Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-05-20
From Cuba.
sIaHTs IN THE TROPICS As sREN ny A wILMGNa-
TONIAN

SIGHTS IN THE TROPICS As sREN ny wILMGNG-
TONIAN.
Correspondence of the Gazette.l
CARDENAs, CUBA, Sunday, May 4th, 1873.
EDIToR GAzETTE.-I arrived hero one week
ago. yesterday, and had a smooth voyage out, with
the exception Of ono or two rough days; ashore
last Sunday for the first time, and, in company
with the Captain aud several Others, went to a
cock-hght The effect of our surroundings were
50 contagious, that we had not been there five
minutes before we were bettMg COgnac for our
plrty as hard as the Spaniards wen betting their
money OH their favorits birds. You can buy tho
best Cognac here for $ll per dozen.
We are too late in the season to get any fruit
worth eating. There ara no oranges, and the pine
apples have no taste, and are vory.pOor bananas
are the best fruit Obtainable now; we have two
strings of them hung TO our main boom, and eight
or ten green pine apples, and many moro green
cOeoa-nuta Oh top OF the cabin. Tho milk OF the
green cocoa-nut, mixed with COgnac makes a
hrst-Tate drink.
We hauled into the wharf 10 unload our cargo
aRd hauled out again into deep water about a
mlle from the town to take in sugar, of which
our return cargo consists. Vessels which draw
eight feet of water load at the wharves, but al
vessels drawing over that anchor, out in deeI
water, and are loaded by "lighters" of which
there are, suppose, about one hundred DWneC
hare. The harbor is pretty lively, for thsfe ar
from sevsnty-hve to one hundred vessels here, ant
their yaWl boats are going to and returning from
the Shore all day and part of the night. Al
these yaWl boats use sails.
You can buy Il decent cigar hero for 81 so pc
hundred, but they are nt dry, and therefore
rather strong.
Cinnamon come here and sell themselves fer
period of seven years, for four dollars a mont
and board They work from four o'clock in tn
morning until nlns O'Clock at night
One evening, while We Wero at the wharf,
man a. white rs any man in Wilmington, cam
down with his wife and children. She was
black as, and, in fact, icas, negro, and the chi
dren were the color of their mother. How is tina
for amalgamationp
1t is pretty hot here bat when the sea breel
comes Recommending about ten o'clock an
lasting all day--it makes it very pleasant in th
shade Ia the evening, the land breeze comes o
about ten; but in the interval between the breeze
it is hot enough 10 do without Overcoat, l a
you.
The houses OF the town of Cardenas, where OF
vessel is anchored, are only one story in heigh
and the windows reach from the sidewalk to Il
roof. The ladies do not show themselves befO
five or six o'clock in the evening. but after tn
time you can see them OH the streets until mi
night. The dust blows all over everything, and II
whole place has a smell decidedly foreign to
"American's" nose. The dogs keep quiet all da
but as soon as night closes in, they let themselV
"go," and of all the barking, fighting howlin
"a, they take the premium.
wanted to tell you about the Great Bahan
Banks, where you can see 70 bottom in nine
ten fatkoms Of water: and all the wonderful fs
beautiful shells, and other "wonders of the deer
Bat am afraid that have already trosspassed
too much of your valuable space, and so "
wait until another time.
Yours, &c. Nv. f.