The Grange advance., 1874-11-18
A correspondent writes from Havana

A correspondent writes from Havana
as follows:
One of the peculiarities Of Havana
which will most quickly attract the at
tention Of tho newly arrived stranger is
the great number of lottery-ticket ven-
ders to be met with everywhere. These
individuals, often the lame, halt, and
blind Of both sexes, futter their tickets
with provoking pertinacity in the face
Of every one. and bawl out their num-
bers everywhere and at all hours. No
place is secure from their intrusion, and
no person too sacred for their approach.
The passion for play, that element
of chance, which enters into almost all
the transactions of life, and is inherent
to all mankind, is characteristic of the
Spanish nation, and finds lawful in
diligence in the purchase Of these tick.
cts.
Every drawing, each one taking place
about every sixteen days, raises hopes,
and oftentimes fulfils expectations, Of
the easy acquisition of fortune. The
passion for this form of gambling is
most general in Cuba, and all classes
participate in it, from the wealthy cha
cendo," who buys score of whole tick
cts at time, to the meanest negro
slave, who goes without q meal to Sc
cure the smallest fraction. The tick.
cts Of the Havana lottery find their
way to all parts of the world, and it's
plan of drawing is adopted by all other
countries which permit lotteries. Quite
an important part Of the business of
some merchants here is the purchase
and transmission of tickets to their for
eign correspondents. Like almost
every one else in Havana, your CORES
pondenr invested in part of ticket in
the last drawing, and, consequently,
has taken some interest in the subject,
and looked up the following informa-
tion, which he desires to lay before
your readers, to compensate for the
dearth Of Cuban news.
The revenue from lotteries is, in
Cuba, thing of the present century.
By royal decree of the 5th Of February,
1906, the lottery which was drawn reg
ularly under the auspices of the Span
ish government, in the capital Of New
Spain or Mexico, was suppressed, and
its transfer, ordered to Havana. The
turbulent times which followed, and
other causes, prevented the carrying
out of this decree until l842, when, by
royal decree of, April IL, the institu-
ton was formally and legally estab-
lished. The first drawing included TO-.
900 tickets or shares, as they were then
called, at $4 each, which were subdi-
vided into halves, quarters and eighths,
as was formerly the practice in Mexico.
The sales Of the tickets produced $780,
600: One-quarteri part Of this sum
WAS reserved by the government to de.
! fray the expenses Of management, and
IS an income, and the remaining $780,
600 was distributed unequally and by
lot to So Of the shares, the highest pre-.
MUM paid being $4,000, and the low
est 800 but three such distributions
or drawings were held the first year. .
The present scheme, or plan of draw
ing, which shows to what an enormous
growth this branch Of the public reye-
nue. has attained, consists of $4,000
tickets, divided into fractions IS low as
tenths and twentieths, and the price of
:; ticket is $20-842 prizes are drawn
for, the highest or capital prize being
100000, and the lowest 00-and the
drawings are held every sixteen and
seventeen days alternately. This
scheme, Of course, is subject to varia.
tion. and once or twice I year, or upon
some extraordinary national event, Is
replaced ~ another, IN which the mum.
ber Of tickets Is greater or smaller, and
tftheir price is doubled OF trebled, the
prizes being foportionately increased
I On one OCCASION the capital .prixsfwa
'tAaf : ;: million q dollars. As upon tn