The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-04-16
Miscellaneous.
FRYE CHANCES AT CrHA.

ucr peeNlsn, NOISY Cnllu. Inc waves softly
point their lips to kiss tenderly the beach
downy with rich tropical grasses, and the
iathcrly heart of the gentle breeze quivers
with delight at the charming scene.
Our boat is gliding through forest oil
masts, for Havana's port is, next to New
York, the most frequented in the New World
We turn our heads and take full view OF
the city and its surroundings. To the left
we have the Moro Castle with its frowning
battlements and further on appear the white
walls on the abrupt hills of the Cabanas for
tiiications. To the right, on the EXTREMIST
point, is the fort Of La Punta; then are seen
the bay-side walls of the city, and the roofs
of the houses leaning against numerous
towers Of churches. The whole presents as
quaint a picture as print on Chinese palm
leaf fam The buildings are colored white,
blue ond yellow, and rooted with red tiles.
Straight lines of long rows of green trees
planted on the paScos, or avenues, stretch
from the quays far away into the distance,
connect the inland suburbs and neighborng
villages with the bay and run through the
vast mass of architectural incongruities as il
they were making the attempt to give it an
element of symmetry and order.
The Moro and la Punta command the
bay. Philip II. had little idea that these
forts which he ordered to be erected would
be the means Of raising the little town of
HAVANA to the eighth commercial city of
the world. His purpose was to protect it
from Drake and others who came from Eng
land to raid upon the Spanish possessions
and to intimidatc the audaciou5 flibusters
and pirates who considered it convenient
place to supply themselves with wives and
provisions.
The fort known as La Fuerza has been
built long ago by fernando de Soto to resist
the attempts OF these buccaneers, but it was
not formidable enough. One fine day in
1853, the celebrated pirate Jacob Sores be-
leagured the fortress and in three days COM
PEELED the commander to surrender. The
outlaws penetrated thereupon into the city,
sacked the church and the principal houses,
and committed the most atrocious outrages
upon the deienceless population.
But even the mighty Moro Castle, or to
give its name in full, the Castillo de los tres
Santos Reyes del Moro, was not impregna-
BILE. Two centuries later it was taken by as
sault by the English, and occupied by them
for more than year, when they returned it
to the Spaniards in exchange for the Flori-
daS The tortiiirations were strong enough
however to ward off the ordinary bands OF
free bootcr4, and the commerce with the
West Indies and Central and South Ameri-
ca, profiting by the protection which they
afforded, built within the range of their bat,
terics the richest city to be found ON this
! hemisphere south of the Tropie of Cancer
and even ior many degrees sierthiefs
Bat the cityhasi passesi't'ag or or siy,, M,
the AIofre issaite dir, wi IA, ON thouyht,
were dwepfss on tale, nssssories of the earl,
disc7V.ssrses daring fresbooters and naughty
of~ahoh irving, Marryat, Coop
4 81 and lfescott hung such charming pcture
! IN the galleries Of our youthful affections
\ our boat sailed out into the shoreless sea
without allowing Us even to glance at tn,
Casa Blanca and the little town of Rcgla
with its immense warehouse of solid ston,
and corrugated iron, in which the sugar o
the island is carefully stored.
Here, then, is the precious ribbon of waite
which ties the Gulf of Mexico (which shoul,
| b,,., =,
AmericaJ to the great Atlantic Ocean Here
under our keel is the Gulf Stream, the vita
artery of the earth, circulating the warn
heart of civilization.
Cuba is the main stay of the Antilles
which hold, as in kettle, the waters car
ried into the Caribbean Sea by the currents
of the South American coast, until they arr
thoroughly heated by the tropical sun
Cuba's proximity to the peninsula of Yuca
tan, producing q somewhat marrow channe
intertercs with the progress of the water
entering the numerous straits in the garlanc
of islands hanging between Porto Rico an,
the Gulf of Paria, and compcls the currents
to move slowly along the coast of Honduras
When they finally succeeded in forcing thei
way through the Straits of Yucatan, the Col
orados Reefs of Cuba send them off into tn
Gulf Of Campcachy, to encrclc the Mexican
shore before they pass out into the Atlanti
Ocean.
Half Of Cu1a Is continuation of I'll
ridges Of lucltan, which reach rs far a
l'lurida. The southern portion Of the is
land lorm- the connecting link with anuthc
chain Of mountains that ruin across the At
lan,ic into the South American Continent
We can see from our boat the Ojo del Tore
or Bulls Eye, Il majestic mountain whic
the richest vegetation OF the island seems t
have chosen for its own aristocratic residenc,
But the highest peaks are the Torquino an
the Grand Picdra, and they raise their head
about eight thousand feet above the Sc;
looking for mariners in need of their seEv
ces as guides The northern, portion of tn
island where Havana, Matanzas and otl
cr tlourishing towns are situated, is not yer
elevated, and the land near Cape San,Antl
Mo is scarcely eighty feet high. Charmin
;
hills stand in watch on the coast line lrol
Guadiana to Bemba; but here they grow sll
of the multitude Of sailors staring at thel
from their ships, and they draw back int
the interior of the island, and hide benin
the thickets and woods growing on the gen
: ly undulating plain between them and Il
sea.
A broad belt of clyoa, numberless cor
reefs cliffs, sand, and islcts, protect the Goa
Of Cuba against the frequent furors of Il
ocean, Some of these little islands of whi(
only few reach an area of five square mil
are delicious gardens, full of tall trees al
thick wish richly colored howersand gracef
shmbbcry and bear not unworthy honoral
titles of Jardincs del Rey, Jardincs del
Rcynas and the like, On the whole howe