The Portland daily press., 1871-02-23

where we were struck by this inversion OF the
sexes. Near the top of long hill we met =
man and woman returning from toWn. l.,oe
had evidently been to barter their pl Pr. ,.,oS
for some family necessaries, and the VIZ haas
Staggering under the load OF TWO ntaaJ with
While the husband walked gaily aneao W., VIII
omntv hands We met several women ieau-
inc hills TO or from the town, ana !cui'ureh
,nS burdens but not a man DONG any.
S%.J The lords of creation lounge about
.nn Shors suck oranges and look at strangers;
hnt during our stay at that portland l have
been constantly ashore-l have never seen a
man at work, except six or eight handy ne
groes. VINO are KEPT pusy Oh Inc Metnodlst
ChuIch.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES CEs-MONEY-MoDEs
asfsur OF SUBSISTENCE.
AS there are no roads there are naturally no
wagons, and the only thing approaching ve-
hicle, that have seen, is a wheel-barroW
brought from the United States. The only
| mode of land transportation IS an OK or pull
back. The loads of course are small. Ihey
| are packed in bags made of park, and sung
across the animals back. Water transportai,
lstion is done by means of clumsy "dug-outs'
or boats, fashioned from the light and SOFT
| Trunk of the ceiba tree. Rude and awkWaru
| as thew are. the negroes handle tneiu WIN
great dexterity, and manage to urge tnem
at considerable speed
The rnice of labor-such as the labor may
he's ST or 81 % in United States coin.-
But this standard of value is entirely the pro-
| duct of the annexation scheme. Before the
excitement on this subject sprang up one
could hardly say that anything had IA price,
Labor was either borrowed and returned in
| labor at some future time, or repaid in pro-
duce or store goods. There was no crculat.
ing medium, practically speaking. The cur
rency issued by Baez and his predecessors
can be bought by the bushel at The value Of
waste paper. Gen. Boynton obtained for one
good dollar about $1,000 IN Hayden and Do
mnican paper currency. He bought few
copper coins, also, as curiosities, and the shop
keeper wrapped them up in 500 bills OF San
10 Domingo Another man said he had pos
sessed about $4,000 in bills, but he had uset
good deal OF it tor wrapping paper. Soyot
! see whatever else the people may cAPec
rom the United States, they evidently dom
expect US to redeem their paper money.
i The prices or fruits, vegetables and all prod
ucts of the country are governed entirely b.
the market, and the marke: depends upol
!, | the ships. When there are no vessels in thu
harbor the cost of everything is merely noml
| nal. At such times SPECTATORS buy up ev
everything at low rates, for the people mus
sell their fruits or see them spoil on thei
| hands, and as soon as a cargo iscollected, it i
/ shipped 10 a DOILlern port. mus, Wucu LII
market is good, coacoan Its sell here tor 81 2!
or 80 hundred, bananas Tor 80 cents buncf
each bunch containing from 70 to ITO, pine
apples tor 8 cents piece, coffee for ~ cents
pound, sweet potatoes tor 81, a bushel, lie
ln-the husk for So barrel. Wheat is no
raised, and -four sells for five cents a pound
Whea. bread, therefore, is comparatively rare
but whenever you yet it, you get livery good
The people generally live on fruits and vece
tables. The staples OF their diet are plan
tains, which are excellent fried, yams, swee
potatoes, cocoanuts, pines. bananas, orange!
II tomatoes, egg plants, and sometimes salt-fisf
| Fresh fish is never seen-whether the water
do not supply it or the people are too lazy t
catch it, cannot say. The better classe
have meat about twice week, cattle beln
} | raised in small numbers on the high lands
but beef sells for eight or ten cents pouno
which is far beyond the means of the poor
and besides it is hard to keep in this climate
Every body keeps poultry, and when there ar
: ships in port chickens are worth 80 cents
i, piece and eggs 80 dozen. Bat as soon as th
last vessel shows Ler stern TO the rickety littl
tort at the east end OF the village, down tun
bles all commerce, and the people becom
= hiehtfully lavish ia the use Of their remain
II ing stock OF beef and eggs. Just now the pre-
vision market is so lively that even the dog
are reduced to vegetable diet, and TO see th
$ wretched cure OF SANTANA eating banana
!, would be enough to make New York stree
urchin howl with envy. HHt