hair likewise, fol-
lowed by q sort of free-fring amongst the
audience. On the next day the city was
full of excitement. The volunteers, or, as
they are called in Havana English, "the
voluntaries," turned out and paraded the
town with screams Of" Viua ESpanG l." till
the backs of their coats were soaked through
with perspiration. / followed company
of them down to the Captain Generals
palace by the side Of warrior whom | took
to be the Captains orderly, from the big
saddle and bride he lugged on his shout
ders, seeking for information, but gaining
very little. Returning to my hotel, l pre-
sently beheld voluntary" at the next
cornerbayoneting q citizen-coachman. This
was a most pleasing spectacle, for l have
suffered terribly by these coachmen; and
80, in company with a General of the United